Georgia Tech Scheller EMBA Ranked Among Best in the Country
The most recent rankings from the Financial Times places Georgia Institute of Technology Scheller College of Business‘ Executive MBA program among the best in the U.S.
Each year, The Financial Times compiles a list of the top 100 Executive MBA programs throughout the country, evaluating each program on a number of important features. Among the top business news organizations in the world, Financial Times determined their ranking through alumni surveys that looked at factors such as career progression, international reach, salary growth, and faculty credentials.
“I am pleased that the Financial Times has recognized Scheller College EMBA program’s commitment to our students and their achievements,” Scheller Dean Maryam Alavi said of the ranking. “The EMBA program excels in developing business leaders who are innovative, entrepreneurially minded, analytically skilled and who succeed at the intersection of business and technology.”
In the 2017 ranking, the Scheller EMBA was recognized as the top Executive MBA program in Georgia and the 15th best program in the United States. For facilitating career progress, the program was named second best in the U.S. and seventh best throughout the world.
The EMBA program at Scheller is nationally recognized for its career development program, which offers 1:1 coaching and advising, as well as providing many opportunities for executive networking and development workshops. The program, which takes 17-months to complete, offers specializations in the fields of Global Business and Management Technology. The program is offered exclusively on weekends, allowing up-and-coming professionals to continue their careers while earning their degree.
New Leadership Hub Opens at Goizueta as Part of Delta Air Lines Foundation Gift
Earlier this month, Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and the Delta Air Lines Foundation launched the new Delta Leadership Hub on campus. The hub is a state-of-the-art classroom and event space that will serve as a focal point for various leadership initiatives and business school events.
Creation of the hub was made possible thanks to a $3.5 million gift to the business school from the Delta Air Lines Foundation. That gift will also support a “three-pronged leadership development program focused on academic, experiential, and reflecting learning for Delta Leadership Coaching Fellows,” explains a press release. The program helps second-year MBA students practice and improve their leadership, team-building, and feedback skills while also providing mentorship opportunities for first-year MBA students. The entirety of the gift will help the business school serve more students by expanding its coaching and training opportunities.
A look inside the Emory Delta Leadership Hub.
The hub welcomes students with a dramatic glass entrance featuring the Delta Leadership Hub logo. Inside the classroom, students and instructors will find an open space with tiered seating, large screens, and the ability to connect their devices wirelessly via Mersive Solstice technology. In the foyer, students will notice “jetways” with clean lines and multiple display monitors.
“We are proud to open this premiere space for leadership learning with Goizueta,” Tad Hutcheson, Senior Vice President of the Delta Air Lines Foundation, said in a statement. “Giving back to the communities where we live, work, and serve is core to Delta, starting with our hometown of Atlanta.”
The Delta Air Lines Foundation is a nonprofit corporation that focuses on giving to education, health, and wellness areas. Its contributions are unrestricted, allowing recipients to use their funds as needed.
This article has been edited and republished with permissions from Clear Admit.
Your Search for Atlanta’s Best Accelerated MBA Programs
Most folks pursuing an accelerated MBA know which industry or area of concentration they want to pursue. They are MBA candidates who want to advance their current careers, not switch them. Others choose the accelerated route because it can be difficult to leave two years of work and salary. Continue reading…
Advice for Entrepreneurial MBA Students from a Successful Goizueta Alum
Over the last few years, interest in entrepreneurship has increased among MBA students at many leading business schools. According to the 2017 GMAC Alumni Perspectives Survey Report, more than one in 10 alumni run their own businesses (11 percent)—the same percentage as those choosing to work in finance and accounting.
So, it’s not surprising that many top programs are increasing their focus on providing entrepreneurial learning opportunities within their MBA programs. At Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, for example, there are many opportunities to explore entrepreneurship through classes such as “Applied Entrepreneurship,” “Entrepreneurial Practicum,” and “Appcology,” which focuses on emerging forms of applications and services and how they are altering software ecosystems and commerce interactions. There’s an annual Emory Entrepreneurship Summit that is designed to encourage and support entrepreneurs across the university with pitch competitions, keynote speakers, and valuable networking opportunities. And recently, the one-year MBA class class also had an opportunity to hear directly from a successful alumnus about his journey as an entrepreneur.
Matt Fishman, a ’13 MBA and CEO and co-owner of Barking Hound Village, visited campus to talk about how MBA students can make the most of their time in school with an eye toward maximizing the success of their ventures down the road. Barking Hound Village, which Fishman and a fellow Goizueta alumnus purchased in April 2017, is Georgia’s largest dog daycare, boarding, and grooming business with six locations throughout Atlanta.
Inside Barking Hound Village
In addressing students at his alma mater, Fishman’s advice was wide ranging but coalesced around a few key tenets:
Focus on Your MBA Connections
After graduating from Goizueta, Fishman stayed in touch with his MBA classmates. He regularly met up with a group of five alums to discuss opportunities and ideas. It was from these discussions that the thought of purchasing Barking Hound Village came about. “One day, we started to run with the idea, and one thing led to another,” Fishman said in the question-and-answer session with current students.
Fishman’s Goizueta connections proved invaluable throughout the process. He purchased Barking Hound Village with a fellow Emory classmate, Matt Gryder, and since that day has had to protect that connection by putting their “friendship above all of it.” That’s meant a clear division of responsibilities. “We have an operating agreement that’s 50, 60 pages that divvies out duties, equity, all sorts of things,” said Fishman. “It’s constant checks and balances. It’s probably one of the most difficult things.”
Because the connections he made at Goizueta proved to be one of the most important aspects of his MBA experience, he encouraged current students to take advantage of every opportunity to meet new people in the program. “The most valuable thing that you’re going to get out of this place is the network,” he said. “You have to make yourself uncomfortable and sit next to different people, get in different groups, put yourself out there, meet people.”
Don’t Forget to Network
Alumni connections aren’t the only relationships that have been helpful for Fishman. Networking, in general, has been important to his success. For example, it was while Fishman was working as an analyst before business school at security and investment advisory firm Voya and dealing with investments in the pet space, veterinary roll-ups, and retail that he discovered Barking Hound.
As for Fishman’s advice to MBA students, “With networking, get outside your comfort zone.” He continued, saying: “Networking’s tough. Things don’t always come of it, but it’s a game of odds. For maybe 800 people, you get a few back. Be persistent. It gets competitive because everybody’s trying to distinguish themselves. You have to be real, be yourself.”
Understand Your Business
You need to understand your business before you jump into it. For Fishman, he learned a lot of what he needed to know about owning and running a pet business while he was at Voya. “I got access to the books, learned the layout of the land, and built a thesis,” he said. “It’s happenstance, and then you try to line up your cards as much as you can.”
But that was only the beginning. Fishman also took time to understand how to value a dog daycare company before they made any decisions to move forward with a purchase. “The equity side, you have to knock it out in the beginning. So that’s what we did,” said Fishman.
Then, from there, it was all about learning the business. Fishman considers himself a numbers guy, so he had to learn persistence and human capital. He also had to learn about the challenges of being in a service-based business. “You have HR issues,” Fishman stated. “You have leases. For every aspect of it, there’s a legal side that you have to think through.”
Cross Things Off Your Bucket List
For Fishman, starting a business was an item on his bucket list. “It was an itch,” he said. “ I always wanted to be an entrepreneur.” So, he decided to go after it at a time when failure would have relatively little long-term impact. This is the same advice he offers MBA students.
“If you have an idea, or you want to try something new and crazy, whatever, do it,” said Fishman. “If you have ideas, entrepreneurial ideas, take advantage of the fact that you have more time now,” he continued. “Think through or outline some ideas that you might have and chase after them. Look at everything from a downside case. If I’m going to do something entrepreneurial, I don’t yet have a family, so my downside was falling about as low as it’s going to be from here on out.”
So far it has all come together for Fishman since his ’13 MBA, and he encouraged students to take the same risks he did. “There’s nothing to lose with trying to do something and failing in the next nine months. So if there’s a bucket list, it’s to take advantage of your time.”
For more of Fishman’s advice, view the full story at EmoryBusiness.com.
This article has been edited and republished with permissions from Clear Admit
The Best Executive MBAs in Atlanta
The city of Atlanta might just become the next hot spot for business. The southern city’s population increased by more than 90,000 last year, and it’s likely to grow even more. Right now, it’s the ninth-largest metro statistical area in the country—clinging to the top 10 in the U.S.
This influx of people has followed the city’s booming job market. That and the warmth that comes with living in the great state of Georgia. The cost of living in Atlanta is also affordable, especially when looking at other major metros along the East Coast. The city was ranked among the 12 “best big cities” to live and the median annual salary is $48,750.
This might just make Atlanta the next best place to build on already-established experience to pursue an executive MBA. Here are five of the best programs in the city.
The Best Atlanta Executive MBA Program Options
Goizueta Business School – Emory University
Emory University’s Goizueta Business School has been around for a while, since 1919. That’s nearly 100 years. It’s no wonder that its executive MBA program offers all the perks it does. The school’s had time to finesse its programs. The school sits on Emory University’s campus within driving distance from downtown.
The Executive MBA program at Goizueta caters to the older professional who needs flexibility. That’s why the program has two tracks: one on the weekend and a modular EMBA. The modular EMBA allows students to finish the program in 20 months. That’s not even two years. Either way, students begin the program in September. The weekend MBA offers five areas of focus: finance, healthcare, leadership, strategy, and general management.
J. Mack Robinson College of Business – Georgia State University
If you’re looking for hustle and bustle, the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University might be it. Located downtown, the school’s been around six years longer than Goizueta. So it’s way past the century mark.
The Executive MBA program is short, too. It takes just 17 months to complete. Classes take place every other weekend. Most students are around 40-years old. This Atlanta EMBA program has received rank after rank from publications like U.S. News World & Report, CEO Magazine, and Ivey Exec.
Scheller College of Business – Georgia Institute of Technology
At the Scheller College of Business at the Georgia Institute of Technology, MBA candidates can expect a lot of immersion into the world of business. The school sits smack dab in Midtown Atlanta, the city’s second largest business district.
MBA students can decide to focus on one of two options: global business or management of technology. The Executive MBA program has a heavy foundation focused on the basics of business, but it also compounds that with a required international residency.
Terry College of Business – University of Georgia
Sitting on the University of Georgia’s Atlanta campus, the Terry College of Business‘ Executive MBA program is worth keeping your eyes on. Students do have to complete two week-long residencies at the school’s Athens campus, but it’ll be worth it.
With a professional executive mentor, students get direct access to the business world from someone who knows how to navigate it. The Executive MBA program has been ranked 14th in the world by The Economist. It combines classroom education with field experience—all in 18 months.
Michael J. Coles College of Business – Kennesaw State University
The Michael J. Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University sits outside the city of Atlanta, but it’s still very close. Located in Kennesaw, Georgia, the school hasn’t been around as long as others on this list. But that doesn’t make it any less competitive.
For one weekend a month over 17 months, students learn real-world experience to give their years of experience even more edge. The program is proud of what it can offer students interested in expanding more globally. The eight month-long additional global program provides students a 10-day international residency, as well as working with another MBA program in Europe.
Scheller Students Become Sustainability Experts During the Carbon Reduction Challenge
A team of SunTrust interns, including two students from the Georgia Institute of Technology – Scheller College of Business, recently took top prize during the inaugural Internship and Co-op Carbon Reduction Challenge.
