If you’re looking to up your game professionally and give yourself a competitive edge, you must consider investing in an Executive MBA program. The Executive MBA or EMBA is an MBA for working professionals exclusively meant for working professionals who wish to upskill and enhance their managerial knowledge across different industries and geographies.
So what is the difference between a regular 2 Year MBA and an Executive MBA for working professionals?
While both are ultimately MBA programs, to put it simply, an Executive MBA cuts to the chase. A regular MBA program is recommended for students who do not have work experience and need to build their fundamentals ground up whereas an Executive MBA is meant for students who have considerable work experience in their domain and understand the dynamics of different departments and functions in an organization.
While a conventional MBA may prepare someone to enter a management career, an Executive MBA for working professionals is intended to teach a current leader how to be a more effective manager.EMBA course schedules are designed to accommodate demanding jobs, with classes often occurring on weekends,recorded sessions and such so that students can connect remotely whenever possible.
Executive MBA for working professionals typically last 18-24 months. Most EMBA students indicate that the knowledge and networks they gain in an EMBA position them to make a bigger, better and broader impact inside their organizations.When it comes to discussions of examples or business cases, people contribute at a higher level due to real world experience
While professionals from all disciplines pursue Executive MBA for working professionals surveys say the health care, pharmaceutical, Retail, technology, financial services, and manufacturing industries feed the most applicants into EMBA programs.
In addition to the core curriculum featuring finance, marketing, accounting, and operations, EMBA programs often enhance the soft skills and help give students an outside perspective on business.
The nature of the Executive MBA for working professionals is such that it enables you to work and study at the same time which is very relevant particularly in these tough economic times. The topics discussed in the EMBA classroom relates to the macroeconomic climate, global case studies and real life examples ensuring that the skills and knowledge you acquire is not redundant
Another difference between an Executive MBA for working professionals and a regular MBA is that most EMBA programs offer a very structured curriculum, designed to prepare students for positions with wide ranging responsibilities. The student is expected to understand all the basic functions of business from financial accounting to marketing to operations. These global programs are not designed to produce functional specialists, so if your goal is to learn everything there is to know about finance (but not much about anything else) you’d be better served in a different type of program.
EMBA programs typically offer fewer elective courses than full-time programs as a result, which are often delivered in creative formats (week intensive, etc.) given the part-time schedule.
Learning in an Executive MBA for working professionals classroom is more about collaboration than competition. Each participant is expected to bring their best to the table and share the same with their teammates, and come up with solutions together.This helps in growing team building skills and opens up possibilities for valuing opinions.
Health professionals, public sector executives, as well as participants from NGOs, SMEs, family-run businesses,entrepreneurs all are adding to the diversity of today’s EMBA classrooms. The mix of professors and classmates allows you to gain a different view on the world, which will help you succeed in today’s global business arena
In the current post pandemic job market scene, experts suggest creating a varied network of relationships to increase career opportunities. The student will have numerous opportunities to network with fellow classmates, as well as with industry professionals they encounter at conferences ,other events and then nurture those connections.
A common complaint among some who Executive MBA for working professionals is a lack of career management support from their programs. For example, students complain that schools don’t bring employers on-campus to interview EMBA students the same way they do for full-time MBA students.
There are very few opportunities in one’s professional life where you get a 360-degree view of the industry, business models and best practices.
EMBA allows one to do just that by the whole course which keeps a global mindset at the forefront.
