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| The Guide to Executive MBAs | If you think about getting your MBA and someone has suggested the EMBA route, here's what you need to know:
- What Is an Executive MBA?
- How Does it Differ from a Traditional MBA?
- From a Part Time MBA?
 EMBA – a program provides the experienced, working professional with the opportunity to earn a master's degree in Business Administration without significant disruption to his or her current pursuits. Despite the fact that EMBA students complete their degrees within two years, same as their traditional two-year MBA counterparts, they do it on a different schedule. On the other hand, Part time programs typically take three years to complete.
An Executive MBA programs are organized around individual cohort classes that begin throughout the year. At the same time all members of a class begin the program, progress through the program in sync with each other, and graduate as a group. Since EMBA students are continuing to work while in the program, they have the unique opportunity to put the new skills they learn in the classroom to use immediately. In part time MBA programs also exists the combination of coursework and day-to-day experience, but EMBA programs have an added advantage - the collective professional experience of cohort members. Even if the EMBA curriculum is traditionally the same as the MBA curriculum, it is influenced and enriched by the breadth and depth of each class's professional knowledge.
Who Should Consider an EMBA?
EMBA programs are a focus for a diverse group of professionals, but all share a desire to expand their knowledge and skills. Proficiency and performance, academic records, GMAT scores, and professional recommendations all play a part in the admission decision. Lots of students will have at least 10 years of professional experience under their belts by the time they enter a program, with a significant portion of this experience at the managerial level. In contrast, two-year MBA students usually average three to five years of work experience.
How Are EMBA Programs Structured?
As the organization of an EMBA program can vary from program to program, most are fairly similar, in that they are designed to accommodate to a full-time work schedule. At the USC Marshall EMBA program, for instance, classes meet one full day per week, alternating Fridays and Saturdays for the length of the program. Then, UC Irvine's EMBA program meets on subsequent Fridays and Saturdays every other week. EMBA program of Cornell is divided into four terms, each of which begins with a week in residence in Ithaca. Afterward, students meet every other weekend for classes Saturday and Sunday outside New York City. Other diverse programs propose weeknight options as well.
How Do You Pay for an EMBA?
Traditionally, most of EMBA program participants are sponsored, either fully or in part, by their employers. In recent times, this has changed, as more students have been asked to foot a portion of the bill themselves. Today, lots of students paying the full cost of their own tuition has also grown significantly.
Students who are not sponsored by their employers usually qualify for loans, scholarships, and other types of financial aid. It’s essential to view the cost of any graduate program as an investment, with benefits reaped over the life of a professional career. Besides, since participants continue working during the program, the opportunity cost of attending an EMBA program is less than for a traditional two-year, full-time MBA program.
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