Survey of Undergraduates: Interest in MBA and Other Business Education Programs

Survey of Undergraduates: Interest in MBA and Other Business Education Programs

Respondents who grew up in a major city (16.33%) or abroad (18.30%) were more likely to indicate they were likely/highly likely to apply to a graduate business program than those who grew up in smaller cities/rural areas or in the US. Students with the highest family incomes (> $150,000/year) were more likely than other respondents to say they were likely/highly likely to apply (15.88%), as were respondents living in fraternity or sorority housing (32.26%). Students who indicated they were moderately religious (“I practice a religion and try to attend regular services and to participate as much as I can”) were more likely than their more or less religious peers to say they were likely/highly likely to apply (15.39%). Likelihood tracked with political views, with the most conservative students the most likely to say they were likely/highly likely to apply to a graduate business program and the most liberal students the least likely to say so. Responses differed only slightly based on employment status.

The report presents detailed data on the business education plans of a sample of 1,566 undergraduate full time students drawn from 4-year colleges and universities in the United States. The 120-page report gives highly detailed information on which and how many students will apply to MBA programs, and which business subject areas they are interested in on the undergraduate level. The report provides specific data on levels of interest in international trade and logistics, finance and accounting, management, human resources, marketing/advertising/market research, economics and quantitative analysis, international business, and information technology for business. Hundreds of tables describe the level of interest in these subject areas providing a detailed demographic and statistical map of interest in each area broken out by variables such as age, gender, income level, sexual orientation, current or planned undergraduate major, political convictions, job holding status, student debt level, race/ethnicity, SAT/ACT scores, college grades, and many other variables.