Female MBA student in a crowd.

What jobs are there for our Cambridge MBA graduates?

29 March 2023

The article at a glance

The recently released Cambridge MBA 2023 Employment Report, celebrates how our graduates can adapt to change and pivot in a recovering employment landscape.

The recently released Cambridge MBA 2023 employment report, celebrates how our graduates can adapt to change and pivot in a recovering employment landscape.

Sadia Cuthbert.
Sadia Cuthbert

“We are delighted to report on the destinations of our talented class of MBA 2021,” says Cambridge Judge Director of Careers, Sadia Cuthbert.

The annual Cambridge Judge Business School (CJBS) MBA Employment Report details the outcomes of the MBA class of 2021/22.

“The employment market made a strong recovery last year after COVID-19; some sectors showed more resilience to the Ukraine crisis than others, with 94% of job seekers accepting an offer within 3 months of graduation.”

Switching function and country

Our MBA 2021 class are now working in 24 countries around the globe, with 97% of the class achieving a switch of function, industry, or country, and 42% achieving all three.

Thirty-two per cent of the class chose to return to their pre-MBA country, with 68% switching to a new location. 64% of the class of 2021 are continuing their careers in the UK, with 19% across Asia and 7% in North America.

Sector and roles

Strategy consulting, technology, internet/e-commerce, venture capital (VC)/private equity (PE), and investment banking were the key sectors of choice for the class.

Consulting made a strong recovery post-pandemic recruiting 29% of Cambridge MBA 2021 job seekers, compared to 17% two years ago. Finance as a sector has remained consistently strong, picking up 30% of the class. 37% of the class entered roles in industry and 8% started their own business straight out of the MBA.

Of those moving into consulting, over 60% came from a non-consulting background. For those choosing roles in the finance sector, 27% went into venture capital/private equity, and 25% into investment banking. Almost half of those working in industry have chosen roles in tech or internet/e-commerce, whilst 15% chose roles in the consumer products/FMCG sector.

Within finance, with PE/VC and investment banking were the dominant subsectors.

Our top employers were Amazon, Bain, Citi, and McKinsey, but over 100 international employers recruited from our diverse Cambridge MBA class of 2021/22.

As part of the Cambridge MBA, students undertake a career development programme alongside their studies, during which they work closely with the CJBS Careers team to create a personalised plan based on career aspirations. The programme includes practical workshops, coaching, as well as recruitment and networking events with employers.

Sadia concludes, “We are thrilled that our MBA class of 2021 have found a wide range of fulfilling roles to launch their post MBA careers and achieve their career ambitions. Our excellent experiential MBA programme gives our graduates the tools, skills, and confidence they need to manage their careers successfully for life, wherever it may take them. We are proud of all their achievements, hard work and the fantastic support they show each other. We look forward to following their careers and continuing to work with them as Cambridge Judge Business School alumni.”