Pepperdine Graziadio and AstrumU Partner to Help Prospective MBA Students Forecast Return on Investment of an MBA
Pepperdine Graziadio Business School and Seattle-based data science startup AstrumU® are pioneering the use of a new machine learning tool that would help prospective students estimate their return on investment from full-time and professional MBA degree programs at the front end of the enrollment process.
“As MBA candidates navigate an ever-changing world of work and a more competitive job market, it’s critically important that business schools demonstrate the lasting relevance and return on investment that our alumni can expect after graduating ,” said Deryck J. van Rensburg, dean of the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School. “This work is about providing prospective MBA students with tangible insights based on alumni employment outcomes. It’s about getting more transparent about how the MBA experience connects them to real-world opportunities for growth and advancement.”
The AstrumU technology will enable the business school to use sophisticated data science models to match course-level outcomes, academic performance, and extracurricular experiences with salary and job placement outcomes from data verified by employers. Students then receive a personalized prediction for their desired industry, based on how alumni with comparable career backgrounds and goals fared in the labor market.
Pepperdine Graziadio Business School is one of the first business schools to pilot the new program. The full press release is available here.