Searching for the World’s Top MBA Recruiters: Comcast
Ever year, new MBA graduates are entering the workforce, and companies throughout the world seek new ways to benefit from their educational experience and knowledge. Major companies like the Comcast Corporation seek young professionals to contribute their talent to the company in a number of different ways.
Based in Philadelphia, PA, Comcast is a telecommunications conglomerate that has been taking over the globe since its founding fifty-four years ago in Tupelo, Mississippi. From internet provider to producers of feature films through the NBCUniversal (another one of our favorite MBA recruiters) division, Comcast has an expansive number of markets it can reach.
Today, Comcast makes more than $19.7 billion in media revenue, 88 percent of which comes from its NBCUniversal division. The remaining revenue comes from its cable business and from ownership of the streaming service Hulu. As of December 2016, Comcast employed 153,000 people among its various divisions. Ever looking to expand its reach, Comcast offers a number of opportunities for ambitious MBAs to gain experience and start careers at one of the world’s top media conglomerates.
Why Work at Comcast?
The appeal of working at a company like Comcast can be seen in the numbers: close to one million people have applied for a job at Comcast or one of its divisions every year since 2012. One reason may be the diversity in the kind of work one can do at the company—from creating new television shows to creating new apps and innovative products. With roughly 2,000 positions available at any given time, Comcast is always seeking passionate and entrepreneurial individuals who will help shape the company as it continues to grow and change.
Comcast also offers employees a number of opportunities to grow in their careers and at the company. Valuing teamwork, creativity and entrepreneurship, the company is always looking to empower individuals that represent these features and provide opportunities for them to use their talents in more ways.
Getting Started
Current MBAs looking to get their foot in the door at Comcast have a couple of different ways to do so. Students in the first year of their MBA program have the chance to pursue an internship at the company’s headquarters in Philadelphia. The preferred candidate for this specific internship would be between their first and second year of an MBA program, and have more than five years of professional work experience. Internship focuses for MBA students can occur in a wide variety of fields, including:
- HQ Functions
- Video Business Unit Strategy
- Internet Product Strategy
- Sales & Marketing
- Marketing Intelligence & Insights
- Corporate Strategy
- Integrated Talent Management
MBA students in their second year may also pursue a slot in Comcast’s MBA Rotational Leadership Program, which offers individualized placement into career-accelerating positions after a two-year rotational period. Students will have the ability to work on critical business projects in a variety of areas within Comcast and NBCUniversal, receive exposure to senior leadership through projects and development sessions, and gain access to mentorship through the programs cohort structure and interaction with peer advisors, mentors and program managers.
The ideal candidate for the MBA Rotational Leadership program has more than five years relevant work experience and a track record of academic excellence. The perfect MBA for this role must be a self starter, communicate effectively, and be passionate about innovation.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Want To Work For NBCUniversal? An MBA Can Help
What Types of Jobs are Available?
MBA students and graduates applying for jobs at Comcast after earning their degree will find a number of opportunities available. Here are just a couple roles currently open for MBA students and graduates:
-
Director of Contracts Management — Technical Operations
The Director of Contracts management will be responsible for the drafting, evaluation, negotiation, and execution of all types of contracts. The director will monitor all contract work to ensure progress, assist in the training and development of a qualified frontline staff and manage the outsourcing of contract drafting and negotiations. The estimated salary for a Director of Contracts Management is between $98,000 and $144,000 per year, according to user statistics provided by Glassdoor.
-
Pricing Analyst
The role of Pricing Analyst at Comcast helps to provide insights to the finance and marketing departments to make decisions for pricing in the Comcast Business division. The person in this role will use business analysis to help gather data and create reports that can help provide business leaders with continued recommendation leaders. The role requires a deep understanding of operational processes, marketing strategy, and strong interpersonal communication abilities.
-
Senior Business Operations Manager
Currently open for applicants in the Philadelphia and New York City metro, the Senior Business Operations Manager role with FreeWheel, Comcast’s premium distribution advertising company, is part of the team “responsible for monitoring and providing insights into the health of the overall business.”
The role typically requires six or more years of professional experience and an MBA degree is preferred for the specific responsibilities of the position. According to user statistics provided by Glassdoor, Senior Business Operations Manager tend to make close to or more than six figures per year in the U.S.
-
Director, Strategic Analytics
This role, currently open in the Philadelphia metro, unsurprisingly requires a lengthy and comprehensive understanding of business analytics, down to requisite knowledge of tools like R, SAS, and SQL, as well as 10 or more years of professional experience in the fields of computer science, finance, marketing, statistics, economics, and other related fields. Like the Senior Business Operations Manager role mentioned above, an MBA degree is not explicitly required, but Comcast notes it is “strongly preferred” for the position.
Check out more of Comcast’s currently open positions for MBA students and graduates today.
How the House Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Could Affect Grad Students
Days before the House of Representatives voted to pass the House Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on the morning of Thursday, November 16, budget experts at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania broke down the proposed bill, discussing its broad potential impact.
The breakdown, per the Wharton Budget Model, focused on three principle findings:
- “This brief reports Penn Wharton Budget Model’s (PWBM) dynamic analysis of The House Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), as amended and reported out by the Ways and Means Committee on November 9, 2017.”
- “After including the tax bill’s effects on economic growth, TCJA is projected to reduce revenues between $1.5 trillion and $1.7 trillion. Debt rises by about $2.0 trillion over the same period. Looking beyond the 10-year budget window, by 2040, revenue falls between $3.6 trillion and $4.4 trillion while debt increases by $6.4 to $6.9 trillion.”
- “In 2027, GDP is between 0.4 percent and 0.9 percent higher than with no tax changes. By 2040, the difference between GDP under the House tax bill and current policy is between 0.0 percent and 0.8 percent, due to larger debt.”
The research focused on broader implications, rather than zeroing in on how the bill potentially effects different socioeconomic classes. In conclusion, the research “projects that The House Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reduces federal tax revenue in both the short and long-run relative to current policy. In the near term, there is a small boost to GDP, but that increase diminishes over time.”
Brian Naylor at NPR notes that the bill was passed mostly on bipartisan terms, with Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives largely pushing it through to the Senate without much push-back. “The vote was almost along party lines, with no Democrats voting in support of the bill and some GOP defections over provisions in the measure that would eliminate important tax deductions taken by constituents in some high tax states,” he writes.
The bill is less likely to pass in the Senate as it did in the House, according to reports from the New York Times. If it were to, however, the new legislation would directly affect graduate students across the board—including MBA students.
Section 117(d) of the bill, which can read here, indicates that all graduate students that receive any kind of tuition waiver will still have to pay taxes on the removed costs. For MBA students at schools like the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University, this could mean a year-end cost increase of at least 25 percent, if not more. For students in Ph.D. programs, which often give tuition waivers to help bring in valuable research, the costs can be significantly higher, according to CNBC.
“This makes graduate school unattainable for anybody not already very well off,” 24-year-old grad student Kelly Balmes told NPR. “It also creates a diversity problem, which graduate STEM programs already have.”
Part-Time MBA Battle: Houston v. Dallas
Among the bustling metros of the Lone Star State, Dallas and Houston are the biggest. Locals from the Houston and Dallas metros are die-hard about their towns, and their business schools take their MBA programs seriously. Both cities offer plenty of part-time options to prospective MBAs, so let’s take a deeper dive.
Location
While Houston and Dallas are only about four hours away by car, each metro offers completely different living experiences. As far as weather goes, if you dislike humid climates, Dallas may be the location for you. If you love being by the water, Houston may be up your alley—though the city, unfortunately, is more at risk for tropical storms and hurricanes.
Houston is statistically the more expensive city to live in, but not by a significant margin. According to Numbeo, a database of user contributed data about cities, you would need around $4,242 in Houston to maintain the same standard of life that you can have with $4,000 in Dallas, assuming you do not own a home. As far as entertainment goes, it’s really a tie: Both metros boast great restaurants, shopping, sports entertainment, and nightlife.
Here are a couple more quick stats comparing Houston and Dallas, courtesy this awesome infographic from SpareFoot:
- Houston is the 5th best US city for good jobs, Dallas ranks 18th.
- Houston is the 5th best US city for job seekers, Dallas is 6th.
- Dallas has the 13th lowest unemployment rate in the US, Houston is 18th.
- Dallas has the 9th most affordable housing marketing in the US, Houston is 8th.
Not every MBA candidate can manage a full-time degree program. So many business school students continue to work throughout their studies, balancing a job and graduate school through a part-time MBA program. Many of these programs take place in the evenings and on weekends, allowing for flexibility along with continued professional growth.
Dallas Part-Time MBA Programs
The following schools in the Dallas metro offer part-time MBA programs:
- Cox School of Business – Southern Methodist University
- Naveen Jindal School of Management – University of Texas at Dallas
- Neeley School of Business – Texas Christian University
- University of North Texas College of Business
- University of Texas at Arlington College of Business
The Southern Methodist Professional MBA features a flexible and modular curriculum that students can customize to their learning and future career goals. Students have the option to choose a concentration and a minor from nine subject areas, including: accounting, finance, general business, information technology and operations management, management, marketing, real estate and strategy, and entrepreneurship.
The estimated total cost of the aforementioned Professional MBA program is $93,696. This figure excludes costs such as books, materials, housing, or transportation. However, approximately 60 percent of students receive some form of financial aid, either need-based or consumer loans.
The Professional MBA program at the Naveen Jindal School of Business consists of taking two classes each semester, and classes are usually offered Monday-Friday from 4 to 10 p.m. The program is offered three different formats: a Evening Cohort, Flex, and Online. The Evening cohort option can be completed in 24 months, and allows the entire intake to experience the 30 required classes together. The Flex program lets students finish their degree on their own schedule, online and on campus. Similarly, the Online MBA offers plenty of scheduling options, but a limited choice of electives and concentrations.
Tuition costs depend on the amount of courses taken per semester and which track students are enrolled in. At UT Dallas, students pay lower per credit when taking more classes per semester. The estimated cost for tuition and fees for in-state residents in the Evening PMBA program is $42,347, and $78,449 for non-residents and international students. Tuition and fees for resident students in the online program is estimated at $49,531, with non-resident tuition at $84,016. Scholarship opportunities are available.
The Professional MBA at the Neeley School of Business meets twice a week in the evenings. The cohort-based program that can be completed in as little as 24 months or as many as 33 months—the amount of time it takes to complete the program depends on how students schedule their elective courses.
One year of the Texas Christian Professional MBA program costs an estimated $33,090, which includes tuition and other program fees. Books and other course materials are estimated at about $1,000.
Students in the University of North Texas MBA program have the option of taking courses on a full-time or part-time basis, and can earn a MBA degree in such areas as finance, health services management, marketing, logistics and supply chain management, organizational behavior and human resource management, strategic management, or business studies. Students completing the MBA in business studies also have the opportunity to complete a concentration in international business, library science and technology, real estate, or sustainability.
The UT Arlington Professional Cohort MBA structure is created for experienced professionals who want to continue to work full-time and follows the same 45-credit hour curriculum as the MBA flexible structure. The cohort structure allows students to complete courses in accelerated five or eight-week sessions, which allows students to complete their MBA in 24 months. This format is only offered at the Fort Worth campus. The estimated cost of the MBA program at the University of Texas at Arlington College of Business is $25,382.
Houston Part-Time MBA Programs
The following schools in the Houston metro offer part-time MBA programs:
- C.T. Bauer College of Business – University of Houston
- Cameron School of Business – University of St. Thomas
- Jesse H. Jones School of Business – Texas Southern University
- Rice University – Jones Graduate School of Business
- University of Houston – Downtown
The University of Houston Professional MBA program is a flexible program that takes 22 months to complete and consists of 48 credit hours. Students must complete 21 core credit hours and 27 elective credit hours.
Tuition costs at Bauer are estimated at $42,000 for Texas residents, $66,600 for non-resident students, and $72,000 for international students. Costs can change depending on how many classes a student is taking and their student status MBA students can get financial assistance in the form of student loans and scholarships, such as the MBA Bauer Excellence Scholarship. Students can receive up to $10,000 per year, qualify for in-state tuition (for nonresidents) and receive a two-year subscription to The Wall Street Journal.
The Cameron School of Business offers a flexible MBA that holds classes on the weekends and in the evenings. Students in the MBA program at Cameron are required to complete 36 academic hours: 27 hours are in core course and nine credit hours are elective courses.
The cost of the Cameron School of Business MBA program is $1,163 per credit hour. Students taking eight or fewer credit hours per semester are required to pay a $47 activity fee. Those students taking nine or more hours are required to pay $82. Students must also pay a $100 new graduate student fee and an $80 technology fee. Students are required to pay all fees every fall and spring semester.
The Texas Southern MBA program at the Jesse H. Jones School of Business provides a general management education to students who are looking to advance their current careers in business management, and can be taken in a full-time or part-time schedule. Part-time program students can complete their MBA degree over a flexible amount of time, depending on their availability to complete courses. All students complete courses over the fall, spring, and summer semesters.
The Jones MBA costs about $7,130.38 a year for in-state residents and $13,700.38 a year for out-of-state folks. Other fees such as room and board, transportation, books and other personal expenses are not factored in the cost of the program.
Rice University’s MBA for Professionals is a flexible program that offers an evening or weekend option to allow students to maintain their current work schedules. The traditional professional MBA is held in a lock-step format while the Extended Professional MBA program holds classes two evenings a week during the first semester and one evening a week after that. Students in this program can extend their education for three years or more, up to five, in order to better fit with their schedule.
The current tuition cost is $101,500 for the Evening and Evening Extended programs and $105,500 for the Weekend program. The tuition covers the complete 22-month schedule of coursework and is billed in 25 percent increments over four semesters.
The University of Houston Downtown part-time MBA can be completed in two or three years. Classes are offered in a hybrid form, with some classes taking place on campus and others online. Students may elect to pursue a “soft start” to their MBA, where students pursue their concentration classes first, or a traditional-start MBA students, where they take core classes the first year, followed by concentration classes in the second year.
The school also offers a three-year path to an MBA where students work on their concentration the first year and then take the core classes in the second and third years, or elect to pursue a traditional start by taking core classes in the first two years and concentration courses in their third year.
At $532 per credit hour for in-state students, tuition for a UHD MBA varies depending on the concentration. Students concentrating on finance, human resource management, leadership management, or business development/sales management will pay $21,840. Concentrations in supply chain management, international business or accounting cost $23,940. An MBA with a general management concentration costs $18,088. Out-of-state students pay about $28,300 and out-of-country students pay around $28,480.
Want To Work For NBCUniversal? An MBA Can Help
NBCUniversal is among the world’s largest entertainment companies, bringing “the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience.” From television networks and a motion picture company to theme parks and Internet-based businesses, NBCUniversal is the perfect place for an MBA to put their degree to work.
NBCUniversal History
Both NBC and Universal were founded in the early 20th century, with Universal opening in 1915 as “the only moving-picture city in the world” and NBC as the nation’s first permanent radio networking beginning in 1926. Over the years, the companies have been responsible for some of the most memorable moments of entertainment history, such as the 1936 Berlin Olympics broadcast over NBC Radio, hosting the first presidential TV debates between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon on NBC in 1960, and the premier of now-classic films like Back to the Future on Universal.
In 2004, NBC and Universal officially became one company—NBCUniversal—joining together cable networks like USA, SCI FI, Bravo and others with Universal’s movie studio and theme parks in Hollywood and Orlando.
Why Work at NBCUniversal?
With such a vast portfolio of companies and networks within NBCUniversal, someone with an advanced business degree can find a number of places throughout the company that can benefit from their in-depth business knowledge and leadership. Roles are available at the company all throughout the country in a number of business fields such as Human Resources, Business Development, Communications, Finance & Accounting, Marketing, Ad Sales, Public Relations, and more.
Getting Your Foot in the Door
NBC Universal offers a number of Internships and Campus 2 Career programs that give opportunities to both undergraduate and graduate students, with many of these opportunities can lead to full-time roles. Through the Campus 2 Career center at NBCUniversal, a number of roles are available in fields like Marketing, Human Resources, Web Content Management, Ad Sales and more.
Every semester, recruiters from NBC Universal request interns through the Campus 2 Career center. The company also hosts special recruiting and networking events, working alongside organizations such as the Society of Hispanic Engineers or the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA).
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Top MBA Recruiters: Time Warner
Typically, internships at NBCUniversal run from three to four months long, coinciding with the school semesters. The internships are paid, although salary varies by department, and—while not guaranteed—can often result in getting hired for a full-time role with the company.
For recently graduated MBAs, the company also offers a number of Early Career & Leadership programs, such as the East/West Coast Page Program or the Experienced Commercial Leadership Program.
What Type of Jobs are Available?
Through the Campus 2 Career program, NBC Universal has a number of openings for interns in a variety of business departments. Below are just some of the roles currently available at the company which specifically seek MBA candidates.
- Digital Distribution MBA Intern—Universal City, CA
- MBA Strategy & Business Development Intern—Universal City, CA
- Home Entertainment: MBA Strategy Intern—Universal City, CA
NBCUniversal is dedicated to advancing the careers of individuals who are passionate about their work and want to move into higher-level management or leadership roles. Programs like the International Future Leaders Programme expose early-career post-graduates to four different roles over the course of two years, allowing them to experience work in all three of the company business units. Participants in this program will also gather together at the end of the program to work on a project with a real impact within the company. They will also attend a number of courses specifically designed to train up-and-coming managers.
Programs like the NYU Stern School of Business full-time MBA, which gives students an opportunity to focus their studies towards earning a career in the entertainment industry, give a definitive advantage. Several Stern MBA grads do, in fact, work with the entertainment giant.
Even if the path of an MBA may not be your preferred journey, you can always become a page.
Full-Time MBA Battle: New York vs. Philly
Whether it’s Giants vs. Eagles or the Statue of Liberty and the Liberty Bell, New York City and Philadelphia are two cities famous for being at odds with one another. Continue reading…
New Amazon Headquarters Bidding Race Begins, with 50,000 New Jobs on the Line
By October 19, bids for the newest Amazon headquarters (dubbed HQ2) will close. For the eCommerce giant, it’s another benchmark for an already historic year.
Following its outward commitment to more hiring and the landmark purchase of grocery store chain Whole Foods earlier this summer, Amazon just announced it will be establishing a new non-satellite headquarters outside of Seattle for the first time, which is expected to bring 50,000 jobs to a select city that bids for hosting duties. With the announcement, Amazon notes, “We are looking for a location with strong local and regional talent—particularly in software development and related fields—as well as a stable and business-friendly environment to continue hiring and innovating on behalf of our customers.”
In the six-page Request for Proposal form, which can be read here, Amazon notes a preference for North American cities that have the following:
- “Metropolitan areas with more than one million people.”
- “A stable and business-friendly environment.”
- “Urban or suburban locations with the potential to attract and retain strong technical talent.”
- “Communities that think big and creatively when considering locations and real estate options.”
Assuming Amazon does elect to build in a city with those population restrictions, there are only nine possible U.S. locations: New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Dallas. Three Canadian cities—Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver—also hit the qualifying population figure.
In Philadelphia, Mayor Jim Kenney quickly announced the city’s intent to enter the bidding war. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel also seems to be close to the effort. However, there may be reason to believe that Texas will be the eventually landing spot for HQ2, where 53-year old CEO Jeff Bezos spent much of his youth.
In a statement, Bezos said, “We expect HQ2 to be a full equal to our Seattle headquarters. Amazon HQ2 will bring billions of dollars in upfront and ongoing investments, and tens of thousands of high-paying jobs. We’re excited to find a second home.”
Local Economic Growth
Amazon notes that the host city will receive a boon beyond more lucrative job opportunities. In its announcement, the company, which employs nearly 400,000 people worldwide (not including short-term seasonal employees), detailed its financial impact in Seattle, which “resulted in an additional $38 billion to the city’s economy–every dollar invested by Amazon in Seattle generated an additional $1.40 for the city’s economy overall.”
As well, the company created more than 40,000 direct jobs in the Emerald City, and 53,000 additional jobs “as a result of Amazon’s direct investments,” according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the Request for Proposal form, the company promises it “will hire as many as fifty thousand (50,000) new full-time employees with an average annual total compensation exceeding one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) over the next ten to fifteen years, following commencement of operations.”
According to Wall Street firm Needham & Co., Amazon is expected to control 50 percent of all U.S. online sales by 2021. The ever-increasing market dominance has earned Amazon a fairly negative reputation, but has done little to deter growth.
Via Fortune
Seattle has also been witness to years of skyrocketing housing costs due to the immense economic growth. The Seattle Times notes “the median price hit $730,000, up nearly 17 percent from a year ago” for houses. Amazon and the rest of the Seattle corporate community may not be the only players responsible for the unusually high prices, but it is an inescapable part of the equation.
In a recent interview, Columbia Business School professor Rita McGrath said that Amazon may be looking for a location with less staggering housing costs.
“It’s hard to attract people if they can’t afford the housing available locally,” she said.
The Amazon MBA Impact
Last year, we highlighted Amazon’s massive effect on the MBA job market. The company creates a direct pipeline from its MBA internship program to full-time employment, which should rapidly increase with the creation of HQ2. In a previous interview with the Financial Times, Miriam Park, the Amazon Director of University Programs, highlighted the company’s recruitment strategy:
“The Amazon recruitment process is designed to ensure we hire top candidates with high-growth potential whatever their background may be. As part of this we recruit current MBA students and MBA alumni for permanent and internship opportunities worldwide and see MBAs as an important part of our leadership development. We value people who can balance long-term strategic thinking with tactical execution, and who have the ability to make data-driven decisions.”
The internship programs open opportunities for MBAs to join the company as senior product managers, operations analysts, and more. Throughout the Request for Proposal form, Amazon frequently reiterates its desire to build in a location that has a strong academic culture, writing, “a highly educated labor pool is critical and a strong university system is required.”
Amazon will formally announce where it will build HQ2 next year.
