What to do after business school: careers, sectors and further study

Quick answer: what to do after business school

After business school, you can move into graduate roles across sales, marketing, finance, consulting and human resources, continue into a specialist master's degree, or start a business. Three options open up at graduation: joining a company in a qualified role, studying further to specialise, or launching your own venture.

The five most common destinations are:

• Sales and business development roles.
• Marketing, communications and product roles.
• Finance, banking and management accounting roles.
• Consulting and strategy.
• Entrepreneurship and international roles.

The right choice depends on your skills, the sector you have in mind and the type of organisation that suits you. The sections below set out each route.

Why business graduates find work quickly

Business graduates tend to find work quickly because their training is built around the workplace. Internships, placements, live projects, an alumni network and a broad grounding in management, marketing, finance and operations all build employability that shows at graduation.

The graduate employment figures

The HESA Graduate Outcomes survey for 2022/23, published in 2025, found that 88% of UK graduates were in work or further study 15 months after finishing their course. The median salary for graduates in full-time UK employment was £28,500. The Institute of Student Employers reported an average graduate starting salary of around £32,000 in 2025, ranging from about £28,800 to £60,000 depending on the sector. Graduate vacancies fell by 5.1% in 2025, so the market is more cautious than it was the year before.

The SKEMA example

SKEMA's own figures for the 2023 class of its Master in Management show 99% of graduates in work within six months, and 41% starting their career outside their home country. The school draws on a network of more than 60,000 alumni and close to 2,500 recruiting companies, including large British and international groups. With 11,000 students of 130 nationalities across campuses on five continents, the Master in Management leads to a state-recognised degree at master's level and offers more than 70 specialisations.

Which sectors hire business graduates

Business graduates spread across seven broad sectors: consulting and audit, banking, finance and insurance, marketing and communications, sales, human resources, technology and digital services, and international roles. Consulting is the leading destination, followed by banking and finance and by digital services.

The breakdown among SKEMA's Master in Management graduates gives a concrete picture of these destinations: audit, consulting and corporate finance account for 39% of first jobs, business development and sales for 26%, marketing and communications for 15%, purchasing and logistics for 8%, and project management and digital services for 7%. Each sector looks for specific skills in analysis, strategy, organisation and client relationships. SKEMA's four-year Global BBA in Management, taught entirely in English, prepares directly for these international roles.

Careers in sales and business development

Sales roles are one of the most direct routes after business school. They cover selling, negotiation, business development and team management.

• Business developer: grows the client portfolio, finds new markets and shapes the offer. A key role in start-ups and large groups alike.
• Account manager or sales executive: manages a portfolio of clients and negotiates contracts in the field.
• Area sales manager: runs a sales team and the performance of a territory.
• Head of sales: sets the sales strategy and the targets.
• Sales director: leads the whole sales organisation and the growth strategy.
• Export manager: develops the business in international markets.

These roles are open straight after a degree in management, and the move up to director level is fast for graduates who combine commercial results with a sense of organisation.

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Careers in marketing, communications and product

Marketing and communications offer a wide range of roles, from analytical work to creative work. They split between strategic marketing, operational marketing, brand communications, product management and market research.

• Product manager: runs a product range, its positioning and its life cycle.
• Market research analyst: studies the market, the competition and client expectations.
• Marketing manager: builds the growth strategy for a brand or an offer.
• Communications officer: manages how the organisation is seen by its audiences.
• Digital marketing project manager: coordinates campaigns and online tools.
• Marketing director: leads the strategic decisions and the teams.

Digital change has created roles that combine marketing and data. SKEMA's MSc in Digital Marketing and Artificial Intelligence, taught on the Sophia Antipolis campus, trains for these jobs by combining marketing, data analysis and project management.

Careers in finance, banking and management accounting

Finance is one of the most sought-after destinations, both for pay and for employability. It covers corporate finance, banking, audit, management accounting and financial analysis.

• Management accountant or financial controller: produces the analysis that supports the decisions of senior management.
• Financial analyst or banker: assesses companies, projects and risks.
• Treasurer or finance manager: manages cash flow and the financial balance of the organisation.
• Finance or audit consultant: works on advisory assignments, in a firm or in a company.

These roles call for strong analytical skills and are often a stepping stone to finance director level. SKEMA is well known in this field: its MSc in Financial Markets and Investments ranks 2nd worldwide in the Financial Times Masters in Finance ranking and reports 100% employment within three months of graduation.

Careers in human resources, management and transformation

A business school also leads to roles in talent management, team leadership and change. These jobs are often underrated by applicants even though they recruit widely.

• HR manager: runs the HR policy of a site or an organisation.
• Recruitment or talent officer: attracts, selects and develops talent.
• Change or transformation project manager: supports internal change and reorganisation.

These roles suit graduates who enjoy working with people, organisation and company strategy. A specialisation in international human resources opens roles in groups that operate across several countries.

Consulting, entrepreneurship and start-ups

Consulting is one of the first destinations of business graduates, and entrepreneurship appeals to a growing share of them.

Consulting means working on questions of strategy, organisation or performance, in a firm or directly inside a company. The consultant analyses a situation, sets out recommendations and follows their roll-out. The project manager in a firm runs assignments and coordinates teams. SKEMA's MSc in Strategic Management and Consulting, a small-cohort programme taught in Paris, prepares specifically for strategy consulting.

Entrepreneurship attracts graduates who want to start a business, take one over or join an early-stage start-up. The SKEMA Entrepreneurs incubator helps founders test their idea during their studies and connects them with investors and partner funds. Joining a young company is also a way to take on broad responsibilities quickly.

Working internationally after business school

International work is a destination in its own right, and one of the strengths of a business school. The roles involved cover export, international business development, purchasing, global marketing and mobility within large groups.

Large groups offer mobility paths between their subsidiaries, and many graduate schemes include an international placement. These roles call for languages, the ability to adapt across cultures and a sense of negotiation. At SKEMA, 41% of Master in Management graduates start their career outside their home country. The MSc in International Business, offered across several campuses, trains for international development and cross-cultural management.

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What salary can you expect after business school?

The median starting salary for UK graduates in full-time employment is £28,500, and the Institute of Student Employers puts the average graduate starting salary at around £32,000 in 2025. Several factors then move that figure. Sector matters most: finance, consulting and technology are among the best paid, with starting salaries reaching about £60,000 in investment banking. The role matters too, since sales jobs often include a variable element tied to results. Location plays a part, with higher salaries in London and the larger cities, set against the cost of living. The type of organisation, whether a large group, a firm, a start-up or a smaller company, and the level of responsibility explain the widest gaps.

Pay rises quickly in the first few years for graduates who move into management. Specialisation and international mobility are two recognised ways to speed up that rise.

Further study: MSc, specialist master's and dual expertise

Studying further after a first degree is a strategy in itself. Specialisation deepens your expertise in a sector, builds a second area of competence and improves your employability for specific roles.

A Master of Science, or MSc, is a specialist degree taught in English over one or two years, recognised internationally and focused on a single field: finance, marketing, consulting, human resources, data or luxury. It suits students who want to sharpen their plan, add technical expertise to a general profile or move into a new role.

SKEMA offers around twenty-five Masters of Science across finance, marketing, management, strategy, artificial intelligence and sustainability, open through parallel admission depending on your level.

How to choose your path by profile

The right destination depends on what drives you and the skills you want to build. A few markers can guide your choice.

• If you enjoy selling, negotiating and working with clients, look at sales and business development roles, in a smaller company, a large group or internationally.
• If you prefer analysis, control and figures, head towards finance, management accounting, audit or banking.
• If you are drawn to marketing, product and communications, choose marketing roles, ideally adding a data skill.
• If you want to manage teams or run the organisation, look at human resources, project management and change.
• If you have international ambitions or want to start a business, explore international business development or entrepreneurship.

Each profile matches a programme. To take the next step, compare the courses and their specialisations, then apply to SKEMA according to your entry level.