By YOUNG MONEY Staff
18 March 2011

If you're thinking about getting your M.B.A. but you're unsure, consider this: U.S. News reports that the drop in hiring that occurred during the recession has most ebbed, and business school graduates are getting jobs in larger numbers as the economic recovery takes hold.

Some analysts questioned whether the time and money spent securing an M.B.A. was worth it when employers abruptly halted hiring during the financial crisis, but those fears seem to have been overblown. According to a U.S. News analysis of 437 graduate business schools, over 75 percent of 2010 graduates were hired within three months, up markedly from the 70 percent hired in the same time period in 2009.

That 4.9 percent point gain is indicative of a 7 percent growth in the M.B.A. hiring market. Harvard's Business School, ranked as one of the top programs in the country, had more graduates take jobs in "market sensitive" disciplines in 2010 than the year prior, CNBC reports. "Market sensitive" jobs include those in investment banking, investment management, private equity, venture capital and hedge funds. Fully 31 percent of Harvard business grads took jobs in that sector in 2010, up from 28 percent in 2009.

While M.B.A. hiring is still below its pre-recession peak levels, it has recovered with the economy. "The M.B.A. degree is sought after," executive recruiter Bruce Hurwitz told U.S. News. "It is respected by employers."