The number of Harvard Business School students starting their careers in consulting reached an all-time high with the Class of 1994.

Twenty-nine percent of last June's Business School graduates received preliminary job placements in consulting, according to data gathered by the Business School Office of Career Development.

In fact, the number of students getting consulting jobs has increased each of the past three years. Twenty-six percent of the Class of 1992 graduates and 27 percent of the Class of 1993 went into consulting.

Among business schools, Harvard has one of the highest percentages of students entering the consulting field, according to a report in this week's issue of the Harbus News.

David Wesley, the school's director of career development, told the Harbus News this week that consulting is a popular vocation because of firms' increasing demand for skilled employees.

"Because of the increased engineering in American corporations and the emergence of developing countries in Eastern Europe and Latin America, the growth in hiring by consulting firms is substantial," Wesley said.

Sedef Buyukataman, a recruiter for Gemini Consulting, a Boston firm which traditionally recruits on the Harvard campus, said yesterday that many corporations feel an outside perspective is often necessary to see what's wrong within the company.

Buyukataman said students are eager to enter the consulting field because it allows them to learn as they go.

"On the whole it's a really easy way to learn about a lot of industries in a short amount of time, and also the obvious monetary gain," she said.

Business School students said many of their number are choosing consulting because the field offers wide-ranging, high-paying jobs.

"It's a very well-paid profession and it's very easy to get into the business," said one student, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Another student, who also asked not to be identified, said his work for the Boston Consulting Group taught him that consulting is a popular choice because "it's a non-commitment."

"Consulting groups say to students, 'Come work for us for a few years, make a lot of money, and the world is your oyster.' You get exposed to a lot of stuff without making a commitment to an industry," the student said.

Buyukataman added that consulting firms are recruiting heavily not only among Business School graduates, but also on the undergraduate level.

"We target the top business schools, and also nine of the top colleges ranging from liberal arts colleges to colleges [which focus on business] like Wharton," she said. "Mostly we are looking for well-rounded students."