MBA After Engineering vs MBA After B.Com: Who Earns More After 5 Years?

While MBA provides a promising start to both Engineering and BCom graduates, their growth trajectory moves differently. It is popularly believe that an Engineer with MBA degree earns more than a BCom graduate with MBA degree. Is it really so? Let's find out in this blog.

MBA After Engineering vs MBA After B.Com: Who Earns More After 5 Years?

Engineers who have an MBA degree usually earn more than a BCom graduate with MBA degree. BTech+ MBA degree holders earn about INR 5 lakh more than BCom+ MBA degree holders in India. The gap in earning has to do less about skills and more about availability of opportunities. BTech+MBA has been traditionally considered the perfect pathway to a lucrative career and it holds true even now. Maybe even more now, as a larger number of businesses are transitioning to a technology-driven model.

About 70-75 percent of MBA aspirants in India are from an Engineering background, whereas the percentage of Commerce graduates is reported to be around 12-15 percent. While engineering graduates are hired for Technical-Management, Product Management, Analytics or Consulting roles in various domain, BCom graduates find takers in BFSI or general management domains.

The recent placements reports of B-Schools indicate higher salary offers being made to domains such as Consulting, IT & Engineering, IT Consulting, Information Technology in comparison to domains like FMCG, General Management, Consumer durables and others. In the latest placement report of IIM Ahmedabad, average salary figures for Consulting, IT & Engineering, IT Consulting, Information Technology and such domains were between INR 28 LPA to INR 32 LPA, whereas for not technical domains it was between INR 20 to INR 25 LPA on an average. Similarly, figures were reported in IIM Kozhikode final placements 2025. While Consulting, IT & Analytics and Operations recorded average salary offers between INR 28 to 33 lakh per annum, Finance, General Management and S&M average salary offers stood in the range of 25 lakh per annum.

BTech + MBA Earnings vs BCom + MBA Earnings

The average salary figures in campus placement for both categories - BTech and BCom differ by about INR 5 lakh. It can be more or less depending upon the institutes specialization or domain legacy.

Apart from education stream, the major factor affecting salaries of MBA graduates is the B-School. Salary figures of Top Tier B-Schools will invariably be higher than Tier 2 or Tier 3 colleges irrespective of the stream. Thus, one needs to understand that only the undergraduate degree does not alone define your career trajectory but a combination of B-School, MBA specialization, degree scores and the first job. Once the candidates are out of the B-school, their path is defined by their next career moves.

Also Read:

• MBA After BTech
• MBA After BCom

MBA After Engineering vs MBA After B.Com: 5-Year Salary Comparison

In five years, the salary has the potential to turn double provide one choose the right career path, proves their worth in their job roles and project good leadership skills.

Factors Affecting MBA Salaries More Than the Bachelor’s Degree

The B-School: Top Tier B-Schools have strong placement cells which ensure the best of the industry visit their campus and pick the best of talent for a deserving role and pay check. Other advantages of Tier 1 colleges include industry exposure, alumni network, exchange programmes, etc. which provide candidates with the opportunity to build their profile.

The first job post MBA: This matters more than anything does. Once you’ve got an opportunity with a growing organization, there will be ample opportunities to perform and grow. It eventually depends upon the roles and responsibility, company’s health and candidate’s performance.

Skills and Talent: If you have a prior work experience, your MBA degree may take you on a different career path. Campus selection and jobs roles could be different, that justify your skills and can utilize your experience.

MBA After Engineering vs MBA After B.Com: Who Earns More After 5 Years

Based on industry trends, here’s an estimation of who earns more after 5 years.

MBA After Engineering vs MBA After B.Com: Careers and Advantages

1. Technology and Product Management: More suitable for engineers as software, technical products, system architecture are the core of their UG education.
2. Business Analytics and Data-Driven Roles: Engineers have the advantage of data analytics, data science and data crunching. B.Com graduates have an upper hand in financial analytics, business analytics, taxation and financial consultancy.
3. Management Consulting and Strategy: In these fields both can perform well. While Engineers will find IT and Tech related consulting roles better suited for them, BCom graduates may be better placed in roles related to finance and business strategy.

Who Gets Promoted Faster After an MBA?

There is no evidence of whether Engineers with MBA degree are promoted faster of BCom graduates with MBA degree get promoted faster. Career ascent completely depends on your skills and performance. Also, the desire for growth massively influences one’s rise in career. Unless one is driven to excel, they will not find the opportunities for growth.

Conclusion

Salary comparison of both an MBA after engineering and an MBA after BCom degree reflects that the former usually finds better growth than the latter, but it is not the absolute trend. An an MBA after BCom might earn more than MBA after engineering, if they choose career carefully as Finance is a highly lucrative field and will always need talented individuals to drive business decisions. Thus, more than the degree, it is the knowledge acquired and skills that matter.

Read More: Top MBA Colleges in India