General Management programs

Great find, and very helpful, isa!

good stuff ! +1

excellent +1

This thread represents all that is right and good with GMATClub. Excellent work all!

I'm probably not attending a top 20 school, and I know my career options might be limited a bit (though nothing is impossible). I was wondering what the GM rotational programs would be like in the travel/leisure/media/entertainment industries? Anyone happen to know any info on that?

Maybe a better question, where's a good resource to find out about GM programs?

usually what is the starting salary at the GM programs ?

do starting salaries vary based on which school you attended and your previous experience ?

Salaries can range from about 90K to about 150K. While some programs do vary pay depending on what school you are coming out of, the biggest difference is which companies recruit from the school you're attending. I recently got a very extensive list from Booth that shows the feeder schools for each program. Looking at the list, it's pretty obvious that you want to be at an M7, but more notably, H/S/W/K/B...for some reason, MIT, Columbia didn't get the lovin'. For instance the GM programs at Dow Chemical sound amazing...well, at least from a career growth standpoint, not because it's Dow. They only bring in 8 per year, and only recruit at HBS, Wharton, and Booth...they claim that you'll be in the top 2% of their employees within 5 years and that you're essentially positioning yourself to be a C level exec. That program pays pretty well - definitely on the high end for GM programs, but you have to be attending the right school. As has been hinted elsewhere in this thread, GE recruits a lot of people from all over the place...their pay is about 95-100K.

Thanks Fluidian !

Do the salaries for the incoming candidates depend on their prior experience as well ?

Do salaries vary depending on previous work experience? Kind of, many of these programs have previous work experience requirements...and some of the requirements are extensive, essentially disqualifying the bulk of MBAs. For instance, there is a program at Genentech where they want 5 years of experience in biotech prior to getting your MBA or PharmD. In that sense, the work experience is frequently priced in, as they won't really look at you unless you come close to the program's demands. Aside from that, I don't really have enough background in this area to say whether or not there is salary differentiation based on previous work experience. I'd guess that if there is some differentiation, that it's not huge. Probably the biggest problem would be that if all of your peers have a lot of experience in the industry that the firm is in, either you'll struggle to get the offer, or else you'll be faced with a much steeper learning curve once the job start - meaning the potential for a slower career trajectory is increased.

Some GM programs pay everyone the same thing - it's the same program and you all get the same pay going in...at least, that's the official word. Citi does that, and BofA does to a certain extent.

I got a little extra love from going into what is arguably the same industry I was in before school, but I doubt it was much. My employer recruits at a wide variety of schools - from the ultra-elites to places you may never have heard of. The word on the street is that the higher-ranked schools get better pay. But I can't imagine ever confirming that.

cool .. thanks guys !

bumping this for folks interested in GM. This thread has heaps of valuable information. You'll enjoy!

isa - kudos for the find! (better late than never)

great information in here, thank you to everyone for providing their insights.

question for RR, aaudetat, etc. - i will be starting my MBA studies in the Fall 2010 at a 'near-elite' program, with a focus in finance and strategy. i would very much like to end up in a management rotational program for a company post graduation, with the hopes of focusing on finance within the company after the rotation is over.

a couple of questions:
1) do these GM programs prefer MBA's with management/strategy concentrations? in other words, would my finance/strategy concentration preclude me from entering a GM rotational program?
2) in connection with question 1, would it be better for me to look at GM programs with a finance type focus, if that's the area i would like to focus in?

thanks in advance for any help. this field/area sounds great for anyone who wants to maintain a semi-normal life and still get paid really well. in my opinion, there's not enough emphasis placed on the intangibles such as family and personal life. a great salary with these intangibles baked in beats anything in IB or MC, but that's just my opinion.

bump

you may want to send them a private message.

Sorry for the delay...been crazy busy with school for the last say 6 months.

There are definitely finance programs that are somewhat GM but there are also a bunch of corporate finance positions that would be up your ally. Traditionally GM is a broad based skill area, I have taken a courses in every area of study here at Kellogg: accounting, finance, strategy, operations, marketing, etc...My majors will actually be strategy and international business. Since I have taken so many classes in different areas am one course short of a few others.

GM programs are drastically different and there is far from being a one size fits all description. Some of the best opportunities are actually outside of traditional GM recruiters. I have found some amazing career paths at some fortune 500 companies who dont have programs but are willing to bring on top talent with MBAs. Not always the sexiest industries or locations but some have great jobs. Some pay better than you would think. Average GM is probably in the 100k range (I have heard of offers of 85k-140k) and sign-on bonuses are less common than MC or banking. However, you probably wont travel 80-100% of the time and working 50hrs is more common than 100 like IB.

Since there is such a wide variety in both the type of work, culture, location and career path/prospects its very hard to judge different programs without doing lots of research. If there is something you want to do you there will be a few companies that fit your goals...sometimes its not the easiest thing to find. You also may be surprised what opportunities you end up liking the most and what you decide not to follow.

thanks so much for the reply.

my main concern was that a focus in finance might cause some trouble for being too specific, but that does not appear to be the case.

i understand exactly what you are saying about the companies and management programs. i'll have to do my research, interview, and just get a feel for a company that is a good "fit" and is willing to invest in me (via a formal or informal management rotation).

thanks again!

I'm wondering how these programs are adjusting to schools going younger? Seems like Tuck is the only school that is steadfastly staying older. Wharton and Kellogg have inched down to about 27, HBS and Stanford are around 26. With so many good GM programs wanting 5-9 years, do you think they will bend for what is becoming an increasingly younger pool of MBA's or will they just shut the door to 80% of each school's class?