Many MBA students call themselves candidates in a job application. This happens when an MBA student participated and completed all the classes but hasn’t received the degree yet. The term “candidate” is used mostly by MBA students.
Key Takeaways
- MBA students usually use the phrase “Candidate” while applying for a job before completing the degree
- If an MBA student completes all the coursework and passes the qualifying exam then he will be considered as an MBA candidate
- Without passing the qualifying exam, you can’t use the phrase “MBA Candidate” in the CV
- Using the word “Candidate” for MBA students is not the correct terminology because “Candidate” only applies to doctoral students
Reasons Why MBA Students Call themselves Candidates
Most MBA students call themselves candidates so that they can show others that they are enrolled in an MBA program. It indicates that the students haven’t completed the MBA degree but they are working to complete the MBA course. In fact, it is a way of telling people that their MBA course is currently in progress. If a student hasn’t graduated but wants to apply for a job then he/she can use the term “MBA candidate” on the CV or job application. If you have completed a single MBA class then you can also call yourself an MBA candidate. Also, many business schools use the term “MBA Candidate” for advertising purposes. Using this term in the advertisement indicates that the students will get a professional-level degree from the institute.
Is it Correct to Use the Phrase “MBA Candidate?”
Well, using the phrase “MBA Candidate” in a sentence is grammatically correct. However, it is not the correct terminology. Here, the correct terminology is “MBA Student.” You should always keep in mind that the word “Candidate” only applies to doctoral students. Moreover, candidacy doesn’t exist within academia at the master’s level. This is why it is not ok to use “Candidate” for an MBA student. Also, the term “Candidate” indicates that the students have completed all their coursework.So, when an MBA student completed all the coursework, he/she will be eligible for graduation. However, that is not the case for a Ph.D. student. After completing the coursework, a Ph.D. student might require months or years to complete the research and then complete the Ph.D. program. This is why Ph.D. students can use “Candidate” once they complete the coursework.
Difference between “MBA Candidate” and “MBA Student”
| MBA Student | MBA Candidate |
| An MBA student is someone who enrolled in the MBA program | An MBA candidate is someone who completed the MBA program but hasn’t received the degree |
| MBA students don’t complete the full coursework | MBA candidates completed the full coursework |
| MBA students don’t participate in the qualifying exams | MBA candidates participated in the qualifying exam and successfully passed the exam |
| MBA students wait to become MBA candidate | MBA candidates wait to become MBA graduate |
State-wise Salary of an MBA Graduate in the USA
| Name of the State | Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | Weekly Pay | Hourly Wage |
| Washington New York California Idaho New Hampshire Vermont Massachusetts Maine New Jersey Hawaii Nevada Arizona Wyoming Tennessee Connecticut Montana Rhode Island Alaska Texas Minnesota Indiana Oregon West Virginia North Dakota Maryland Pennsylvania Virginia Wisconsin Ohio Nebraska South Dakota Iowa Delaware Utah Colorado South Carolina Alabama New Mexico Arkansas Kansas Oklahoma Florida Michigan Mississippi Kentucky Illinois Missouri Georgia Louisiana North Carolina | $93,943 $88,138 $84,819 $84,348 $83,317 $81,300 $79,786 $79,041 $78,689 $78,272 $77,686 $77,180 $76,941 $76,565 $76,080 $75,585 $75,414 $75,171 $75,036 $74,933 $74,830 $74,293 $74,070 $73,579 $73,074 $72,709 $71,854 $71,095 $70,696 $70,152 $69,959 $69,684 $69,532 $69,511 $69,179 $68,366 $68,309 $67,813 $67,242 $67,018 $66,251 $66,205 $65,383 $65,327 $65,094 $63,494 $63,165 $61,728 $59,992 $57,626 | $7,828 $7,344 $7,068 $7,029 $6,943 $6,775 $6,648 $6,586 $6,557 $6,522 $6,473 $6,431 $6,411 $6,380 $6,340 $6,298 $6,284 $6,264 $6,253 $6,244 $6,235 $6,191 $6,172 $6,131 $6,089 $6,059 $5,987 $5,924 $5,891 $5,846 $5,829 $5,807 $5,794 $5,792 $5,764 $5,697 $5,692 $5,651 $5,603 $5,584 $5,520 $5,517 $5,448 $5,443 $5,424 $5,291 $5,263 $5,144 $4,999 $4,802 | $1,806 $1,694 $1,631 $1,622 $1,602 $1,563 $1,534 $1,520 $1,513 $1,505 $1,493 $1,484 $1,479 $1,472 $1,463 $1,453 $1,450 $1,445 $1,443 $1,441 $1,439 $1,428 $1,424 $1,414 $1,405 $1,398 $1,381 $1,367 $1,359 $1,349 $1,345 $1,340 $1,337 $1,336 $1,330 $1,314 $1,313 $1,304 $1,293 $1,288 $1,274 $1,273 $1,257 $1,256 $1,251 $1,221 $1,214 $1,187 $1,153 $1,108 | $45.16 $42.37 $40.78 $40.55 $40.06 $39.09 $38.36 $38.00 $37.83 $37.63 $37.35 $37.11 $36.99 $36.81 $36.58 $36.34 $36.26 $36.14 $36.08 $36.03 $35.98 $35.72 $35.61 $35.37 $35.13 $34.96 $34.55 $34.18 $33.99 $33.73 $33.63 $33.50 $33.43 $33.42 $33.26 $32.87 $32.84 $32.60 $32.33 $32.22 $31.85 $31.83 $31.43 $31.41 $31.30 $30.53 $30.37 $29.68 $28.84 $27.70 |
References:
https://www.quora.com/Why-do-MBA-students-call-themselves-candidates
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/masters-candidate
https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/What-Is-the-Average-MBA-Salary-by-State