Part-time MBA statistics show a format built around working professionals: prospective-student interest is strongest in North America, surveyed candidates commonly want higher pay and senior roles, and selected programs report substantial salary and promotion outcomes after graduation. The figures below cover specific surveys, cohorts, and reporting populations, so they should be read as comparisons of published results rather than a single national average.
Contents
- Demand and regional interest
- Candidate age, experience, and representation
- Academic profile and undergraduate background
- Career goals reported by candidates
- Employment, salary, and promotion outcomes
- Industries and job functions
Demand and regional interest
The Prospective Students Survey 2025 data report presents results from prospective-student survey responses collected in 2024. Overall, 18% of prospective graduate business students considered a part-time MBA, while 3% identified it as their preferred MBA program type.
Interest varied by region. In North America, 32% of prospective graduate business students considered a part-time MBA. The corresponding shares were 12% in Europe, 11% in Asia/Pacific, 20% in Latin America, and 25% in the Middle East/Africa. These percentages describe consideration, not applications, enrollment, or completed degrees.
| Region or population | Share considering a part-time MBA | Measurement period |
|---|---|---|
| All prospective graduate business students | 18% | 2024 |
| North America | 32% | 2024 |
| Europe | 12% | 2024 |
| Asia/Pacific | 11% | 2024 |
| Latin America | 20% | 2024 |
| Middle East/Africa | 25% | 2024 |
The survey allowed multiple selections, so the reported percentages are not mutually exclusive. A respondent could therefore consider more than one program type. The 3% preference figure answers a different question from the regional consideration figures: it identifies the share naming part-time study as the preferred MBA format.
Candidate age, experience, and representation
Published class profiles suggest that part-time MBA cohorts can include professionals at different career stages. USC Marshall’s Part-Time MBA: Class Profile reports that its class of 2024 had an average age of 29 and an average of 6 years of work experience. Women represented 35% of that cohort, while first-generation students represented 29%.
The Incoming 2024 Part-Time MBA profile from UC Davis describes an older and more experienced incoming cohort. Its average age was 34, and students averaged 9 years of work experience. Underrepresented students represented 21% of the cohort.
The differences between these figures are a useful reminder that “the part-time MBA student” is not a single statistical profile. The USC and UC Davis numbers describe separate university cohorts measured in different institutional contexts. They should not be combined into an overall average.
The Part-Time MBA Class Profile from the University of St. Thomas reports that women represented 47% of its Fall 2024 part-time Flex MBA class. That percentage is specific to the named class and format.
Academic profile and undergraduate background
The published academic figures also vary by program. USC Marshall’s part-time MBA class of 2024 had an average undergraduate GPA of 3.32, an average GMAT score of 642, and an average GRE score of 312, according to its Part-Time MBA: Class Profile.
UC Davis reported an average undergraduate GPA of 3.2 for its incoming 2024 part-time MBA cohort. The cohort’s average GMAT score was 580, with a middle 80% range of 540–620. UC Davis also reported an average GMAT Focus score of 565. These are different reported testing measures and should not be treated as interchangeable scores.
Undergraduate preparation was varied in the UC Davis profile. Business majors represented 21% of the incoming cohort, while engineering majors represented 19%. At the University of St. Thomas, non-business undergraduate majors accounted for 60% of the Fall 2024 part-time Flex MBA class.
Together, these figures indicate that a business undergraduate degree was not universal among the reported cohorts. They do not establish admissions thresholds, required scores, or a causal relationship between undergraduate major and MBA results.
Career goals reported by candidates
The 2024 survey results in the Prospective Students Survey 2025 data report show that compensation and advancement were prominent goals among prospective part-time MBA candidates. Sixty-five percent said getting a raise or salary increase was a post-GME career goal. “GME” refers to graduate management education in the report.
Advancement goals were also common: 52% said obtaining an executive-level position was a goal, and another 52% said obtaining a senior-level position was a goal. Because the survey permitted multiple responses, these categories overlap rather than forming a single career path.
Operational and leadership responsibilities appeared frequently as well. Forty-five percent said managing projects was a goal, while 37% said managing people was a goal. These responses suggest that candidates may view a part-time MBA as relevant to expanded responsibility within an existing career, although the survey results do not prove that the degree caused those outcomes.
Some respondents described a change in work model or setting. Twenty-one percent said becoming self-employed or an entrepreneur was a post-GME career goal, and 16% said working for a company where they could travel internationally was a goal. These figures measure stated aspirations in the 2024 survey results, not later employment behavior.
Employment, salary, and promotion outcomes
Institutional employment reports provide concrete outcomes, but each report has its own population and timing. Portland State’s Graduate Employment Outcomes 2024 reports that 90% of its part-time evening MBA class of 2024 was employed within four months after graduation. The program reported an average starting salary of $104,511, a median starting salary of $96,750, and a highest reported starting salary of $220,000.
Portland State also reported an average salary increase of $19,203 for the class. Within four months of graduation, 53% had a promotion in job level. The average, median, highest reported salary, salary increase, employment share, and promotion share describe different measures; the highest salary should not be interpreted as a typical result.
The part-Time and Online Master of Business Administration Employment Report 2024 from the University of Minnesota Carlson reports results for its part-time and online MBA class of 2025. The report lists a mean base salary of $139,958 and a base-salary range of $72,000–$260,000. It also reports a 40% average salary increase from program start to four months after graduation.
| Published program result | Reported figure | Period or timing |
|---|---|---|
| Portland State employment rate | 90% | Within four months after graduation, class of 2024 |
| Portland State average starting salary | $104,511 | Class of 2024 |
| Portland State median starting salary | $96,750 | Class of 2024 |
| Portland State promotion in job level | 53% | Within four months after graduation, class of 2024 |
| Carlson mean base salary | $139,958 | Class of 2025 |
| Carlson average salary increase | 40% | From program start to four months after graduation, class of 2025 |
The comparison is informative but limited. Portland State’s figures describe a part-time evening MBA class, while the Carlson report combines part-time and online MBA reporting in some tables. The institutions also use their own reporting populations and caveats. These results are not a pooled estimate of national part-time MBA employment or pay.
Industries and job functions
Portland State’s 2024 report shows a mix of industries among its part-time MBA graduate destinations. Technology accounted for 20%, manufacturing for 12.5%, and healthcare for 10%. The report separately lists job functions: general management accounted for 30.8%, finance for 18%, and operations and logistics for 15.4%.
The industry and job-function categories answer different questions. A graduate can work in technology while holding a general management role, for example, so the percentages should not be added together or read as a single distribution.
The Career Outcomes with USF’s Online MBA Degree reports outcomes for USF’s on-campus part-time MBA class of 2025. Nonprofit organizations accounted for 29.4% of reported outcomes, while technology accounted for 23.5%. In job functions, human resources accounted for 23.5%, and marketing and sales accounted for 17.6%.
USF’s on-campus part-time MBA results and Portland State’s part-time evening MBA results illustrate different mixes of destinations and roles. They are program-specific snapshots, not forecasts for every part-time MBA graduate. The Carlson report’s combined part-time and online reporting is another reason to check each source’s scope before using a figure to compare programs.
For readers evaluating a part-time MBA, the clearest statistical pattern is therefore one of variation: candidate age and experience differ across cohorts, stated goals range from pay increases to entrepreneurship, and reported employment outcomes depend on the institution, class, format, measurement window, and reporting population.