By Mary Shea Watson
Graduates of the University of Virginia Darden School of Business full-time MBA Class of 2019 took advantage of a strong job market to break multiple employment outcome records.
The class received the highest starting salaries in school history, the highest-ever percentage of offers accepted within 90 days after graduation, and a 14-year high in full-time offers received within 90 days of graduating, according to data from the School’s 2019–20 Employment Report.
The average base starting salary for the Class of 2019 was $135,168 — up about $7,400 from the Class of 2018’s $127,767 average starting salary. Within 90 days of graduation, 96 percent of Class of 2019 students accepted an offer of full-time employment, a School record. In that same timeframe, 97 percent of graduates received at least one full-time job offer, a percentage last achieved by Darden’s Class of 2005.
International Graduates See Strong Gain in Offers, Salaries
International graduates reported double-digit gains in employment outcomes — 94 percent of students without permanent U.S. work authorization both received and accepted a full-time employment offer 90 days after graduating, a noticeable increase from last year’s 85 percent and 82 percent, respectively. Many international graduates took advantage of the Darden School’s specialization in management science, a designated STEM degree, to enhance their opportunities for employment in the United States.
The Top 10 employers of 2019 full-time MBA graduates represented a diverse array of industries and companies. The Top 10 employers (with number of graduates hired) includes:
- Boston Consulting Group (22)
- McKinsey & Co. (19)
- Amazon (13)
- Bain (13)
- Accenture (11)
- JPMorgan Chase (8)
- Deloitte (7)
- Microsoft (7)
- PricewaterhouseCoopers Strategy& (7)
- Wayfair (7)
By industry, 35 percent of the class entered roles in consulting, followed by 24 percent in financial services careers and 15 percent in technology careers.
Darden’s most recent alumni began their post-graduate careers in a wide variety of locations across the United States and around the world. Ninety-four percent of the class accepted roles in the U.S; 31 percent in the Northeast U.S. region, followed by 19 percent in the mid-Atlantic, 17 percent in the West, 12 percent in the southern U.S., 8 percent in the Southwest and 7 percent in the Midwest. Internationally, 3 percent of graduates accepted jobs in Asia with 2 percent in Latin America.
“These record-shattering successes are well-earned by Darden’s Class of 2019,” said Assistant Dean of Career Development Jeff McNish. “Faculty, alumni, our dedicated employer partners, staff and members of the Darden Career Development Center team will celebrate their achievements in the year ahead. We look forward to the Class of 2019’s continued success and feel grateful to have partnered so closely with this talented class throughout their career journeys.”
About the University of Virginia Darden School of Business
The University of Virginia Darden School of Business delivers the world’s best business education experience to prepare entrepreneurial, global and responsible leaders through its MBA, Ph.D., MSBA and Executive Education programs. Darden’s top-ranked faculty is renowned for teaching excellence and advances practical business knowledge through research. Darden was established in 1955 at the University of Virginia, a top public university founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
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