Part of Yale University—a prestigious Ivy League institution and one of the three oldest universities in the US—Yale School of Management (SOM) has a reputation that extends across the globe.
Located in New Haven, Connecticut, within a glass-walled campus that opened in 2014, the school lists its key values as promoting both business and society. It offers degree programs ranging from specialized master's to an Executive MBA.
Yale SOM boasts links with many of the top global business schools, including the likes of HEC Paris in France, Tsinghua School of Economics and Management in China, and IESE Business School in Spain. It utilizes these extensive links to allow students to undertake exchange semesters while they study.
In 2024, the Yale SOM MBA is ranked among the top 15 MBA programs worldwide by the Financial Times, having also placed ninth in 2023. Each year it plays host to a cohort of high achievers: the graduating class of 2023 have gone on to a wide variety of cross-industry roles.
So what exactly are the types of job opportunities available for Yale SOM grads? And how much do they typically earn?
Here’s our breakdown of the school’s graduate career prospects.
Yale SOM MBA: popular industries
Each year, consulting ranks as the most desirable industry for MBA students across the globe. Top consulting firms often hire from several target schools, and Yale SOM is certainly one of them. In total, 31.9% of the class of 2024 landed roles within the industry.
Elsewhere, the financial sector attracted large numbers of students. They went into various areas, with investment banking (14%) most popular, followed by investment management (6.1%) and diversified services (3.1%), and finally private equity (1.7%).
Technology was the third most popular sector, with 9.6% of grads entering roles within tech companies. E-commerce, healthcare, consumer packaged goods, and nonprofits were also popular.
Yale SOM MBA Employment By Industry
Companies hiring Yale SOM MBAs
Graduating from the Yale SOM MBA is a respected academic achievement, showing employers that a student has completed a highly rigorous program and possesses all of the business acumen and soft skills that come with it.
For this reason, the program boasts prestigious companies among the key recruiters from the MBA cohort. That includes big three consultancies such as Bain & Company and McKinsey & Company, as well as other top consulting firms such as Accenture and Oliver Wyman.
Financial behemoths including Morgan Stanley, BlackRock, Citi, and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are listed among Yale SOM MBA employers for 2024. Top companies within the technology sector including the likes of Apple, Google, TikTok, and Microsoft also recruited from the cohort.
Outside of the big three MBA industries, big names in healthcare (Novo Nordisk, Johnson & Johnson), consumer packaged goods (PepsiCo, Unilever), and retail (Amazon, Target Corporation) all saw value in hiring Yale SOM MBAs.
Yale SOM MBA: popular destinations
As one of the most prestigious names in the US higher education sector, the vast majority of Yale MBA graduates were able to use their new qualifications to land roles within North America. In total around 89.6% of students secured US-based roles, with the Northeast and West the most popular regions.
However, with cross-industry multinationals among the hiring companies, a small number (10.4%) secured jobs across the globe after graduation. Among those employed internationally, 56.5% were in Asia, 17.4% in Canada, 13.0% in Europe, and 4.3% in Africa and the Middle East.
Average Yale SOM MBA salaries
Consulting has a reputation as a top industry when it comes to earning potential for MBA graduates, so it’s little surprise to see that the Yale SOM students who entered consulting earned the highest salaries among the cohort.
The median base salary among consulting grads was $190,000, that’s $15k higher than those who landed investment banking roles, which paid $175,000 on average. For grads who entered technology, median base salaries were around $146,000.
Those grads who landed jobs in investment management secured median salaries of $150,000, e-commerce recruits earned around $142,900, and diversified financial services hires took home approximately $128,000.
Other high-earning industries include technology and healthcare, where graduates earned an average of $146,600 and $140,000, respectively.
Some, though not all, students leaving the Yale SOM MBA were able to secure signing bonuses when landing their graduate jobs. While bonuses weren’t guaranteed, those who landed them in e-commerce were most likely to receive the highest amount, averaging more than $73,700.
Grads in investment banking who landed signing bonuses would typically receive $50,000, while those who went into technology were likely to see a $30,000 bonus. Consulting bonuses were typically around $30,000, while grads in consumer goods were also likely to receive bonuses amounting to $20,000.
Yale SOM Median MBA Salaries (+ Bonuses) By Industry
Who is the Yale SOM MBA for?
After graduation, Yale SOM MBAs earn competitive salaries and many secure bonuses to take their compensation packages well above $150,000. While most land roles in the US, the school also has a proven track record for helping students land roles across the globe.
So, if you're looking for a prestigious and historically significant institution to take the next step in your career, Yale SOM is certainly an option worth considering.
