10 Best MBA Programs in the United States: LinkedIn

A Master of Business Administration can help financial advisors and other business professionals advance their careers more quickly, broaden their networks and open doors to new opportunities, according to new research from LinkedIn. Although an MBA comes with a hefty price tag for programs at the most prestigious institutions, many professionals consider the investment worthwhile and look forward to a big payoff.

Do Financial Advisors Need an MBA?

An MBA can benefit financial advisors in a number of ways. When ThinkAdvisor asked advisors what they had studied in college, one MBA holder said that the degree positioned him to become a business owner. One advisor responded that he focused his advanced studies on portfolio management, and another said an MBA in personal financial planning allowed her to change careers. Of course, not all advisors came to the profession with a business background. Rather, their studies were as varied as psychology and counseling, music performance, chemistry, English literature, mechanical engineering and computer science. LinkedIn recently published an inaugural list of 50 U.S. MBA programs. Researchers built the list from the social network's proprietary data on the career outcomes of MBA alumni, including job placement rates, network strength and advancement to senior-level positions. See the accompanying gallery for the top 10 MBA programs, according to LinkedIn. Ginger Szala contributed to this report.