MBA Salary in India: What To Expect?

If you have landed on this blog, it means that you’ve decided to pursue an MBA, a great choice! There are many plus points of doing a masters in business administration, the biggest being an attractive paycheck. For all kinds of MBA graduates, be it executive, online or blended, the starting salary in India ranges between 7 LPA to 14 LPA.

A deeper dive into the salary patterns for MBA graduates reveals that there are many factors that decide which range you may fall in, either as a fresher or an experienced professional. These factors include specialisation, the organisation you have been placed in, prior work experience, critical thinking and problem-solving abilities and applicability of the training acquired while pursuing the course.  

In this article, we will take you through all the factors that determine your post-MBA salary in India, along with profile-wise salary distribution depending on the specialisation you wish to pursue. 

Factors determining your salary post-MBA:

The broad factors that govern an MBA salary in India are: 

• Prior work experience
• Management institute
• Quality Education and Applicable skills
• Placements and Organisation type
• Geographical Location
• Specialisations

Let’s look at these factors in detail:

1. Prior work experience: Many MBA aspirants choose to gain work experience before their degree. Quality work experience helps one understand how one should conduct themselves in the demanding corporate ecosystem. If you have prior experience of working that aligns with your career goals, you will be able to demand a higher salary right after the completion of your MBA.  

2. Management Institute: With several B-schools mushrooming every year, your ROI from the course and placement assurance matters the most. Your high Return on Investment depends on the salary bagged from placement post your MBA. There is a widening skill gap between the demands of the industry and the talent leaving the B-schools. This is due to the unmatched expectations of recruiters and the outdated curriculum offered at most B-schools. As an aspiring professional, ensure the institute you choose offers placement assurance and has a strong industry-academia connection. There are many factors to keep in mind when choosing the right B-school.

3. Quality education and applicable skills: With various kinds of learning models like STEM, Hybrid learning, Experiential learning etc, one thing common in all this is to learn by doing. It has been established that one learns best when one actually applies their learnings in the real world. Most management institutes, like Sunstone , include industry internships in the curriculum, giving you ample opportunity to practice your classroom learning on the job. 

4. Placements and Organisation type: Most B-schools nowadays assure placement assistance, but don’t fall for the wordplay as placement assistance is not the same as placement assurance or guarantee. The recruiters, professional network and understanding of job expectations are the big takeaways from your MBA placement drives. The kind of organisation you are then placed in affects your post-MBA salary in India. For instance, if you are placed in a start-up, it will give you immense growth opportunities at the onset of your career, whereas an established company will give you a clear understanding of the expectations and systemic work culture followed in the business world. 

5. Geographical location: The city you choose to start your career from plays the same vital role as your choice of organisation. With Bangalore becoming the ‘silicon valley of India, Mumbai is the film city and Gurgaon is the Corporate hub for 500 fortune companies and small ventures. Your choice of location will help you reap the complete benefits of your new job role. 

6. Specialisations: There are several MBA specialisations you can choose from based on your interests and aspirations. Each specialisation delves deep into the fundamentals of that particular domain and provides you with relevant skills to become an expert in your chosen field. It should not come as a complete surprise that the specialisation wise MBA salary in India differs based on your passion, expertise and domain knowledge. 

We are now going to break down the specialisation wise MBA salary in India based on job profiles. Keep in mind these numbers are catering to fresh graduates and entry-level employees. 

MBA Salary In India based on your Specialisation

1. MBA in BFSI: MBA in Banking, Financial Services and Insurance is one of the most sought after MBA specialisations. MBA Finance opens up opportunities in financial planning, banking, corporate finance, and accounting. According to Payscale, the average salary after an MBA in Finance for a professional in India is 7.14 LPA. With a 147% placement record, Sunstone not only ensures multiple job offers, but also a secure career for its students. 

An MBA graduate with a specialisation in Finance can be hired in the following roles with the following salaries:

Job Profile	MBA salary in India*
Bank Manager	Rs 813,174
Financial Analyst	Rs 387,468
Accounting Manager	Rs 497,289
Finance Manager	Rs 592,334
Project Manager	Rs 1,263,744

Source: payscale.com

2. MBA in Logistics: A graduate of logistics and supply chain management takes care of everything from production to procurement of goods and services, ensuring that products and services reach customers on time in good quality. This is one of the fastest-growing fields considering developments in the manufacturing sector of India. The average salary for a logistics & supply chain MBA graduate in India is 6.57 LPA. 

An MBA graduate armed with a specialisation in Logistics can go for any of the following top profiles or even one not included in the list below. 

Job Profile	MBA salary in India*
Supply Chain Manager	Rs 1,092,359
Logistics Manager	Rs 407,753
Project Manager	Rs 463,105
Purchasing Manager	Rs 276,660
Customer Service Representative	Rs 266,604

Source: payscale.com

3. MBA in Marketing: With an MBA in Marketing, you will be armed with all the knowledge necessary to build a stellar career in the marketing management field. The skills you will learn are marketing strategies, consumer behavior, and branding in addition to soft skills like business communication, leadership and critical thinking. The average salary that you can bag post an MBA in Marketing is 7.65 LPA. 

Job profiles	MBA salary in India*
Marketing Manager	Rs 906,407
Brand Manager	Rs 902,187
Product Manager	Rs 888,678
Market Research Analyst	Rs 339,325
Business Development Executive	Rs 299,907

Source: payscale.com

4. MBA in Operations:  An MBA in this field pertains to planning, organising and overseeing manufacturing, production and services. The main aim of an MBA in operations graduate is to ensure that all inputs are efficiently incorporated for a good output. The average salary that can be bagged by an MBA in operations graduate is 8.56 LPA. 

Job Profile	MBA salary in India*
Inventory Control Manager	Rs 1,085,631
Operations Manager	Rs 992,157
Operations Consultant	Rs 859,906
Plant Manager	Rs 769,191
Operations Research Analyst	Rs 391,905

Source: payscale.com

5. MBA in Human Resource: This management specialisation imparts knowledge in various areas of recruitment and management along with training in managing the workforce in an organisation. The core function of HR professionals is to take care of the welfare of the people working in a company along with the smooth functioning of the organization as a whole. The average salary for an MBA graduate with HRM specialisation is 7.50 LPA. 

An MBA in Human Resource graduate can get an idea of the MBA starting salary in this field for the following top profiles. 

Job Profile	MBA salary in India*
HR Manager	Rs 735,475
Recruiter	Rs 613,223
Training and Development Manager	Rs 813, 761
Compliance Manager	Rs 513,330
Employee Relations Manager	Rs 717,586

Source: payscale.com

6. MBA in Business Analytics: An MBA in Business Analytics helps graduates leverage statistical analysis tools, form predictive models, and optimise data. With data essentially becoming a hot-selling commodity, at the core of fundamental business strategy, this specialisation comes with its own monetary benefits. The average salary of an MBA in Business Analytics graduate is 5.36 LPA. An MBA in Business Analytics can help you bag the following salaries for the roles given below.  

Job Profile	MBA salary in India*
Data Scientist	Rs 560,428
Statistician	Rs 268,527
Quantitative analyst	Rs 725,146
Business Analyst	Rs 621,213
Project Manager	Rs 713,835

Source: payscale.com

7. MBA in IT: With the ever-changing, demanding field of information technology, and the push provided by the pandemic, the roles and hiring in the IT sector is on an all-time high. The average salary of MBA IT graduates in India is 6.02 LPA. The salary division for the various roles you can opt for after graduation are: 

Job Profile	MBA salary in India*
Systems Analyst	Rs 879,259
Information Technology Directors	Rs 1,646,712
IT Software Project  Managers	Rs 630,277
Program Manager	Rs 609,763
Business Development Manager	Rs 598,910

Source: payscale.com

8. MBA in Sales: With increased globalisation and competition, it has become essential for growing companies to have a sales management department to promote their brand through ads, posts and promotional campaigns. Understanding consumer behavior and targeting the right market segment is key to unlocking success early in this domain. Students graduating with an MBA in sales management learn how to grow sales numbers through creative marketing. The average salary for an MBA professional in India with expertise in sales management is 8.06 LPA. 

Job Profile	MBA salary in India*
Marketing Manager	Rs 906,470
Sales Manager	Rs 829,815
Brand Manager	Rs 689,574
Product Manager	Rs 614,362
Market Research Analyst	Rs 339,325

Source: payscale.com

9. MBA in Retail: Retail management is the process of attracting and bringing customers into the store with the objective of fulfilling their needs. An MBA in retail management teaches students to successfully manage and streamline retail problems. The average salary for a fresh graduate with MBA in retail in India is 7.12 LPA. 

Job Profile	MBA salary in India*
Retail Store Manager	Rs 528,927
Category Manager	Rs 1,716,067
Key Account Manager	Rs 714,603
Operations Manager	Rs 604,128
Business Development Executive	Rs 397,495

Source: payscale.com

10. MBA in Digital Marketing: With social media becoming increasingly popular and a majority of youth using social media is on a rise, the use for digitally marketed content and businesses is a great avenue, creating new opportunities for the youth. The average salary for an MBA in digital marketing graduate is 5.45 LPA. 

Job Profile	MBA salary in India*
Digital Marketing Manager	Rs 577,634
Social Media Marketing manager	Rs 502,856
SEO Specialist	Rs 498,793
Online Marketing Manager	Rs 601,249
Search Engine Marketing Manager	Rs 599,711

*The average salary of an MBA graduate depends on many factors. These salary numbers are tentative for the year 2021 to all the factors listed above and your decision should not just be based on the salary numbers. 

Once you have chosen your MBA specialisation, you will be required to dive deeper into your chosen domain and can always switch to various roles in that industry. The geographical location of your company defines your comfort and lifestyle in that city. 

Top Cities Offering Best Jobs After MBA in India are: 

1. Bangalore, Karnataka
2. Delhi-NCR
3. Pune, Maharashtra
4. Mumbai, Maharashtra
5. Chennai, Tamil Nadu

About Sunstone 

Sunstone is India’s fastest growing higher education provider offering MBA/PGDM, BBA, MCA and online management programs in partnership with 23+ campuses across India. The strong industry connections and 6 months of paid internships empower students to become job-ready professionals.