While MBA internships are most common in the United States and Asia Pacific, business master’s internships are dominant in Europe.

Most employers will bring on business school interns in 2018, according to the findings of GMAC’s 2018 Corporate Recruiters Survey. Overall, 55 percent of responding companies plan to bring on MBA interns this year, while 31 percent plan to bring on business master’s interns. The survey—conducted with partners EFMD and MBA Career Services and Employer Alliance (MBA CSEA) in February and March 2018—received responses from 1,066 employers in 42 countries worldwide who work directly with participating business schools.

Employer internship plans differ by world region. For example, MBA internships are most prevalent in Asia Pacific and the United States, where 65 percent and 62 percent of employers plan to offer them, respectively. Thirty percent of Asia Pacific employers and 25 percent of US employers will offer business master’s internships this year. Among European employers, however, business master’s internships are more commonplace. Sixty percent will offer business master’s internships this year, compared with 35 percent that will offer business master’s internships. Internship opportunities are more limited in Latin America, where this year 40 percent of employers plan to offer MBA internships and 23 percent plan to offer business master’s internships.

For MBA and business master’s students alike, internships provide a way to understand a specific company and its culture while gaining valuable work experience to add to their resumes. In addition, the survey results highlight how internships continue to be an avenue to full-time positions for many business school graduates. For example, 50 percent of US companies that had MBA interns in 2017 report that they hired more than half of them into full-time positions after they graduated. A slightly lower proportion hired more than half of their business master’s interns into full-time roles (41%).

Among European employers, 22 percent hired more than half of their MBA interns and 36 percent hired more than half of their business master’s interns. Among Asia Pacific employers, 30 percent hired more than half of their MBA interns.

For more on internships, download the 2018 Corporate Recruiters Survey Report.