EMBA Programs: The Local and the International

So, which Executive MBAs are the most international and which programs are for the homebodies?

The world is fast becoming a smaller place. Thanks to ease of travel, communication methods, economic partnerships, not to mention technology, doing business and keeping in contact with colleagues on both sides of the world is achievable. In fact, you may find you have more contact with a business associate thousands of miles away, than you do with your next door neighbour!

One of the categories the QS TopExecutive statistical review* records is the percentage of local students on a given EMBA program. Studying for an Executive MBA allows candidates to meet fellow executives from all corners of the globe. They may share the same classroom - INSEAD’s EMBA program boasts 40 different nationalities - or meet on an international week-long module – ESCP Europe’s European EMBA enables students on its Itinerant Track to attend modules in five different locations.

EMBAs for the locals

But not everyone likes to travel, and some executives are just as happy attending their local business school to study for their Executive MBA. SMU Cox School of Business in Texas, US has 90% of its EMBA classroom made up of local students, while Melbourne Business School in Australia has 85% local students, the same percentage as the EMBA program on offer at the Moscow School of Management, SKOLKOVO in Russia. The joint EMBA program, offered by Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School in Belgium and Amsterdam Business School in The Netherlands, has 81% local students, while both UC Berkeley/Columbia in the US and Copenhagen Business School in Denmark have 76% of its EMBA classroom made up of local students.

An international feel

Meanwhile, there are many schools which boast classrooms with very few local students. Athabasca University in Canada has just 10% of its EMBA classroom made up of local students, as does IE Business School in Spain. The University of Edinburgh’s Business School offers a part-time Executive MBA which has just 13% local students – the remainder are international. The EMBA program jointly offered by Kellogg and Hong Kong University of Technology has 15% local students, while IESE Business School in Spain has one fifth (20%) of its classroom made up of local executives.

The pros and cons

There are pros and cons for each: some candidates may wish to study at a business school with a high percentage of local students if they’re looking to develop business networks in their given area, while other candidates may find real value in having EMBA associates scattered all around the world.

The possibility of an international network was what attracted Erick E Pereda to IESE’s Global Executive MBA program. And, although still a student, he’s already looking at possibilities of investing and building businesses in Europe as well as partnering with some of his peers in new ventures worldwide.

*The QS TopExecutive Statistical Review is compiled twice a year and published in both editions of the QS Top Executive Guide (Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer). The review looks at Executive MBA programs on offer from some of the world’s top business schools, including details of course format, language, fees, deadline dates, average age and minimum number of years experience needed. Such information offers EMBA candidates a comparative tool in which to research the Executive MBA program for them.