Here’s where MBAs can make the big bucks. The biggest paychecks overall belong to Stanford GSB MBAs in Finance at $174,500. In Finance, Harvard Business School MBAs commanded the second-highest paydays (on average) in any industry. Their pay reached $163,355, followed by Wharton ($154,400), Columbia Business School ($148,134), and Chicago Booth ($140,927). How lucrative is Finance? There were 10 business schools whose graduates fit within the $130K-$140K band and another 8 who averaged from $120K-$130K. Another good sign is pay increases. Here, 7 business schools produced graduates whose average base rose by $20K over the past four years, led by Washington Foster ($26,749) and Wharton ($23,242). These blessings are well-distributed. Just look at the base increases enjoyed by USC Marshall (+$21,380), Emory Goizueta (+$20,709), Rice Jones (+$20,011), and Rochester Simon (+19,900), Maryland Smith (+$17,175), and Texas A&M Mays (+$17,000). In fact, the size of these increases tops average increases posted by Harvard Business School, Columbia Business School, and Chicago Booth. In fact, six programs saw 2019 grads make $300K or more to start in Finance, led by Columbia Business School ($375K) and Duke Fuqua ($325K). In total, 15 programs reported grads who made $200K or more to start in 2019, with programs like North Carolina Kenan-Flagler and Indiana Kelley getting into the mix.