March 16, 2014
This report provides context and a holistic view of findings from the GMAC Alumni Perspectives Survey, which was conducted in October-November 2013. This 14th annual alumni report includes responses from 20,704 graduate business school alumni who graduated from the classes of 1959 through 2013. For the first time in the history of the survey, GMAC partnered with 132 universities to broaden the sample of alumni respondents. This methodology differs from that used for previous alumni surveys, which were based on longitudinal samples from the GMAC Global Management Education Graduate Survey.
Overview
The findings in the Alumni Perspectives Survey Report provide a current snapshot of nearly 21,000 business school alumni from the classes of 1959 through 2013 in their journeys from business school through their careers. The data analyzed in this report tell their employment stories and offer alumni feedback about their career progression, the value of their graduate management education, and their level of involvement with their alma maters.
Quick Facts
- The vast majority of alumni (83%) from the classes of 1959 through 2013 report that their graduate management degrees were essential for obtaining employment; 94 percent rate their graduate management education as offering good to outstanding value compared to its total monetary cost.
- Soft skills account for 3 of the top 5 skills that business school alumni use every day on the job, including interpersonal skills, conscientiousness, and the combined skills of learning, motivation, and leadership.
- Forty-five percent of alumni entrepreneurs from the classes of 2010-2013 started businesses at graduation, compared with just 7 percent of alumni entrepreneurs who graduated before 1990.