17 of the highest-paying consulting firms for MBAs

Even straight out of school, earning an MBA means a healthy salary bump for graduates, especially in lucrative industries like consulting.

And with increasing demand for management consultants, elite firms are doling out hefty compensation packages to stay competitive and attract top talent. In fact, at many places, the base pay for MBAs starts at $140,000 - more than $60,000 higher than the starting salaries that many candidates earn right out of college.

Management Consulted, a company that helps candidates land consulting jobs, compiled the top salaries earned by graduates in their first year out of business school at 17 leading consulting firms. To determine these figures, they culled through data from clients, spoke with industry insiders, and pored over real offer letters from readers.

It's important to note that these represent maximum salary packages, not average compensation. Typically, only the top employees receive the full amount, with average and below-average employees earning significantly less.

Read one to see the consulting firms where MBAs are raking in the big bucks, ranked by total compensation: