Demand for MBA's is robust across the American economy in both traditional and nontraditional sectors. While the number of generalized MBA programs vastly outnumbers the specialized programs available today, the research from workforce research firm Burning Glass shows that MBA jobs typically have distinct specializations, with marked differences in skill requirements.
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There is strong demand for MBA graduates in nontraditional sectors. Nearly 20 percent of MBA job postings fall into sectors not traditionally thought to demand MBA graduates, including public administration, health care, and education.
The skills MBA's bring with them may be changing the way these sectors think. For example, in the education sector there has been substantial growth in demand across the board for forecasting and business intelligence skills while public administration jobs now commonly specify experience with business process and business administration.
However, while MBA's may find work in these sectors to be rewarding, the salaries advertised for MBA's in nontraditional sectors are lower than for other MBA opportunities.
Compared to an average advertised salary of MBA's across all industries of $90,511, MBA's in the educational services sector make an average of $70,577, and MBA's in the public , administration sector make an average of $87,123.