Is an MBA Still Worth It? and the Future of Legacy Media

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**Scott Galloway** (1:21)
Welcome to Office Hours with Prof G. This is the part of the show where we answer your questions about business, big tech entrepreneurship and whatever else is on your mind. If you'd like to submit a question for next time, you can send a voice recording to officehoursatprofgmedia.com. Again, that's officehoursatprofgmedia.com.
Question number one.

**SPEAKER_5** (1:38)
Hi, Prof G. I'm a 28-year-old guy who recently made the decision to leave my job and head to Kellogg for a full-time MBA.
I'm taking out loans to make it happen, but I believe in the vehicle. I've heard you speak about how Haas leveled up your career, and I've seen the impact of the degree firsthand. My dad's MBA was the reason that our family was able to immigrate to the US and break into the middle class.
My professional background is in product consulting and strategy for a medium tech company and I'm recruiting for either consulting or product in the fall.
My question for you is if you could help me try and not read the label from inside the bottle. If you're entering an MBA program in the current state of things, what would your strategy be and what would you be thinking about to maximize the degree's value? Thank you and your team for everything you all do. I listen to the podcast every morning to the point where you and Ed honestly feel like my gym partners.

**Scott Galloway** (2:24)
Thanks for the question. So just some data, about a quarter of a million students are currently enrolled in MBA programs globally.
The MBA is the most popular degree in the US. The cost, the average MBA ranges from $78,000 to $270,000. That's quite a range. And the average MBA graduates with $75,000 in debt. The payoff is still real. MBA graduates earn, on average, $50,000 more per year than those with only a bachelors degree. In the median, MBA starting salary in 2025 was $125,000. $25,000 more than experienced professionals hired directly from industry. Which means that MBA grads earn approximately 4 million more over their lifetime. A million more, or 4 million over their lifetime? I don't know. Well, they make more. There is a caste system here. And that is, so for example, the average salary out of Stern, I think it's $212,000 when they add in bonus and equity.
And it says it's 208,000 is actually the average among the top 15 programs. And graduates of the most prestigious MBA programs can earn more than three times as much as graduates from the lowest ranked B schools.
In sum, okay, so when people ask me if they should go to get an MBA, I ask them a lot of questions. Do you have rich parents? Are you accelerating at your current career? What are your financial needs? But also, where did you get in? Because an MBA from Kellogg is going to create a brand halo for the rest of your life and opportunities and networking that will be worth taking out some debt. But some advice, the summer between your first and second year, just go to the best brand possible because it's the only chance you have to put Alphabet or JPMorgan on your resume and only work 10 weeks there. And it doesn't look like a do-over. So I think the summer internship is a branding opportunity. I think your job is to find something you think you'd be really good at. Find something, not your passion, don't get a degree in fashion or art, in my view.