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Key Factors to Consider in an EMBA Program: Scheduling
One of the greatest benefits of Executive MBA (EMBA) programs is that you can advance your career and learn new skills without falling behind in the workplace. That said, it’s a given that students in EMBA programs are generally working full-time as well. That means that when choosing a school that’s a best fit for you, you should take into consideration location, schedule, commuting time and travel requirements. In this article, we compare the top 5 EMBA programs so you can easily see which might be the best fit for you.
The Wharton School
Wharton EMBA students are can choose to be based at either the Philadelphia or San Francisco campus and must travel to campus on alternate weekends to attend classes. The weekend schedule typically begins on 8 a.m. Saturday mornings and concludes by 4 p.m. on Saturday, giving students enough time to book a flight or travel home on Saturday afternoon or Sunday. Additionally, students in the residential EMBA program form tight bonds as they not only learn together, but also live together on campus. The Wharton EMBA takes place over a 24-month period.
Schedule: Alternate weekends Friday/Saturday
Times: 8 a.m. Friday to 4 p.m. Saturday
Global Requirements: 1-week international study trip
Locations: San Francisco and Philadelphia
Columbia Business School
Flexibility is the core of Columbia’s program. Columbia offers working professionals five EMBA program options: the Friday/Saturday Program, which meets on alternate weekends, completing the program in a total of 20 months at the New York campus; and the Saturday Program, which meets every Saturday over the course of 24 months at the New York campus.
In addition to these two staple programs, Columbia offers three additional global and partner programs: the EMBA-Global Program, taught in partnership with London Business School (LBS); the EMBA-Global Asia Program, which runs in a partnership with LBS and the University of Hong Kong; and the EMBA-Global Americas Program, which allows students to travel between Columbia’s New York campus, Silicon Valley, and Latin America.
Friday/Saturday Program: Meets alternate weekends Friday/Saturday in New York
Saturday Program: Meets every Saturday in New York
EMBA Americas: Meets once a month, primarily in New York. During the first year, students will have one week-long meeting in Silicon Valley, Toronto, and São Paulo
EMBA Global Americas and Europe: Meets monthly, alternating between London and New York
EMBA Global Asia: Meets monthly, primarily in Hong Kong, as well as Shanghai, London and New York
Sloan School of Management
EMBA classes at Sloan meet once every three weeks for a total of 26 weekend sessions. It is ideal for candidates who want a well-rounded MBA experience: students walk away with hands-on skills development and a one-week international project trip during the capstone Global Organizations Lab (GO-Lab) action learning experience. Students also take four six- to nine-day executive modules, spread six months apart, featuring topics such as Leadership and Integrative Management, Innovation Driven Entrepreneurial Advantage, Leading in a Global Context, and Leading Complex Organizations. Through these modules, students form close bonds with fellow future leaders and professors, forming bonds to the MIT community.
Schedule: Friday/Saturday sessions, generally three weeks apart; electives offered Wednesdays/Thursdays or Fridays/Saturdays
Global Requirements: Global Organizations Lab (GO-Lab), a one-week project trip to multiple company sites worldwide
Other Requirements: Four executive modules, six to nine days long and spread six months apart
Locations: MIT home campus
Booth School of Business
. Booth EMBA students have the option to choose between four campuses: the Chicago campus, the London campus, the Singapore campus, and the new Hong Kong campus. The first cohort for the Hong Kong campus began in June of 2014 and is expected to see an increase in enrollment. All students attend global study trips during the first quarter of study, spending three weeks in Chicago, one in London, and one in Singapore. For the remaining six quarters, students take primarily weekend courses at their home campus while occasionally traveling to Chicago for an elective session and convocation with all executive students.
Schedule: Weekend schedules change by location
Global Requirements: Three weeks in Chicago, one in London, and one in Singapore
Locations: Chicago, London, Singapore, Hong Kong
Kellogg School of Management
Kellogg EMBAs can choose a home campus in Evanston or Miami, both of which offer starts in January and September. In Evanston, classes meet twice monthly, while classes meet monthly in Miami. In addition to Live-In week, where each class resides on campus for a week of intense study, students also participate in an International Live-In week. Throughout Live-In weeks, students manage crises, negotiate and learn cultural competence, allowing students to build on each others’ creativity and innovation while also developing networking bonds.
Schedule/Times: One weekend per month from Thursday afternoon to Sunday morning for the Miami option; two weekends per month from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening for the January start in Evanston; two weekends per month from Friday afternoon to Sunday noon for the September start in Evanston
Other Requirements: Three weeks live-in required for the Miami options; four weeks live-in required for the January start in Evanston; four weeks live-in for the September start in Evanston
Locations: Miami or Evanston