MBA graduates will find a wealth of opportunities in Alabama’s growing manufacturing economy. The annual mean wage for management occupations in Alabama is $100,500. That six-figure salary will go a lot further in Alabama than in most states because the state ranks among the lowest in the nation for cost-of-living. In 2008, Site Selection magazine ranked Alabama’s business climate third in the nation, and the state government’s business-friendly taxes and incentives actively promote economic growth.

Manufacturing is currently Alabama’s largest industry, judging by gross domestic product. More than 10,000 Alabamans are employed in steel production, an industry which has a long history in the state. Alabama’s automotive industry also expanded rapidly in recent years and will provide many opportunities for MBA graduates. Additionally, opportunities in the aerospace industry exist in the Huntsville area, where NASA’s George C. Marshall Space Flight Center and the U. S. Army Materiel Command are located.