Executive MBA Programs

If you are a business professional working full-time, it's not impossible, even with your busy schedule, to enroll in an executive MBA program that will help further your career in the future. With some time, effort and commitment, an MBA degree is well within your reach. Investing in an MBA will provide you with valuable leadership skills and insights into advanced business practices that can help take your career to the next level.

An executive MBA program is a master's of business administration degree designed for working professionals. The executive MBA allows students to further their education and enhance their skills without leaving their current careers. It is also known as an EMBA. An EMBA can be obtained with about 20 hours per week of course work over a two-year period.

An MBA, in general, is a graduate school business program. The degree can be focused, however, to specifically fit a career in a particular field, such advertising, marketing, e-commerce or another sub-field within the business world. The skills learned from an Executive MBA program can further your career by preparing you for executive jobs in which management skills are necessary.

As online schools continue to evolve, it has become easier to get an EMBA degree through an online Executive MBA program. As a working professional, it may be impossible to attend classes at a specific time during normal working hours. An online EMBA program allows you to continue your education while studying during the times most convenient for you.

As you progress through your studies in an Executive MBA program, you will develop skills and competencies in many areas that will allow you to advance in your field of specialization. Here are a few of the courses that you may take as part of your EMBA education:

• Advanced Business Theory
• Business Communications
• Cost-Benefit Analysis
• Data Analysis
• Data Projections
• Ethics
• Executive Leadership
• Managerial Accounting
• Strategic Management.

Advantages of Earning an Executive MBA Degree

An executive MBA degree is a prestigious degree that earns you respect in the work place. The advantages of an EMBA are numerous and the two years or so that it takes to achieve will seem short as you look back on your successful career.

• Career Advancement: If you are stuck in a middle management position, an EMBA degree will give you the credentials to be eligible for executive positions.
• Higher Salary: An EMBA makes you eligible for one of the highest average salaries across all businesses.
• Job Flexibility: Those with an EMBA degree are highly sought after, which means you will be able to pick and choose the jobs and companies with which you wish to work.
• Job Satisfaction: With more responsibility and more opportunities to show your potential and skills, you will feel better about your job and yourself.

Top Executive MBA Programs

While there are many excellent online executive MBA programs available for those looking to further their education and careers, you may want to consider some of the best programs available to you. These programs may be more intensive or more expensive, but they may also open more doors for you in the future.

Here are the top 10 executive MBA programs in the world, according to Business Week.

1. Northwestern University
2. University of Pennsylvania
3. University of Chicago
4. University of Michigan
5. UNC—Chapel Hill
6. Emory University
7. IMD (Switzerland)
8. USC
9. Duke University
10. Georgetown University.

These top schools offer executive MBA programs either online or as weekend programs of study. The requirements for these 10 schools and other EMBA programs differ greatly and you should request information about the full requirements from each school.

In most online executive MBA programs, no GMAT requirements exist. This does not necessarily mean that you do not have to take the test; it simply means there is no minimum requirement for admission. The GMAT is the Graduate Management Admissions Test. It is a good idea to take the test, get the results, and then decide to which programs you wish to apply.

Career Opportunities after an MBA Degree

The availability of jobs and career advancement opportunities after receiving your MBA degree are varied, numerous and exciting. By obtaining a more senior position, you will have an opportunity to make organizational changes that have a broader impact.

An executive MBA degree provides you not only with the chance to advance in your specific industry, but also with an understanding of the broader philosophy behind higher-level business practices. Upon graduation, you may have career opportunities in the following areas:

• e-business
• economics
• finance
• government employment
• marketing
• non-profit organizations
• opening your own business.

Executive MBA program costs vary greatly from university to university, but the average cost for a two-year MBA program in 2006 was just over $50,000. This may sound expensive, but the average salary increase in those two years alone is about 20 percent. The costs associated with an EMBA are generally outweighed by the benefits earned throughout the course of your business career.

Resources

Le Beau, Christina (2007). Why do you want an MBA? Retrieved May 15, 2008, from the Crains Chicago Business Web site: www.devry.edu/keller/crains_why_an_mba.pdf

U.N.H. (n.d.) MBA Career Opportunities. Retrieved May 15, 2008, from the U.N.H. MBA Web site: www.unhmba.org/mba-career-opportunities.html

O'Connell, Patricia (2005). Why EMBA's Need to Test. Retrieved May 15, 2008, from Business Week Web site: www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_32/b3946113_mz056.htm