Blog

In this world of different hiring methods, what is "MBA-Level Employment?"

MBA CSEA Standards Consultant Wayne France discusses a common question when capturing employment data. 

 
As we see in the Standards for Reporting MBA Employment Statistics (version V) - Seeking Section - Note A.3: “When preparing the MBA Employment Report, career services staff are expected to use their best professional judgment when making a determination that a graduate's job is a professional MBA level employment. Title and salary level alone are not the determining factors in making a judgment call on whether a job is MBA-level. If the graduate believes the job is MBA-level and his/her job performance will be enhanced by an MBA education, then the job is MBA-level. When making judgment calls, MBA career center staff should document the reasons carefully and be consistent.”
 
A few other determinants experienced by schools are:
  • Is this a permanent position or a temporary position with an end date?  As some firms are utilizing “Temp Agencies” for hiring of their MBA positions, the determination comes down to, is the job ongoing or does it have an end date?  If it has a pre-determined end date, it is not permanent and therefore not an accepted offer. However, if it is ongoing and is a method of hiring for the company, then it would be considered an accepted offer.
  • If a student is in a temp positon with an end date, or other position that is not deemed by the Career Management Center to be MBA-Level, and has said that he or she is not seeking another opportunity, the school can categorize the student as “Not Seeking – Other” (Non-MBA-Level employment)
  • Consistency – If you have had similar situations in the past, be sure to be consistent year over year in the categorization of these students.  Keep a “Procedure Book” for your school that discusses your designation of these students and other areas where “professional judgement” has been exercised to ensure consistency.
Therefore, “MBA Level Employment” is ongoing employment, follows the definition in the Standards and is consistent with definitions your school has used in the past.  For further reading, view the Standards or contact us.

 

Contributors

Contributors