Is an EMBA Right for You?

EMBAs are designed to suit the working professional and are part-time. Usually, EMBA students remain in their current position on a full-time basis, with some of their EMBA tuition taking place online or by distance learning. An EMBA cohort all tend to start at the same time, and stay together throughout the program, providing ample opportunities to make connections with fellow executives.

There’s a significant amount of in-class learning, which are usually organized on evenings, weekends, or intensive weeks, depending on the school. It’s also common for some classes to take place in different locations around the world.

Classwork tends to be undertaken in shorter, more intense intervals than on the full-time MBA, to minimize disruption from regular work schedules. It’s important not to underestimate the amount of work involved in an EMBA. While teaching is part-time, it’s very intensive and requires an investment of more than 20 hours a week in addition to your full-time job. Really consider whether you can add the EMBA to your schedule if it’s already full of professional and personal commitments.

If you’re unable to work weekends or evenings, you could undertake an asynchronous online-EMBA program where you fit digital classes around your schedule, but it’s important to bear in mind that a self-guided online approach requires you to be highly disciplined to succeed. Plus, in-person classroom participation with other experts in their fields is often noted as a key element of the EMBA program, something you can lose out on as an online-only student.

The MBA and EMBA tend to have the same core curriculum content, however EMBA programs, as a feature of their part-time nature, tend to have fewer electives. Nevertheless, there are also targeted EMBAs for those who want to specialize, such as in healthcare or sustainability.

One of the most important elements of an EMBA program is networking and being an EMBA candidate at a top university means you’re more likely to be able to network with major players in a vast array of industries.

The majority of EMBA candidates are driven to undertake the degree because of the promise of a career boost after graduation. The common goal for most middle-managers is to reach a C-Suite position, such as CEO, COO, or CIO. Typical career transitions for EMBA students are from functional manager to general manager or executive, from manager to entrepreneur, and from one company or industry to another.

Anyone who can fulfil the double duties of being both a student and an employee can demonstrate to upper management they have the ambition to step up to these higher-level positions within a company. An EMBA allows you to develop and enrich your core skills learned in your career as well as adding new knowledge and capabilities.

The job security offered by sponsorship may appeal to many candidates, as often sponsorship requires you to work at the company for several years after graduation, meaning you get an EMBA paid for as well as a guaranteed job afterwards. However, there may be certain trade-offs with this sort of arrangement, such as less opportunities for upward progression or salary negotiation.

If your company offers sponsorship, be sure of your obligations of the agreement in advance. The careers service offered to EMBA students are often very useful if you’re hoping to get promoted from within at your company as they will offer coaching on how to get promoted and negotiate salary raises.

You should define your career goals before undertaking an EMBA, as it’s important to know how you will use the knowledge, skills, and contacts you have gained on the program to your best advantage going forward.