Amid the turbulence of the last two years, the resilience, agility, and sustained excellence needed for each Fuqua student to secure a desired position upon graduation tell an important story—not only about our students but also about the strength of our faculty and curriculum, experiential learning, and career resources. The employment outcomes of MMS grads in the Class of 2021 are even more noteworthy in light of such complexity.

New Highs in Annual Salary and Job Acceptance Rates

When a student evaluates whether a job offer is the right fit, there’s a lot more to consider than when it’s offered and how much it pays. There’s no denying, though, that these metrics are viewed as important when reviewing employment outcomes across an entire class and over time.

An impressive 97% of the Class of 2021 had accepted positions by six months after graduation, up from 86% in 2020 and 93% in 2019. Also significant is a jump in median base salary, which rose to $71,000 in 2021 from $50,000 in 2020 and $62,000 in 2019. This represents relative increases of 40% and 15% respectively.

Outcomes Reflect Great Diversity in Student Interests, Location, and Employers

By Industry and Job Function

Consulting and finance have been the most popular first destinations for many years, this year combining to account for 61% of the class by both industry and job function. Technology also remains a strong no. 3, at 12% in 2021. New interests emerged as well, with media and entertainment (8%) and human resources (2%) appearing for the first time.

By Location

Within the U.S., graduates accepted positions across the country with New York, Maryland/D.C., Illinois, Texas, Massachusetts, and California as the leading destinations in that order.

By Employer

A total of 93 unique employers hired one or more Class of 2021 graduates. This impressive list includes employers that range from A (such as Accenture and Amazon) to Z (Zinnov and ZS Associates) and includes large multinationals, nonprofit organizations, service firms, and small and medium-sized enterprises. Six employers hired two or more 2021 graduates, 19 hired international students for jobs in the U.S., and 12 for positions in China.

While the information you see in this MMS employment report was captured at the end of their Fuqua student experience, it’s really just the beginning for these talented graduates. We can’t wait to see what’s next for them as they positively impact their colleagues, companies and communities!