Why the Full-Time MBA ranking of careers services matters for your future

Warwick Business School is ranked second in the UK for ‘return on investment’ in the QS ranking for Full-time MBA students.

As well as measuring how long on average it takes students to pay back the cost of a Full-time MBA, it also looks at average salaries before taking the course and after completing it, measured over a 10‑year period.

To help students achieve a good return on investment, WBS provides a bespoke career service, which starts before they even arrive to help them achieve their career goals by the end of the course.

As well as learning at a top-ranked school, a good careers service is crucial in today’s highly competitive job market for MBA graduates.

Taking a year out to refresh, relearn, and retool is a big investment and it is important it pays off. This is where the School’s careers service can help.

WBS, which was ranked fifth overall in the UK in the 2026 QS Global MBA ranking and 30^th in the world, creates a talent book of MBA students for companies and organisations looking to recruit, while the School’s close relationships with top firms like Barclays, Jaguar Land Rover, and Deloitte ensure networking and internship opportunities are available.

The importance of careers services in MBA programmes

The Graduate Management Admission Council’s Corporate Recruiters Survey, spanning 1,100 recruiters across 46 countries, reported that more than a third of employers intended to expand their MBA hiring in 2025. This was driven especially by the tech, consulting, and finance sectors.

And the survey found most global employers agree or strongly agree that graduate management education skills are more important in today’s remote and hybrid work environments.

Warwick Full-time MBA participants are offered support through the School’s CareersPlus team, where they can gain tailored coaching, CV reviews, and interview preparation.

Employers increasingly seek candidates who can turn data and theory into actionable insights, a capability developed through the Full-time MBA’s strategic consulting projects and modules like LeadershipPlus.

Dawn Eubanks, Associate Professor of Behavioural Science and Entrepreneurship & Innovation and Full-time MBA Course Director, said: “Our Full‑time MBA is designed around equipping graduates with analytical, leadership, and digital skills that translate directly into hiring markets.

“The implication is clear: opportunities are there, but they disproportionately favour job‑ready skills and measurable outcomes. That is the ethos behind our Full‑time MBA.

“From expert career guidance to cutting-edge research and a network of more than 60,000 alumni across 174 countries, we give people the support and connections they need to get where they want to go.”

How career development programmes shape future leaders

The Full-time MBA careers team at WBS helps students develop the key skills that industry partners like Barclays and JP Morgan are seeking.

WBS CareersPlus works closely with academics to ensure the MBA helps students be ready for employment in a fast-changing world.

On the Full-time MBA students gain expertise in leadership with the hugely popular LeadershipPlus module.

This is where students explore their own leadership style through practical projects, workshops, coaching, lectures, and seminars to build an authentic style that they will be able to apply in their next job.

Workshops such as Myself as a Leader, Responsible Leadership, and The Image of a Leader allow students to explore a more personalised style of leadership anchored in ethics and emotional intelligence.

The LeadershipPlus module was shortlisted for the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services’ (AGCAS) prestigious Academic Employability Awards in 2025 in the Curriculum Design for Employability category.

Students have consistently rated LeadershipPlus their favourite module on the Full-time MBA for its impact on their personal and professional development.  

It includes five intensive two-day sessions spread over two terms, each focusing on critical aspects of leadership and management. From introspection and understanding leadership stereotypes to team leadership and responsible leadership, it also sees students work in groups to tackle a client project with a corporate, small business or not-for-profit organisation.

The role of internship opportunities in job placement

The 2026 QS Global MBA rankings also rated WBS fifth in the UK for ‘employability’, which is based on QS’ annual survey of hundreds of employers across the world selecting the business schools they prefer to hire from.

Employers across all sectors and industries take part in the survey, including Facebook, Google, Uber, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America.

The WBS CareersPlus team play a vital role in helping MBA graduates move into new roles through networking, workshops, one-to-one mentoring, and internships.

There are internship opportunities of up to 12 weeks in the UK or overseas, which not only allow students to apply what they have learned on the MBA but give them the chance to sample a new industry or role.

It also gives students a chance to build a relationship with a potential future employer, and it often leads to them being taken on once they have graduated.

The MBA is a chance for students to re-assess their careers and maybe pivot in a new direction. An internship helps with this decision-making process, and it can also give them exposure to a new culture and country.

A survey of the School’s graduating class of 2025 found 65 per cent moved into a new sector, 37 per cent relocated to a new country, and 43 per cent took the opportunity to gain a role in the UK.

Popular sectors for WBS graduates are finance, with 18 per cent of the 2025 graduating cohort finding jobs in the industry, while another 18 per cent moved into technology, and 12 per cent started roles in consulting. Next, with 11 per cent of graduates moving into it, was manufacturing, with nine per cent finding positions in the energy sector.

Analysing the connection between business school rankings and career success

Finding a career path after finishing a Full-time MBA is something WBS prepares students for before the course even begins.

At the Full-time MBA Development Centre, students have an immersive, day‑long experience designed to mirror real-world recruitment environments. It assesses their skills and experience, helping them craft a plan to utilise the many opportunities at WBS to find the next career or role they are after.

Throughout the day, participants take part in a series of rigorous, employer-style assessments, including in‑depth interviews, case study presentations, and role‑play exercises set within a boardroom context.

Students receive feedback highlighting both their standout strengths and areas for personal development.

Dr Eubanks added: “The development centre equips MBA candidates with a deeper understanding of their leadership potential and a clear roadmap for their professional advancement, ensuring they leave not only more self‑aware, but better prepared to excel in a competitive job market.”

The benefits of professional development workshops

On the course students have workshops on crafting an impactful resume or CV, with networking tips given ahead of inviting top companies to employer sessions, coffee chats, events, and talent‑sourcing sessions where firms meet MBA students directly.

The WBS careers service also organise opportunities to enter case competitions, panel sessions with senior alumni, and strategic consulting projects that tackle real world problems provided by companies.

Career transition support: Helping students change paths

WBS provides comprehensive support to Full‑time MBA students looking to make a career transition through its dedicated CareersPlus team.

Students benefit from unlimited one‑to‑one career coaching, sector‑specific insights, and tailored workshops that build the skills needed to move into new industries or functions.

For example, graduates have gone on to secure roles with the likes of financial services giants Deloitte and EY; banks JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs; luxury car brand Aston Martin, and marketing research multinational Kantar. They have taken on roles such as Assistant Director, Chief Commercial Officer, Strategy Consultant, Senior Marketing Manager, and many more.

Networking opportunities through career services

There are plenty of rich networking opportunities provided by CareersPlus. As well as sector insight sessions and employer engagement events, there are also company visits to the likes of Jaguar Land Rover, Apple, JP Morgan, and IBM.

These activities are supported by workshops, guest speaker events, and the MBA Careers Fair, an annual event at WBS London at The Shard.

It brings together more than 200 MBA students and graduates to meet face‑to‑face with recruiters from leading firms such as Amazon, PwC, EY, FTI Consulting, Unilever, Lloyds, Siemens Mobility, Tata Consultancy Services and more.

Students can explore career routes, learn what employers look for, and build meaningful industry connections at the fair.

Alumni success stories: A testament to effective careers services

Thalia Castañeda Velarde Alvarez, who moved from Peru to accept a position as Senior National Account Manager at Deliveroo after completing the Full-time MBA, said: “The careers team helped me refine my resume, teaching me the importance of tailoring it for each job application, and they also enhanced my interview skills. This was a huge confidence booster.

“Previously, my entire work experience was rooted in the financial services sector, specifically in the insurance industry within the Peruvian market. The MBA opened doors to various industries I was interested in, ultimately leading me to land a job in a tech company in London.

“This transition allowed me to leverage my transferable skills in a new and exciting field. The programme was crucial in this transition, hosting events with various industries that helped me understand them better and explore new career possibilities.”

Making an informed decision based on careers service quality

Full-time MBA rankings can help students make informed decisions by highlighting the strength of careers support, something they will need in such a competitive job market.

Dr Eubanks said: “A high‑quality career services can be invaluable in today’s competitive job market.

“Our ability to combine academic excellence with real-world relevance on the MBA is something that attracts employers to our graduates. We don’t just imagine what is next - we help people build it.”

Discover more about the School’s Full-time MBA. 

Learn more about Warwick Business School’s Change Makers.