Top Business Schools for Retail and Consumer Goods 2023

Wisconsin’s MBA program in Brand and Product Management gives students a solid background in marketing, consumer behavior, and other topics important to the sector. MBAs can leverage Wisconsin’s Center for Brand and Product Management to find internships and jobs. In recent years, more than 20 percent of the class of the school’s MBA class has gone into the consumer products sector.

About mid-way between Chicago and Cincinnati, students at Purdue – Krannert are close to some of the biggest consumer goods companies in the Midwest, including Proctor & Gamble. Students take advantage of this proximity: 34 percent of 2020 MBA grads went into the consumer goods industry.

MBA and MSc students interested in retail can join the school’s FMCG, Luxury Goods and Retail Club, which investigates the inner workings of these popular fields. The school says that up to 14 percent of recent MBA classes have gone into the FMCG, luxury goods, and retail sectors. 

Over the past few decades, Oxford's “Institute of Retail Management” has established itself as one of the premier retail-oriented research centers in the UK. For MBAs, the center offers a specialized eight-week elective course in retailing.

In recent years, upwards of about 15 percent of Schulich’s MBA graduates have gone into the retail, packaged goods, and consumer services industries. Recruiters include many large Canadian-based retailers and multinationals, like Sears Canada and Loblaws.

Even though Carlson does not offer an MBA specialization in Retail or Consumer Goods, this doesn’t mean that the school doesn’t places in these industries: of the MBA class of 2021, 27 percent went into the retail or consumer packaged goods sector.

Over 11 percent of Broad’s MBA class of 2020 went into the consumer products industry, an increase over previous years. Graduates are regularly recruited by large firms like Sears and Mattel.

The Fisher College of Business’ Nationwide Center for Advanced Customer Insights produces research that’s relevant to students interested in the retail or consumer goods sectors. In the past, grads have been snapped up by firms like Ascena Retail Group and Bath & Body Works.

India’s fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector is huge, and is growing every year. ISB graduates are realizing this: in recent years, between five and nine percent of the school’s PGP grads went into the sector.

Through Kelley’s Center for Education and Research in Retailing, MBAs can get hooked up with potential employers and attend relevant events. Although the school does not offer an MBA specialization in retail or consumer goods, in recent years, upwards of 16 percent of the MBA classes have gone into these sectors.