Here’s How Much Work Experience You Need to Get Into Business School

Among the 126 ranked full-time MBA programs that reported the average amount of post-undergraduate work experience of their admitted students in 2021, the average was about four years and two months. However, among the 201 ranked part-time MBA programs that reported this figure, the average amount of post-undergrad work experience was roughly six years and seven months. The average among the 28 ranked executive MBA programs that reported this statistic was even higher: about 14 years and eight months.

Full-time MBA students tend to be significantly younger than part-time and executive MBA students. Among the 132 ranked full-time MBA programs that specified the average age of new entrants in 2021, the average was almost 27. Meanwhile, the average age among the 257 ranked part-time MBA programs that reported this figure was around 29, and the average age among the 29 ranked executive MBA programs that provided this data was almost 39.

Nikhil Varaiya, a finance professor at San Diego State University’s Fowler College of Business and the school’s former director of graduate programs, says most full-time MBA applicants are still early in their career, so admissions officers don’t expect them to be high-level executives.

“You are starting as a junior and you might have limited supervisory roles, but you are probably working in a specialized area, and you are trying to either advance in that area or gather other skills,” he says.

Three to five years of work experience is the ideal amount for a traditional MBA program, Varaiya says. He has accepted MBA applicants directly out of college in rare cases of exceptional academic credentials, but he advises MBA hopefuls to spend a few years in the workforce before heading to business school.

“In general, I say that because I think that if they have worked for three to five years, they have a better sense of what a graduate degree is going to do for them, so they would be better prepared,” he says.

The proliferation of specialized master’s programs that focus on a particular aspect of business has meant that graduate business school hopefuls who intend to go straight from college to B-school often opt for an M.S. degree rather than an MBA, he says. In addition, he adds, some people who have strictly defined career goals and who would have pursued an MBA in a different area now choose M.S. programs instead.

Amanda Karr, director of marketing and communications for the college of education at the University of Texas—Austin, says that at least three years of experience allows MBA admissions officers to see whether a candidate has had significant career progression.

This amount also allows admissions offices to gauge whether an applicant’s career is on an upward trajectory, says Karr, who once served as executive director of enrollment management at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio Business School.

Once an MBA hopeful has spent a long time in the workforce and has achieved a senior-level executive rank at a company, Karr and Varaiya agree, a traditional two-year MBA program might not be the best fit.

Seasoned MBA applicants might feel out of place in a traditional MBA program, where the typical student is in his or her 20s and trying to climb the career ladder to a leadership position, Karr says. MBA applicants with lengthy resumes often prefer nontraditional MBA programs where the vast majority of students have extensive business experience, because these programs teach people who are already leaders how to lead better, she says.

MBA hopefuls with abundant work experience should consider attending an accelerated MBA program or an executive MBA program designed for midcareer or late-career professionals, Karr and Varaiya say.

MBA hopefuls often mistakenly believe that they need to have an impressive job title at a high-profile company in order to get accepted to a top graduate business school, according to MBA program administrators.

Business school officials acknowledge that MBA applicants sometimes have a leg up in the admissions process when they have an important job at a prestigious for-profit business. MBA applicants who have worked at well-known companies like Amazon, Google or General Electric have an advantage in the admissions process, Varaiya says.

“Other things equal, such work experience can tilt towards a favorable admissions decision,” he wrote in an email.

However, Varaiya urges applicants to remember that this kind of work history is not required for an MBA degree. “For example, if somebody has worked, let’s say, in the Peace Corps for two years, they may not have worked for an employer, but I find that very compelling.”

Where an MBA applicant has worked is not the only factor that matters when admissions officers evaluate the quality of work experience. Another important consideration is whether an applicant has compelling professional success stories.

Having a leadership title is only impressive if the title is credible, if the applicant can convince admissions officers that he or she shouldered a significant amount of responsibility and if the applicant was a meaningful authority at the company, Varaiya says.

“A VP title for somebody who has just worked two years would not be credible,” he adds.

Business-related positions such as a job in finance or technology are impressive types of work experience on an MBA resume, Karr says. Another plus is professional experience that demonstrates quantitative expertise, since the math in MBA courses is rigorous.

Another positive is when business school applicants participate in or have recently completed management training rotations at established companies, Varaiya says. These applicants have usually been exposed to multiple aspects of business, including finance, and have had ample opportunity for career exploration, so they are expected to have clear career goals.

Because MBA applicants with rotation experience tend to be self-aware about what kinds of business jobs they prefer, they can choose a concentration or specialization with confidence, he says.

There are many less traditional forms of pre-MBA work experience that are also valuable, Varaiya says. Applicants who have worked at startups typically have a well-rounded understanding of business because that work demands versatility, he says. Public service jobs in the military or government can provide impressive leadership experience, he adds.

Military MBA applicants tend to be particularly compelling, Varaiya says. “They are an attractive group for us, simply because these people are very disciplined, hard-working and take their responsibilities seriously.”

In addition, applicants with backgrounds in science, biotechnology and technology in general are desirable and frequently accepted, Varaiya and Karr say.

Stellar work experience also can help MBA applicants compensate for lackluster GRE or GMAT scores, Varaiya says.

Regardless of what job an applicant has, he or she must demonstrate the potential to thrive academically during an MBA program and excel professionally afterward, Varaiya adds.

April Klimkiewicz, a career coach and owner of Bliss Evolution who previously worked as a college career counselor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other universities, says applicants can impress business schools by gaining management experience.

“If you’ve managed a coffee shop, or even informally managed a team or project, you are displaying the ability to manage,” she wrote in an email.

Below are three interactive tables – one each for full-time, part-time and executive MBA programs ranked by U.S. News – that provide a view of the 25 highest-ranked programs in each category. Prospective MBA students can sort through the information based on age or years of work experience to identify programs that may align with their background.