Types of MBA

sakky
Mon, 25 Oct 2004 17:16:54 +0000

Generally older people, with a lot more experience than your typical full-time MBA student. Basically, it’s generally understood that the executive-MBA’s have the following characteristics:

*Students are usually financially sponsored by their organization, which often means that you are obligated, at least ethically if not legally, to return to work with your sponsor.


Many EMBA programs are part-time, meaning that you are expected to keep you are in the program.
Older, more experienced types. EMBA programs strongly prefer candidates with lots of experience (i.e. 10+), who hold executive positions or are well on their way to holding such positions.


That doesn’t mean that every EMBA program has all these characteristics. However, the tendency is there.

Contrast the student profiles at, say, the Wharton MBA program and the Wharton EMBA program. The average age of students of the former is 28, with about 5-6 years of work experience, the latter average age is 33, with 10 years of experience. EMBA students also tend to be earning more than regular MBA students, which should surprise no-one when you consider the fact that they are older and more experienced.

Basically, EMBA programs are another twist on how MBA programs are run. They are arguably superior in the networking aspect because the quality of students they draw upon tends to be more experienced and more successful. So you will probably develop a better Rolodex by attending a EMBA program. On the other hand, they are not very good for career-changers and career-services, for the simple reason that most EMBA candidates are supposed to sponsored and so are going to return to their employer upon graduation. There may actually be restrictions in the Career Services office for EMBA students using their facilities, for the simple reason that many sponsoring employers don’t want their sponsors running off and interviewing with other companies, so you may need a signed letter of authorization from your sponsor before you are even allowed in the door of Career Services. So if you are thinking of using an EMBA program to switch careers into, say, IB, you may want to think again. That’s not what they are for.