2024 MBA Pay: Operations

Harvard Business School grads pulled in the highest starting paychecks in Operations, but it is a pyrrhic victory. Just 5 members of the Class of 2024 entered the field, making its $178,846 average more of an aberration. In reality, the Wharton School is a better representation of top-end pay in Operations. Here, graduates banked $160,417 to start, which was based on 13 graduates starting in the field. Overall, just five schools reported bases that averaged $150,000 or more (though Duke Fuqua came close at $149,250). The Wharton School also produced a student who earned the highest starting paycheck – $300,000. However, Operations could be described as a ‘Blue Ocean’ field, with individual graduates earning impressive starting paychecks at UCLA Anderson ($200,000), North Carolina Kenan Flagler ($192,000), and Georgetown McDonough ($188,000).