From health care management to finance, MBA grads who are looking to earn competitive salaries, in growing career fields with low unemployment rates have a lot of options. Consulting leads to the biggest paycheck. The average salary for 2016 graduates of full-time programs was $126,919. On the opposite end of the spectrum, grads who went into the nonprofit sector earned an average of $81,776 a year. (USNWR) Graduates who earn the highest salaries attend the top-ranked schools, according to U.S. News data.