Technology remains a hugely popular industry for business school graduates. So, how much can you earn in the sector? What do technology jobs pay?
The 2024 GMAC Corporate Recruiters Survey revealed that 29% of tech firms were planning to hire more MBAs than in 2023—the lowest figure for any of the surveyed industries.
However, that doesn’t mean there are no longer opportunities for business school graduates in tech. It remains the third most popular industry for MBAs, with tech firms hiring 2,264 students from the top 104 American schools in 2024, according to Bloomberg.
So, which tech roles could a business school graduate land? What do technology jobs pay for business school graduates? And which schools give you the best chance of landing them? Let’s dive into tech careers.
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Business schools with the top tech salaries
The first factor that influences tech salaries is the business school you attend. This is because some schools have closer links with tech recruiters than others, or perhaps a curriculum containing more tech-focused modules.
MBA graduates from the Stanford School of Management have the highest median salaries in tech, at $177,500. They’re closely followed by graduates of the Italian business school SDA Bocconi ($174k), George Washington University School of Business ($170k), and the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business ($170k).
All of these figures trump the median starting salary for MBA graduates in the United States, which is around $120k.
Typical tech jobs for business school grads
Business school graduates can play a key role in tech firms by adding business expertise to tech excellence. Here are some example roles they could land in the industry.
Average base salary: $118k+ | Top recruiters: IBM, Amazon
Bridging the gap between client and coder, a product manager is a go-to role for business school grads in the tech industry. They’re responsible for conducting market research, developing business plans—and streamlining communication channels between different departments.
Dami Alajogun did her MBA at Harvard Business School, and went on to secure a role as a product manager at Microsoft after graduating. She says that communication and management—two keystones of any business master’s—are at the heart of the job.
“Your job is basically going from a pain point that exists to a feature that addresses that pain point,” she says. “And so that means that there’s a lot of stakeholder management and a lot of collaboration. Broadly, being a product manager is just working with different teams to get to the end goal of building something that addresses the problem.”
Cloud solution architect
Average base salary: $134k+ | Top recruiters: Accenture, Deloitte
A cloud solution architect is responsible for implementing cloud-based systems and solutions for businesses. Often this involves teaching users how best to use products and services.
For business school graduate Jan Malte, he relies on the communication skills he learnt during his master’s for his current role at Microsoft.
“It’s lots of communication, problem solving, and teaching,” he explains. “You’re talking to different target audiences during the day related to your customers, and just trying to upskill them the best way possible in order to use our technologies.”
Average base salary: $94k+ | Top recruiters: Google, Amazon
Pretty much every business in the world wants to grow, and the tech industry is no different. This is another area where business school graduates can add real value to a tech firm by bringing their business and marketing expertise to the table.
Carles Vineta works as a growth manager at Google, helping Google Ads clients to grow their businesses. “I have a portfolio of clients and I want to make them grow at Google. So I act as an internal consultant. I provide them with market trends, competitors, benchmarks, data…then suggest the latest products from Google that they could try.”
Carles believes his background in tech and knowledge gleaned from an MBA is exactly what companies like Google are looking for from business school grads.
Average salaries at the top tech firms
Amazon is a prolific recruiter from MBA programs—particularly in the United States. But what kind of salaries does the firm pay to business school graduates?
Well, product managers at Amazon can expect to earn around $177,000, according to Glassdoor. This is similar to the median salary of Stanford MBA graduates working in tech, making it a particularly high paying tech job.
Other potential roles at Amazon for b-school graduates include program manager ($154k), business analyst ($122k), financial analyst ($109k), and operations manager ($158k).
Google is another common destination for business school graduates. Some of the top-paying roles at the company include product manager ($186k), program manager ($162,000), strategy and operations manager ($181k), operations manager ($147k), and financial analyst ($145k).
The jobs and salaries available to business school graduates at Microsoft are similar to other tech firms. Some of the highest paying tech jobs and most popular roles include product manager ($165k), program manager ($146k), business analyst ($129k), financial analyst ($119k), and strategy manager ($165k).
This tech giant doesn’t tend to recruit as heavily from MBA programs as other major tech firms—but that’s not to say making the leap from business school to Apple is impossible.
Some of the most common roles for b-school grads at Apple include product manager ($188k), program manager ($154k), business analyst ($123k), operations manager ($122k), and strategy manager ($159k).
For more info about what it’s like to work in tech, the perks and salaries you could gain, and tips on how to successfully land a job in the technology sector, download our BusinessBecause Careers in Tech Guide