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| MBAs of Other Shapes and Sizes | Changes in the economy over the last decade have not only thrown the job market for a loop, but business school admissions offices as well.
 After the economy turned for the worse, a great number of applicants saw a two-year MBA as a two-year break from a crummy job market. Applications to traditional, full-time MBA programs dropped as people were less-inclined to leave a job with a paycheck to take on the expense of an MBA and the possibility of no immediate payoff.
Many prospective applicants have decided to search for less time-consuming or less costly options. At the same time as the two-year full-time MBA from a top business school remains the most embraced choice, it is, by no means, the only one.
There are a number of alternatives to consider. Note that the vast majority of programs under each heading fall under these descriptions. But also there’re some exceptions. For example, some global MBA programs offer slightly different benefits and restrictions, than do others.
EMBA is the executive MBA; in most cases is a two-year program designed specifically for middle- or upper-level managers generally with at least seven to eight years of work experience. While earning their MBAs such programs are held to enable students to completely maintain their job responsibilities.
For a number of reasons the EMBA has become an extremely popular choice. Students take pleasure in the same intensive skills enrichment as do full-time MBA students, and in a similar team-based environment, and of course, all without sacrificing that bi-weekly paycheck.
The biggest negative aspect of the executive MBA can be also seen as its biggest strength: corporate sponsorship. The executive MBA is typically by invitation only. Companies basically select their stars and send them through these programs. In reality, most of the time corporations pay for 100% of the costs of the program.
Naturally, such an investment is contractual. If not obligated, EMBA students are expected to stay with that corporation for a set amount of time and to apply the new skills and contacts to the business. Then, executive education, in combination with work and life, can become breakneck in its pace. Be careful: Your time management skills will be put to one stringent test.
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