Ask the Expert

Provided by Matthew Moll, Assistant Director, MBA Admissions, Columbia Business School, Columbia University

1. There are many advantages to Executive MBA programs, and an EMBA may make sense for some applicants who initially considered only full-time MBA programs. When deciding whether to apply for a full-time or EMBA program, keep in mind the following:

Executive MBA programs are not only for “executives”: EMBA students remain fully employed while completing their MBA. These students are not necessarily seasoned veterans of their industries; they can also be “up and comers” who have been identified as future leaders at their companies. Today, applicants with as few as four to six years of work experience might be appropriate for an EMBA program. While more years of work experience is the norm for most EMBA programs, an increasing number of schools, including Columbia, are beginning to target applicants who are at earlier stages in their careers.

Immediate benefits for you and your employer: By staying in the workforce and going to school at the same time, students are able to bring what they are learning in the classroom directly to their organization. Students also have the advantage of working with and learning from other professionals who are from diverse industries and who are committed to growing at their current companies. This type of learning environment is vital to expanding general business knowledge as well as to building a more robust professional network that will benefits students and their employer. Our students, for example, have immediate access to a worldwide alumni network of over 40,000 professionals.

Same degree, different delivery: In many programs, EMBA students receive the same degree and have access to the same faculty as those students in the fulltime MBA program. These students have the same opportunity to earn the MBA on a schedule that meets their professional needs. At Columbia Business School we offer several delivery methods including the EMBA-Friday/Saturday program, EMBA-Saturday program, and our recently introduced EMBA-Americas program in addition to our EMBA-Global programs. All of these programs offer different schedules (and some, different locations) to meet the needs of professionals who want to excel in at their organization while earning their degree.

While an Executive MBA is not the right choice for everyone, I believe more applicants should consider an EMBA program for their MBA.

Filed under: B-School, Executive MBA, School Selection