Relevance Drives our Degrees

Sydney Morning Herald 22 May 2002 p. 16

…there's a widespread belief that the real reason many people study for an MBA is because it means a better job - and more money. That is why, for example, you will see institutions publicising their average graduate salaries.

You'll also find comparative graduate salary information in the various tables comparing Australian and overseas MBA courses.

There is some validity to this money-oriented view. Andrew Horsley, NSW President of the Graduate Management Association of Australia (GMAA) says an MBA is clearly the right tool for younger managers to use to develop their careers. But he says: "After the mid - 30s to early - 40s the chances of materially enhancing your position by taking an MBA become quite remote".

Horsley, whose day job involves running a headhunting business, says he has seen no evidence of a drop in demand for MBA graduates or of any unemployment, though he says some of the heat might have gone out of the MBA job market.