Minnesota (Carlson)

Carlson is number 33 on the overall ranking of US business schools. The Minneapolis-based school is known for its strong ties to the Minnesota business community. Graduates routinely land in jobs with consumer packaged goods and retail giants, including General Mills and Target, both headquartered in Minneapolis. “The ability to completely reinvent my career in a deliberate pivot in the twin cities, which is where I want to live long term,” is an outcome one recent graduate highlighted.

Of the five indexes this ranking is based on — Compensation, Learning, Networking, Entrepreneurship and Inclusion — Minnesota (Carlson) ranked 27th in Inclusion, 30th in Compensation, 45th in Learning, 49th in Networking and 60th in Entrepreneurship. Index scores are based on student and alumni survey responses as well as salary data the school reports to MBA CSEA.

Index Ranks

Index Scores

Student Population

The breakdown below is compared with other US schools. Collected gender and non-binary data is for all students in the newest class, which for most schools is the Class of 2026. Carlson reported 56% male and 45% female/non-binary.

Bloomberg also collects data on race and ethnicity from US schools — they provide us with percentages of the first-year class of American students for the following groups: White, Black, Asian, American Indian, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and Hispanic (of any race). These groups are categorized as such by the schools when submitting data to the federal government.

Hires by Industry

Carlson sent the majority of its recent MBA graduates, those with jobs, into Consumer Products, Health Care (Including Products and Services) and Consulting Industry.

Compensation by Industry

The median base salary across all industries reported by Carlson graduates is $130,000; the median signing/starting bonus is $32,360.

Demographics

Survey respondents weigh in on their school’s population, answering broad questions about what campus life is like for female, LGBTQ, and minority students.