The Top Executive MBA Programs
The top Executive MBA Programs are designed for professionals with significant managerial experience who want to move into leading roles within their organization, expand their career outside of their organization, or start their own venture. The “typical” executive MBA student has an average age between 30 and 60+. In addition, most programs require over 8-10 years of work experience being a C-Suite Executive, Entrepreneur, Small Business Owner or in Upper-Level Management.
| School Name | Length of Program (in months) | Program Start Date(s) | Average Total Students in Program | Current Students Top Industry Work Experience | Average Total Cost of Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson School of Management - UCLA Executive MBA | 22 months | September | 280-300 total students | High Technology, Health Care Services, Government | $167,000 |
| Booth School of Business - University of Chicago Executive MBA | 23 months | June | 220-230 total students | Investment Management, Technology, Consulting | $194,000 |
| Columbia School of Business Executive MBA | 20-24 months | May/August | 150-160 total students | Financial Services, Technology, Consulting | $213,000 |
| Fuqua School of Business - Duke University Executive MBA | 21 months | July | 180-190 total students | Sales/Business Development, Healthcare, Financial Services | $152,000 |
| Haas School of Business - UC Berkeley Executive MBA | 19 months | May | 140-150 total students | Technology, Health Services, Computer-Related Services | $194,000 |
| Kellogg School of Management - Northwestern University Executive MBA | 24 months | January/September | 120-130 total students | Technology/Media, Healthcare/BioTech, Financial Services | $217,000 |
| Ross School of Business - University of Michigan Executive MBA | 21 months | September | 165-175 total students | Ross Executive MBA lists 26 different industries in their 2022 class profile | $195,000 |
| Sloan School of Management - MIT Executive MBA | 20 months | September | 250-260 total students | Healthcare, Technology, Financial Services | $178,000 |
| Stern School of Business - New York University Executive MBA | 22 months | August/January | 240-250 total students | $204,000 | |
| Wharton School of Business - University of Pennsylvania Executive MBA | 24 months | May | 210-220 total students | Wharton Executive MBA lists over 3o industries represented in their 2022 class profile | $211,000 |
List of the Top Executive MBA Programs
MetroMBA has compiled a list of the top Executive MBA programs. In addition you can find resources for the most recent Executive MBA Rankings according to major publications such as U.S. News, Financial Times and The Economist.
Booth School of Business – University of Chicago
The Booth School of Business Executive MBA program is 21 months in length and is one of the only Executive MBA programs to offer classes in three continents. The Booth EMBA has primary campus locations in Chicago, London, and Hong Kong. Although students apply to a primary campus location, students take classes at each of the global campuses for their international experience.
In terms of program structure, it is important to note that each primary location has a slightly different offering. The Chicago class intake meets ever other Friday and Saturday over the 21-month program. In comparison, both the London and Hong Kong location is offered for 16 weeks over 21 months, and meet Monday mornings to Saturday afternoon.
Kellogg School of Management – Northwestern University
The Kellogg School of Business Executive MBA offers two primary U.S locations in Miami, Florida and Evanston, Illinois. Whether students choose the Miami or Evanston location, all students are taught by the same faculty and curriculum that is consistent with the Kellogg experience.
The program structure for students who attend the Evanston, Illinois campus includes taking classes Friday and Saturday, and on occasion, Sundays. Students attend classes two times per month with a 4-week intensive experience for student orientation and Global Network Week.
Students who attend the Miami, Florida campus meet one time per month from Thursday through Sunday on campus. Like the Evanston campus program structure, it also includes intensive weeks, however it only lasts three weeks for the student orientation and the Global Network Week.
Wharton School of Business – University of Pennsylvania
The Wharton School of Business Executive MBA has campuses in both Philadelphia and San Francisco. The program is approximately 24-months, which includes over 700 class hours.
The Wharton MBA is delivered in a modified, part-time schedule, in which classes are held every other weekend on Friday’s and Saturday’s at both the Philadelphia and San Francisco locations. The Wharton MBA also requires a one-week global experience for all students. Wharton offers three primary international programs in addition to the required global-focused core classes, international dual-degree programs, and consulting opportunities in emerging countries.
Columbia Business School
The Columbia Business School Executive MBA has a primary location in New York City, however, it also has partnerships with London Business School and the University of Hong Kong. This provides students an opportunity to pursue their degree over three continents.
The Columbia EMBA in New York city offers two options. The first is a Friday/Saturday option, in which classes are held between 8:30 a.m. – 6:45 p.m. every other weekend. This includes five terms within the curriculum. In addition, the Friday/Saturday option requires two five-day residencies held at the start of the first two semesters.
The Columbia EMBA Saturday option consists of six terms meeting every Saturday, over 24 months. Classes are held on Saturday’s between 8:30 a.m. – 6:45 p.m. It also requires two five-day residencies, held at the start of the first two semesters, like the Friday/Saturday option.
Stern School of Business – New York University
The Stern School of Business Executive MBA delivers a unique education that combines rigor in the classroom with engagement beyond the classroom, to broaden perspectives and change mindsets. Students earn 60 credits by completing the required coursework and attending scheduled classes.
The Stern Executive MBA begins with a one-week orientation residency where students begin classes and network with classmates. Students attend class on Friday and Saturday, every other week throughout the 22 month program. In addition, students participate in Global Study Tours to expand their learnings outside the classroom and build a more global perspective.
Fuqua School of Business – Duke University
The Fuqua School of Business Executive MBA program has one location in Durham, North Carolina. During each Executive MBA residency, students live, learn, and work on campus at Fuqua throughout the program.
The Fuqua EMBA begins with a 1-week immersion on Fuqua’s campus for an intensive learning experience and the opportunity to network. Students typically have one 3-day residency a month on Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Students also have hybrid distance learning periods in between. The program concludes with two one-week intensive sessions of electives and can also complete those courses remotely.
Haas School of Business – University of California, Berkeley
The Haas School of Business Executive MBA classes are held on-campus in Berkeley, California. During each block, you stay at the same hotel with your classmates, making it easy to collaborate, share strategies for work, life, and school, and build friendships.
The Haas EMBA is delivered over five terms, including one immersion experience per term. Classes hosted on-campus are Thursday-Saturday every three weeks. Twenty-five percent of your Berkeley Executive MBA curriculum is experiential, with five field immersions that explore leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, international business, and business and public policy,
Sloan School of Management – MIT
The Sloan School of Management Executive MBA delivers its curriculum on their main campus, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The Sloan Executive MBA is delivered via four weeklong modules for integrated learning, 26 weekend sessions for iterative development, and a one-week international project trip during the capstone Global Labs action learning experience.
Anderson School of Business – UCLA
Classes at the Anderson School of Business Executive MBA are held on-campus in Los Angeles, California. In addition to the on-site requirement, Anderson also offers three distinctly different countries for the Executive MBA students to choose among for their travels for their Global Immersion, with destinations in Asia, South America and Europe.
Anderson offers two flexible schedules for their students. The first is the bi-weekly schedule. Classes meet in person every other weekend starting on the 2nd weekend of the 10-week quarter. Classes begin at 10:00 a.m. only on the first Friday of each quarter. Classes then begin at 4:00 p.m. the following Fridays. After your first quarter, EMBA electives will be available on Sundays and during summer on a hybrid format.
The second option for Anderson Executive MBA students is the monthly schedule. Classes meet in person each month of the 10-week quarter: the 2nd, 6th, and 10th weekends. Additional instruction is delivered online each week. Like the bi-weekly schedule, classes begin at 10:00 a.m. only on the first Friday of each quarter. Classes then begin at 4:00 p.m. the following Fridays. After your first quarter, EMBA electives will be available on Sundays and during summer in a hybrid format.
Ross School of Business – University of Michigan
The Ross School of Business Executive MBA offers students two locations to complete their degree, including Ann Arbor and Los Angeles. At key points in the program, students from Los Angeles join fellow students in Ann Arbor to attend class, network, exchange ideas, and graduate as a group. Both offerings provide a Ross Executive MBA degree, general management curriculum, world-class faculty, once-a-month format, leadership development, and a full-service of executive accomodations.
The Ross Executive MBA requires once-a-month on-campus residencies. In addition, faculty and classmates stay connected through distance learning and online collaboration when not on-site.
The average weekly commitment for Ross Executive MBA students is 20 to 25 hours per week, although this varies by individual and course. Typically, students take three courses at a time. Exams are taken remotely, during a three-day, Friday-through-Sunday schedule.
Major Publication Executive MBA Rankings
As you research and compare Executive MBA programs throughout your journey, it is important to note major publication rankings for the top Executive MBA programs. You may be asking why it is important to consider rankings at all. We do not recommend this factor to be the only one to consider when choosing an Executive MBA. However, these programs participated in the rankings process with proven results to consider as a return on your investment. Below we have compiled the most recent rankings for U.S. News, the Financial Times, and The Economist to assist in your program search.
U.S. News Executive MBA Rankings
The U.S. News surveyed 477 MBA programs in fall 2019, which were accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International. The U.S. News took the following factors into consideration for their ranking;
Quality Assessment (40% total)
- Peer Assessment Score (25%)
- Recruiter Assessment Score (15%)
Placement Success (35% total)
- Mean starting salary and bonus
- Employment rates for full-time MBA program graduates
Student Selectivity (25%)
- Mean GMAT and GRE scores (16.25%)
- Mean undergraduate GPA (7.5)
- Acceptance rate (1.25%)
| Program | Ranking |
|---|---|
| Haas School of Business - UC Berkeley Executive MBA | 1 |
| Kellogg School of Management - Northwestern University | 2 |
| IE Brown - Brown University Executive MBA | 3 |
| Kellogg School of Management - WHU Beisham Executive MBA | 4 |
| Yale School of Management Executive MBA | 5 |
| Warwick Executive MBA | 6 |
| IESE Executive MBA | 7 |
| IMD Executive MBA | 8 |
| Kellogg School of Business - Schulich | 9 |
| Anderson School of Management - UCLA Executive MBA | 10 |
The Economist Executive MBA Rankings
The Economist has completed four biennial rankings for Executive MBA Programs. They are ranked on two broad measures:
- Personal development/educational experience
- Career development.
Personal development includes the following factors: the quality of students, student & faculty diversity, quality of faculty, and program quality. Each of these factors are weighted evenly at 12.5%.
Career development includes the following factors: career progression, salary and networking. Unlike personal development, the career development factors are weighted unevenly with career progression being weighted at 15%, salary at 27.5% and networking at 7.5%. All of these factors combined, contribute to the weighted rankings by The Economist.
| Program | Ranking |
|---|---|
| Booth School of Business - University of Chicago Executive MBA | 1 |
| Kellogg School of Management - Northwestern University | 2 |
| Wharton School of Business - University of Pennsylvania Executive MBA | 3 |
| Columbia Business School Executive MBA | 4 |
| Stern School of Business - New York University Executive MBA | 5 |
| Fuqua School of Business - Duke University Executive MBA | 6 |
| Haas School of Business - UC Berkeley Executive MBA | 7 |
| Sloan School of Management - MIT Executive MBA | 8 |
| Anderson School of Management - UCLA Executive MBA | 9 |
| Ross School of Business - University of Michigan Executive MBA | 10 |
The Financial Times Executive MBA Rankings
Participation in the Financial Times ranking is voluntary and at the business school’s request. The following criteria must be met for schools to be considered, including:
- Must be accredited by either the US’s Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business or Europe’s Equis.
- The EMBA must be cohort-based, with students enrolling and graduating together, and with at least 30 graduates each year.
The Financial Times takes many aspects into consideration with the most heavily weighted factors being students average salary three years after graduation, average salary difference between before the EMBA, and the number of articles published by a school’s current full-time faculty members in 50 academic and practitioner journals between January 2016 and July 2019. Executive MBA students can use the Financial Times to consider the ROI of their salary outcome and faculty prestige
| Program | Ranking |
|---|---|
| HEC Paris Executive MBA | 1 |
| Kellogg/HKUST Business School Executive MBA | 2 |
| Trium: HEC Paris/LSE/NYU: Stern Executive MBA | 3 |
| EMBA-Global Asia: Columbia/HKU/LBS Executive MBA | 4 |
| CEIBS Executive MBA | 5 |
| EMBA-Global: Columbia/LBS | 6 |
| Olin School of Business - Washington University Executive MBA | 7 |
| London Business School Executive MBA | 8 |
| Tsinghua University/INSEAD Executive MBA | 9 |
| Said School of Business - Oxford University Executive MBA | 10 |
