Is a MBA Program worth it?
Average tuition + fees for a top-30 US two-year MBA. Excludes the foregone salary.
This costs months of your working life. If it isn't changing your trajectory, it's the wrong call.
How long it takes to earn it
Below is what MBA Program costs in real working hours, depending on what you actually take home. The math is simple: $150,000.00 ÷ wage = hours.
| If you take home | Hours of work | Workdays | % of year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $15/hr | 10000.0 hrs | 1250.00 days | 480.8% |
| $20/hr | 7500.0 hrs | 937.50 days | 360.6% |
| $25/hr | 6000.0 hrs | 750.00 days | 288.5% |
| $40/hr | 3750.0 hrs | 468.75 days | 180.3% |
| $60/hr | 2500.0 hrs | 312.50 days | 120.2% |
| $100/hr | 1500.0 hrs | 187.50 days | 72.1% |
Frequently asked
How many hours of work for an MBA?
6,000 hours at $25/hr — 3 years of full-time work. At $50/hr it's 3,000 hours.
What about the foregone salary?
Two years out of a $90K job is $180,000 of foregone income. True all-in cost: $330,000 — 13,200 hours at $25/hr.
What's the typical MBA salary bump?
M7 graduates: pre-MBA $90K → post-MBA $175K total comp. Payback period: 4–5 years on the $330K all-in cost.
Online or part-time MBA — same math?
Online MBAs run $30K–$70K, no foregone salary. The brand premium is much lower; the network effect is much weaker. Different product, similar credential.