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"OUR RESEARCH SHOWS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE RECRUITERS COMING TO MBA PROGRAMS AND IN THE NUMBER OF OFFERS EACH RECRUITER IS MAKING," —David A. Wilson, president and CEO of GMAC MBAs Are Flourishing 2006 is shaping up to be a good year for MBA education, according to several recently released surveys. Applica- tions are up across the board, more women are enrolling in business school, and new MBAs are enjoying a robust job market. Applications are up. Business school application levels surged in 2006, according to the 2006 Application Trends Survey conducted by the Graduate Management Admis- sion Council of McLean, Virginia. According to the survey, two-thirds of full-time MBA programs saw application levels rise in 2006, up from about one-fifth the year before. Applications also rose for part-time and executive programs. The 2006 GMAC Application Trends Survey incorporates responses from 230 MBA programs at 147 graduate business schools around the world. The job market is strong. The higher volume of MBA applications reflects steadily improving prospects for MBAs. The eighth annual State of Student Recruiting survey, con- ducted by WetFeet Research and Consulting of San Francisco, gath- ered information from more than 1,000 MBAs. According to WetFeet, the average number of job offers received by MBA students at top-tier schools increased to 2.3 in 2005– 2006, up from 2.0 the year before. Those numbers are supported by other 2006 GMAC surveys, which show that average salaries for new MBAs are continuing to rise and a majority of business school graduates are able to secure a job before gradu- ation. According to GMAC, corpo- rate recruiters report that they feel better about the economy—and are visiting more business school cam- Business in Los Angeles, where women make up 46 percent of this fall's full-time MBA class. "We're seeing many women who are inter- ested in entrepreneurial pursuits that allow them to control their own puses to hire newly minted MBAs. "Our research shows a significant increase in the recruiters coming to MBA programs and in the number of offers each recruiter is making," says David A. Wilson, president and CEO of GMAC. "The increase in applications only reinforces the con- clusion that the market for MBAs is hot and getting hotter." A new survey published by the Queen's School of Business in Toronto might explain why. Accord- ing to that survey, which was distrib- uted to 400 business leaders in Can- ada, 78 percent of executives would rather hire a candidate with an MBA than without one, if other factors are equal. Specifically, what executives like about MBAs are the candidates' superior skill sets, familiarity with a variety of business disciplines, exposure to business issues, level of qualifications, and commitment to their careers. More women seek MBAs. While the market is good for all MBAs right now, it might be particularly recep- tive to women. GMAC's Application Trends Survey shows that 64 percent of full-time MBA programs received more applications from women in 2006. Forty-seven percent of part- time programs received more appli- cations from women, and 50 percent of executive programs did so. That's not a surprise to Linda Livingstone, dean of Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of future," says Livingstone. "Even if they choose to enter the corporate world, women are rewarded for their creativity and entrepreneurial skills." And yet, women face many barri- ers when attempting to pursue their MBAs, according to the Queen's survey. The report found that respondents saw three key obstacles to women enrolling in MBA pro- grams: family responsibilities (cited by 36 percent), lack of financial resources (18 percent), and lack of female role models (6 percent). Interestingly, while 56 percent of the women responding to the survey believe there are multiple barriers to female enrollment in MBA pro- grams, just 30 percent of men in senior positions feel the same way. Livingstone believes that MBA programs can draw more female candidates by removing some of those obstacles—specifically by offer- ing flexible programs, hours, and locations, as well as an applied and relevant experience. "It's becoming increasingly popu- lar to offer classes in the morning during the week as an alternative to evening classes in part-time pro- grams," Livingstone says. "It's also becoming popular to eliminate the summer session or develop programs that blend in-class with e-learning options. But getting the opportunity to tackle real business issues in real time with companies in the class- room is the draw for women." BizEd NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2006 11