The Master of Business Administration (MBA) is an extremely popular graduate business degree. MBA programs are valued for their diverse curriculum, which often includes a blend of statistics, communications, finance, management and business law. An MBA is often a prerequisite for promotion to higher-paying leadership positions.
Plus, schools such as the University of West Florida (UWF) offer accelerated, fully online MBA degree programs. Due to the convenient and flexible online design, students can continue working full time and earning an income while completing their degree. In this way, an online MBA program can offer business professionals a realistic path toward many exciting career opportunities.
5 Top Jobs for MBAs in Florida
The following are five job options MBA graduates can pursue in Florida and beyond:
- Investment bankers are primarily concerned with raising capital for businesses, governments or private entities. These bankers raise funds in a number of ways, including issuing debt, selling equity, selling stocks through Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) or selling bonds. Investment bankers are often tasked with helping clients with mergers and acquisitions and providing pertinent paperwork for all transactions that fall under governmental regulations. As of March 2023, the average yearly salary for this field is $102,323, according to ZipRecruiter.
- Personal financial advisors focus on individual clients and their personalized financial needs. Whether planning for college or retirement, financial advisors help clients map out their investments accordingly. In return, the advisors receive a fee or set percentage of profits. These professionals must have a sound understanding of regulatory laws as well as investments. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median salary for personal financial advisors in 2021 was $94,170 per year.
- Marketing managers guide their business’s short- and long-term marketing plans, often by overseeing a team of marketers. On any given day, the business leaders may plan advertising campaigns, conduct market research or analyze the strengths and weaknesses of competition. BLS reports the 2021 median annual pay for marketing managers to be $135,030.
- Management consultants, often called management analysts, help businesses increase efficiency, internal communication and overall performance by analyzing organizational problems and recommending solutions. Many management consultants are self-employed, allowing them to provide a more objective analysis of their client’s internal work culture. The median 2021 pay for management consultants was $93,000 per year, according to BLS.
- Operations research analysts use advanced techniques, such as data mining and statistical analysis, to solve complex problems. Examples of these problems might include identifying inefficiencies within the supply chain, tracking the effectiveness of a new medical procedure or culling predictive insights from big data. Annual pay for these analysts is $82,360, according to BLS.
Shifting Trends for MBA Grads
Recent MBA grads are finding jobs across industries and sectors, and, as the numbers above show, many of these jobs pay quite well.
In fact, the starting salaries that the world’s biggest companies are offering MBA grads eclipse offers for graduates of other types of business programs. According to GMAC’s 2022 Corporate Recruiters Survey, the median salary that top recruiters offered new MBA grads in 2022 was $115,000. In comparison, the survey found that the median starting salary for Master of Data Analytics grads was $105,000. Master of Management grads saw median starting salaries of $95,000. The median starting salary for new hires with only a bachelor’s degree was $75,000.
The business job market is continually evolving, necessitating a comprehensive education that delivers the tools to thrive, whether as a consultant or marketing specialist. The online MBA from the University of West Florida delivers a diverse curriculum that emphasizes applied learning through real-life scenarios. The degree is taught by UWF faculty and can be completed in as few as 14 months.
Learn more about the UWF online MBA program.