S&T -> MBA -> opportunities?

Do people in S&T ever do an MBA after a couple of years? If someone were to do this, would there career opportunities be similar to that of someone who'd done M&A for two years before the MBA? Could they then go into private equity for instance?

19 Comments
 
Best Response
exaltaDo people in S&T ever do an MBA after a couple of years?

Ye, why wouldn't they?

exaltaIf someone were to do this, would there career opportunities be similar to that of someone who'd done M&A for two years before the MBA?

Many of the same opportunities (exception below) as far as OCR goes, but that doesnt mean that the skill sets are looked upon similarly.

exaltaCould they then go into private equity for instance?

Probably pretty unlikely. Unlike banking (in which an MBA can help you break in regardless of background), PE all but demands banking experience, even out of MBA.

 

Had a couple buddies in bschool who were from various BB desks and hedge funds and were completely sponsored. They had it made.

Professional Bro, J. Cans
 

i think most of the guys that do are trying to get into hedge funds. i mean, once you're on a desk on the sell side, nobody really cares about what your education is any more, so there's not a whole lot of incentive to do an mba except for the possible exit opps - of which only HF's make logical sense for S&T guys to move into. PE/VC/I-Banking are fairly rare simply because of the lack of fit/transferrable skills.

 
DrSatisfaction PE/VC/I-Banking are fairly rare simply because of the lack of fit/transferrable skills.

I would agree with PE/VC part (for reasons above), but strongly disagree on the IB side. At the MBA level, most of the people wanting to break into IB are from non-finance backgrounds (engineering, ops, IT, everything really). Having an S-T background is an advantage over just about anyone short of those who did IB analyst stints. As long as you prepare for the interviews and your grades show that you're competent, background isn't hugely important.

 
Brady4MVPDepends. If you're doing VERY well in S&T, and you don't want to do anything else, then yes, it probably won't make sense. But if you want to transition into something else or get access to buyside recruiting, then a top MBA could be quite helpful.

What are your thoughts on London Business School's Master of Science in Finance for buyside recruiting and assuming the intention is to return to the States? Their program is only 10 months and I believe it could be substituted for an MBA. Say if someone did 6-7 years of S&T and then did the LBS Master's in Finance and returned to the States to work at a major hedge fund....I'd rather focus on nothing but Finance at a respected school than a top MBA here which emphasizes classes that I don't want to take and just adds time to the program. But what are your thoughts on this?

 

This decision is entirely up to you if doing a full time MBA is advisable in your case or not. On how this would have an effect on your career we would advise you to talk to people in your industry. This way you can know the relevance of MBA in your field and how it will impact your future move. If finance is a roadblock you might wnat to consider online mba. Goodluck!

 

I guess the OP was wondering whether a trader can get into the top 10 or so business schools as I have no doubt that a trader can get into a top 25 program if he is working at a BB. But then again, I'm only an incoming FT so what do I know.

 

Quasi at quos occaecati. Ab molestiae error hic voluptates eaque omnis. Sed sed ea provident ipsa qui aut tempora ut.

Quidem velit doloribus omnis in ut. Doloribus voluptatem quaerat adipisci voluptas ratione ut omnis. Quis sequi reprehenderit est unde. Dolores est asperiores quisquam sit tenetur. At voluptas non quod nobis sapiente placeat. Aut tempora laboriosam blanditiis aut magni ullam possimus.

Officia similique vel provident sequi fugit eos. Esse blanditiis quia a maxime. Repudiandae voluptatem dolores voluptates recusandae autem. Et aut placeat autem voluptatem vel eligendi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”