Benefits May 9, 2007

MBAs: Auditing Among Lowest Paying Sectors

May 9, 2007 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - MBA students expect the lowest pay from the auditing, accounting and tax sector, according to a Fortune magazine survey of 5,000 current MBA students.
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A SmartPros news report said students indicated they’d expect to be paid a base salary of $63,695 one year after graduation in “auditing/accounting/taxation,” which was lumped together as one sector for this survey. After five years, they would anticipate an $111,135 salary.

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Of the 47 sectors evaluated, the accounting sector received the lowest expectations. The next lowest expectation was academic research, at $77,859 one year after graduation and $132,282 after five years.

Meanwhile, the highest pay expected one year after graduation is in venture capital, at $107,919. After five years of graduation, the highest pay expected is in metals at $346,566.

The annual survey , conducted for Fortune by Philadelphia-based firm Universum, also found MBA students’ favorite companies to work for. Google takes the top spot, knocking McKinsey from its 2006 top spot into the second position. Interestingly, 21% of the students ranked Google in their top five.

The top 10 companies in order are:

  • Google
  • McKinsey & Company
  • Goldman Sachs
  • Bain & Company
  • Boston Consulting Group
  • Apple
  • Microsoft
  • General Electric
  • Nike
  • Bank ofAmerica.

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