Need an MBA to climb the ladder?

It's all in the title .. Do people in PE need an MBA to get promoted to Principal, Partner after the associate stint?

It's a bit unclear what happens after the associate level, you do 2 years in IB as an analyst, 2 in PE as an associate, and then what? do you need to get an MBA to be able to come back and get promoted?

Keen on hearing what you think.

7 Comments
 
Best Response

As always, the answer is "it depends." It depends on your fund's culture. It depends on the geography you are in. Generally speaking, large cap, anglo saxon (influenced) funds tend to follow the 2 year IB, 2 year PE and then MBA model. From what I have heard, the fight for the post-MBA positions where you are on a partner track are few and competition is fierce. That said, funds are starting to open up to promoting well performing associates without needing an MBA. This is even more the case if you work for a mid-market fund, which tend to be more flexible with this requirement. If you are performing extremely well, then your PE fund will put in a lot of effort to keep you.

I cannot speak about the situation in Latin America or Asia. If you are in a more local European market (think France, DACH or CEE), funds certainly tend to be quite open to promoting from the inside. I can only offer anecdotal evidence. I have three friends who worked in the markets listed above who were associates and got promoted to principal.

It is a rather recent trend, but it might be worth checking out the profiles of principals at the funds you'd like to work at and have a look whether they have an MBA or not.

 

Ut dolore ipsum sapiente et nihil eligendi quidem. Officia iusto et voluptatibus sed voluptatibus. Ex ex repellendus dolores. Maiores magnam non nam adipisci quos quibusdam omnis.

Et quia quo officiis cupiditate. Dolor qui mollitia voluptate.

Autem omnis et quidem harum aliquam provident. Consectetur non magni omnis et molestias expedita totam. Voluptatibus quam quis sit ea. Dolor sed dolores cum iste ipsam voluptatum. Vel sequi maiores consectetur.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.2%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Bain Capital 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Private Equity

  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.2%
  • Ardian 98.9%
  • Blackstone Group 98.5%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.2%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (97) $363
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (234) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (95) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (271) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (37) $80
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (351) $61
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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”