Top 10 MBA Programs for a Career in Consulting

Discover the new QS MBA by Specialization Rankings 2021 here.

Discover the full QS MBA by Career Specialization Rankings 2021: Consulting here.

Released today, the QS MBA by Specialization Rankings 2019 provide insight into the world’s top business schools and MBA programs for seven different areas of specialism.

Schools are ranked based on employer reputation and research strength for each of the seven areas, as well as the number of career placements MBA graduates from the school have achieved in the field. Each of these three indicators is assigned a score out of 100.

INSEAD has been ranked as the best business school in the world for specializing in consulting, with 47 percent of its graduates going into a relevant industry. The complete top 10 can be found below.

10) Yale School of Management

In tenth place for MBAs specializing in consulting is the full-time MBA program at Yale School of Management. The school scored well in all ranking indicators, particularly employer reputation and career placements. An impressive 36 percent of Yale MBA graduates went into the consulting field post-graduation.

Located in New Haven, Connecticut, the full-time program takes two years to complete and has tuition fees of US$74,560 per year (with estimated living expenses of US$25,714). The university also has a consulting club, which offers mentorship for job applications and brings speakers to campus.

9) Michigan Ross School of Business

The University of Michigan's Ross School of Business takes ninth position for consulting MBAs. They scored highly in all ranking indicators, especially in research strength. A strong 33 percent of Ross graduates went into a career in consulting, at companies such as Deloitte, Bain & Company and PwC.

The program is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and takes two years to complete. The tuition fees (per year) are US$63,646 for Michigan residents and US$68,646 for non-Michigan residents. They also have a consulting club offering career workshops and case competitions.

8) MIT Sloan School of Management

Eighth in the table for consulting MBAs is the program at MIT Sloan School of Management. With good scores across all ranking indicators, it also achieved a perfect score for employer reputation. In addition, 32 percent of graduates went into careers in consulting.

Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the 24-month program has tuition fees of US$148,400. Sloan’s Career Development Office has extensive resources to help students with their job search. Around 60 percent of students find full-time employment through on-campus recruiting.

7) The Kellogg School of Management

In seventh place is the MBA program at The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. The school achieved a perfect score for employer reputation and placed 33 percent of their graduates into careers in consulting.

The MBA program at Kellogg, located in Evanston, Illinois, offers both a one-year and two-year option. The tuition fee for the one-year program is US$$98,720 and for the two-year program it is US$143,088. Graduates of the MBA program at Kellogg often go onto jobs at top consulting firms like Deloitte and McKinsey & Company.

6) The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Placing in sixth position is the MBA program at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Achieving a perfect score for employer reputation, the school also saw 33 percent of their graduates go into consulting careers.

Located in Chicago, Illinois, the 21-month program has tuition fees of around US$144,000 (with each 100-unit course costing US$7,200). Booth has several student-led consulting groups, such as the Booth Management Consulting Group (MCG) which help with student development and networking opportunities.

5) London Business School

The first European program in our countdown is the MBA at London Business School, coming in fifth place. It achieved a perfect score in employer reputation and placed a huge 41 percent of students into careers in consulting – the second highest proportion in the top 10.

The two-year program in London (UK) has tuition fees of £82,000 (approx. US$108,782). The school has a very impressive consulting club with over 4,800 student and alumni members, hosting informational events with consulting firms plus their unique ‘Crack-a-Case’ program offering weekly one-on-one case interview practice sessions throughout the main recruiting periods.

4) The Wharton School

Narrowly missing out on a spot in the top three is the MBA program at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. The school achieved a perfect score for employer reputation and a near perfect score for research strength. Around 28 percent of Wharton students found jobs in consulting after graduation.

Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the MBA program at Wharton is a two-year (20 month) program with tuition fees of US$157,896. Graduates who go on to work in consulting from Wharton can expect great salaries, with a median salary of US$150,000 according to the school’s latest employment report.

3) Harvard Business School

Taking the bronze medal position is the MBA program at Harvard Business School, which achieved a perfect score in employer reputation. It has the lowest number of students entering the consulting industry post-graduation in the top 10 (23 percent), although this is likely explained by Harvard’s very large class size (around 928 per year).

Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, tuition fees for the 24-month program are US$146,880. Consultancy is the second most popular career path for HBS alumni after financial services. Their management consulting club hosts several events throughout the year, such as career panels and speaker series.

2) Columbia Business School

Just missing out on top position is the MBA program at Columbia Business School. It achieved a perfect score in both career placements and employer reputation, with around 33 percent of Columbia graduates going into the consulting industry.

Located in the business capital of the US, New York City, the full-time MBA program at Columbia takes 24 months to complete and has tuition fees of US$148,000. Consulting was the most popular career path for the MBA class of 2018 at Columbia, with graduates receiving a median remuneration of US$147,000 according to the most recent employment report.

1) INSEAD

Taking the top spot in the MBA specialization rankings for consulting is INSEAD. The MBA program achieved a perfect score in both employer reputation and career placements, with a huge 47 percent of graduates going into the consulting industry – by far the highest proportion in the top 10.

The INSEAD MBA program is split between their Fontainebleau (France) campus and their Singapore campus, giving students a global experience. The one-year program has slightly different tuition fees for its two intakes: €85,500 (approx. US$97,023) for the September 2019 intake and €87,000 (approx. US$98,725) for the January 2020 intake. INSEAD’s consulting club regularly competes in case competitions against other business schools and hosts workshops and networking events.