In the second part of the Harvard vs. Stanford MBA Analysis, we cover Post-MBA Placement trends, Salary, and support offered for Entrepreneurship. If you have missed the first part, read - Harvard vs. Stanford MBA - Cost, Class Profile & Ranking.
Harvard vs. Stanford MBA - Post-MBA Placement Trends
By Industry
Harvard maintains its dominance in traditional finance roles of Investment Banking (no representation in Stanford’s class of 2021 employment report) and Investment Management (higher percentage of graduates hired, by 4% and a higher median base salary of $5,000). While Harvard has a presence in Venture Capital and Private Equity, Stanford supersedes it by the percentage of graduates hired in the industry and a higher median base salary. Stanford MBA’s median base salary in Venture Capital was $17,500 higher than Harvard MBAs and $10,000 higher in Private Equity.
23% of Harvard MBAs opted for employment in the consulting industry, compared to Stanford’s 18%, with the same base median salary of $165,000. 29% of Stanford MBAs opted for roles in the technology industry compared with only 19% of Harvard MBAs, with the same base median salary of $150,000.
In Healthcare, Stanford MBAs secured a base median salary higher than Harvard MBAs by $10,000, at $150,000, but 6% of Harvard’s MBAs opted for the industry, compared to Stanford’s 5%.
Consulting: Harvard > Stanford
Investment Banking: Harvard > Stanford
Investment Management: Harvard > Stanford
Technology: Stanford > Harvard
Private Equity: Stanford > Harvard
Venture Capital: Stanford > Harvard
| Harvard vs. Stanford MBA Industry | Harvard - Percent Hired (%) | Stanford - Percent Hired (%) | Harvard – Median Base Salary | Stanford – Median Base Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consulting | 23% | 18% | $165,000 | $165,000 |
| Healthcare | 6% | 5% | $140,000 | $150,000 |
| Investment Banking | 4% | No Data | $150,000 | No Data |
| Investment Management | 8% | 4% | $165,000 | $160,000 |
| Private Equity | 14% | 15% | $160,000 | $170,000 |
| Technology | 19% | 29% | $150,000 | $150,000 |
| Venture Capital | 7% | 11% | $160,000 | $177,500 |
Harvard vs. Stanford MBA - By Function
Stanford’s median base salaries are higher than Harvard’s across all functions, except for consulting, where they are equal at $165,000, and investment management, where Harvard is in the lead by $1,000 at $171,000.
Private equity and venture capitalist roles were the highest represented by Stanford MBAs, 6% ahead of Harvard MBAs by the percentage of graduates hired at 23%. The median salary of Stanford graduates was $16,250 higher than Harvard graduates. The highest salary was in venture capital for Stanford MBAs at $180,000, followed by private equity at $176,250.
Consulting was the highest selected function for Harvard MBAs, with a larger percentage of Harvard MBAs opting for the function, 7% ahead of Stanford MBAs.
A higher percentage of the most recent graduating class opted for Strategic Planning and Product Management than compared to Harvard. However, Stanford’s median base salaries were higher by $14,000 in Product Management and $2,267 higher in Strategic Planning. Harvard had a slight lead in the percentage of graduates hired in General Management (by 3%) and Investment Management (by 1%). Stanford graduates secured a higher median base salary in General Management at $147,500 compared to Harvard’s $147,000.
In the Business Development function, both the programs were at the same level by the percentage of graduates hired, but Stanford graduates secured a higher salary of $5,500, at $145,500.
Investment Management: Harvard > Stanford
Consulting: Harvard > Stanford
Private Equity / Venture Capital: Stanford > Harvard
Product Management: Stanford > Harvard
Harvard vs. Stanford MBA Function | Harvard - Percent Hired (%) | Stanford - Percent Hired (%) | Harvard – Median Base Salary | Stanford – Median Base Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consulting | 25% $165,000 | $165,000 | 18% | $165,000 |
| Private Equity / Venture Capital | 17% | $160,000 | 23% (13% /10%) | $176,250 ($172,500/ $180,000) |
| Strategic Planning | 10% | $150,000 | 17% | $152,267 |
| General Management | 11% | $140,000 | 8% | $147,500 |
| Product Management | 7% | $144,000 | 9% | $158,000 |
| Investment Management | 7% | $171,000 | 6% | $170,000 |
| Business Development | 6% | $140,000 | 6% | $145,500 |
Harvard vs. Stanford MBA - Top Recruiters
The top 5 recruiters were the same, predominantly top recruiters from the Consulting and Technology industries. However, looking at the placement trends and the hierarchy of top recruiters, Stanford attracted more technology hires than Harvard. 54% of all employment was school facilitated at Stanford. Harvard didn't offer this information.
| Business School | Top Employer 1 | Top Employer 2 | Top Employer 3 | Top Employer 4 | Top Employer 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard | McKinsey & Co. | BCG | Bain | Amazon | |
| Stanford | McKinsey & Co. | Bain | BCG | Amazon |
Related Download
Harvard vs. Stanford MBA - Entrepreneurship
Stanford’s legacy in partnering with Silicon Valley has given it the learnings and resources to continue nurturing and supplying talent for the start-up ecosystem.
Stanford’s MBA-turned-entrepreneurs represented 18% of the most recent graduating class size in contrast to Harvard’s 8%.
Industries
Harvard’s MBAs-turned-entrepreneurs were focused on Financial Services (33%) and Technology (41%) industries, Stanford’s MBAs-turned-entrepreneurs ventured into Finance (17% of which 8% in private equity and 3% in venture capital), Technology (37% with an even split between B2B and B2C solutions), Healthcare (8%), Energy (7%) and Media/Entertainment (7%).
Consulting ventures were represented by 2% of entrepreneurs at both programs.
Finance start-ups: Harvard > Stanford
Tech start-ups: Harvard > Stanford
Healthcare: Stanford > Harvard
Energy: Stanford > Harvard
Locations
49% of Stanford’s entrepreneurs set up their ventures in the West, whereas 43% of Harvard’s entrepreneurs chose the Northeast, and only 13% chose the West. It is to be noted that although Harvard had the higher percentage of ventures in technology (41% versus Stanford’s 37%), the majority of its graduates chose to set up in the Northeast instead of the West.
24% of start-ups were set up internationally at Stanford, in comparison to Harvard’s 20%. Nearly half of all start-ups initiated by Harvard were in Latin America (9%), followed by Sub-Saharan Africa (6%) and Asia (4%).
Harvard vs. Stanford MBA - Curriculum/Courses (Entrepreneurship)
Stanford offers 103 courses on entrepreneurship, split up into experiential, functional, industry-specific, scaling, startup fundamentals, and social innovation courses. The functions covered are HR, legal, design and manufacturing, marketing, and finance. The industries covered are technology, healthcare, education, transportation, energy, sports, and search funds.
Harvard instills an entrepreneurial education for all its MBAs through the core course – The Entrepreneurial Manager. This core course offers perspectives on different stakeholders and the impact of decisions made through the firm to better evaluate the consequences of data-driven solutions, ultimately translating to the ability of the entrepreneurial manager to generate maximum value.
Harvard offers 25 elective courses on entrepreneurship, including field immersion experiences, with a focus on launch, scaling, marketing, product management, and technology ventures.
Entrepreneurship courses (width and depth): Stanford > Harvard
Entrepreneurship in the Core Curriculum: Harvard > Stanford
Harvard vs. Stanford MBA - Experiential Learning and Ecosystems (Entrepreneurship)
Stanford offers 8 learning and networking ecosystems specific to entrepreneurship through its Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies, Startup Garage, Stanford Ignite, Entrepreneurship Network, Venture Studio, StartX, Technology Ventures Program, and Business Association of Entrepreneurial Students. In contrast, Harvard offers 3 departments for entrepreneurship – Rock Center, Harvard i-Lab (innovation and entrepreneurship), and Pagliuca Harvard Life Lab (bioscience).
Stanford MBAs are provided with resources and feedback at each stage of building and launching a venture, from design thinking, powering innovation, funding through venture capital, down to the basics of evaluating and managing the startup idea.
Both schools provide entrepreneurial competitions, continuous professional development, and platforms to secure further funding for their entrepreneurs.
Centers and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: Stanford > Harvard
Experiential Learning (Entrepreneurship): Stanford > Harvard
