Best Online Executive MBA Programs + AACSB No GMAT

An executive MBA allows an existing business professional with many years of business experience to go to graduate school and advance their career while still working full time. The typical online executive MBA program is designed for business professionals who are mid-career or senior executives who are already well on their way to success in business.

What We Do

A professional with an executive MBA will usually work in a private company in upper management. Most often, people with this advanced business degree will work on important business decisions that have a major effect on long term business prospects. Many professionals who earn this advanced business degree find themselves in upper management, possibly as a senior executive, in as little as three years after graduation.

Why It’s Hot

Many business professionals with substantial business experience find that earning an executive MBA can move you into job positions that are very difficult to obtain. Also, employers today usually value cutting edge business skills to give their company an edge in the competitive global marketplace.

Earning an EMBA provides you with new management skills and techniques that can put your company at the head of the pack.

Further, as you are taking your EMBA classes, you can bring back very valuable skills and tools to your employer right away. So, you are able to implement what you are learning as you go, which can help you to earn a promotion before you even graduate.

Last, the international network that you can develop when you earn your executive MBA really makes it all worthwhile.

Work Environment

Almost every executive MBA graduate works in a business office environment. Many professionals with this type of advanced MBA may find themselves working in international offices overseas

Virtually every EMBA graduate will need to work closely with people of many different backgrounds. Having an EMBA with foreign language proficiency can open you to many exciting business options around the globe.

How to Do It

To earn your executive MBA, you need to have a bachelor’s degree, usually in business, finance, accounting, or the liberal arts. After you graduate, most will work for several years, some of whom will work for 10 years or more in management positions.

With sufficient work experience under their belt, then they will apply for several MBA programs, either online or on campus.

Some universities mandate that you first take the GMAT or GRE exam, and note that preparing for these tests takes at least 1-2 months. However many AACSB accredited online MBA programs today have dropped the GMAT requirement to lure students from around the globe.

Many executives now choose to earn their MBA online. Some EMBA programs can be finished in 1-2 years.

Online Executive MBA Programs

Today it is very easy to find a high quality, online university that offers a good executive MBA program. Most of them will work around your schedule, allowing you to take classes around your work and personal obligations:

*Online MBA for Executives – University of Maryland at College Park – (Editor’s Pick) The Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland is recognized by Bloomberg Businessweek and U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation’s Best Business Schools.
*Online Executive MBA – Washington State University – (Editor’s Pick) Ranked among the Best National Universities in 2015 by U.S. News & World Report. Program can be completed in as few as 18 months in a flexible, 100% online format.
*Online Executive Master of Health Administration – University of Southern California – (Editor’s Pick) – One of the world’s leading private research institutions, the USC was founded in 1880. The Executive Master of Health Administration (EMHA) online program features a solution-driven curriculum focused on themes that directly relate to accountability and administration of health service organizations. The program is specifically and uniquely designed to address the academic and leadership imperatives that can enable highly talented midcareer healthcare professionals to excel as executives. USC is featured in America’s Best Online MBA Programs rankings report.
Leadership Executive MBA –Loyola Marymount University (LMU) -The LMU Leadership EMBA requires a bachelor’s degree and at least six years of professional, managerial or entrepreneurial experience. This program is for mid-career executives. Classes meet on most Saturdays, with new EMBA classes starting in August.
Executive MBA Program –UCLA Anderson School of Management -This program offers an Executive MBA that will enhance your leadership skills and broaden your knowledge of global markets. Executive MBA classes meet on campus every other weekend throughout the school year, from September to June.
Executive MBA Program –Pepperdine University – This top ranked MBA program challenges senior managers to step out of their comfort zone and learn more about business on a professional and personal level. This Pepperdine program is ranked among the top by Business Week and Financial Times. Pepperdine University is part of our report of America’s Best Online MBA Programs for 2017.
Executive MBA Program –University of California Irvine – This program allows you to earn your MBA degree from a prestigious university. This challenging program provides you with strategic perspective, and convenient scheduling helps you fit it into your busy life.
Executive MBA Program –Wharton University – Wharton offers one world-class MBA in two formats. We deliver a traditional full-time MBA program in Philadelphia, and we offer the same undiluted MBA to working professionals through our executive MBA program in Philadelphia and San Francisco.
Executive MBA Program – UC Riverside – This is an accelerated 21-month EMBA program taught on alternating weekends in a residential format at the UCR Palm Desert Graduate Center. This difficult program is designed for busy working professionals who need balance between work and home.
Executive MBA Program – NYU Stern – This is a 22-Month Executive MBA program inNew York. It offers a general management curriculum with two Global Study Tours and broad choice of electives. NYU Stern provides the academic preparation needed to drive your career to the next level.
Executive MBA Program – USC Marshall – This 21-month program incorporates an MBA curriculum that gets to the heart of issues that senior managers and seasoned professionals encounter on a daily basis. The Marshall EMBA program is designed for senior managers and seasoned professionals who wish to remain fully employed as they pursue their graduate studies.
Executive MBA Program –The Columbia Business School -Columbia Business School’s Executive MBA (EMBA) program gives professionals with real-world experience the skills they need to achieve as leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs. All MBA students share the same faculty members, same core curriculum, and spend the same number of hours in class.
Executive MBA Program –Georgetown University – The McDonough School of Business offers a world-class Executive MBA (EMBA) that begins in August and spans 20 months, culminating with the Global Capstone Residency during which teams of students travel the world to study the impact of globalization at the country, industry, and firm levels.
ESADE Global Executive MBA –Georgetown University -Georgetown University delivers an MBA that capitalizes on global learning for executives. Students are educated in the essentials of a world-class MBA degree provided in an innovative format.
Executive MBA Program – Chicago Booth – From Chicago Booth, a 21-month Executive MBA Program is offered inChicago,London, and Singapore. This Executive MBA Program is designed for experienced managers and directors seeking an intense professional development experience with an international atmosphere.
Executive MBA Program –Vanderbilt University – The Vanderbilt Executive MBA is designed with the view from the top. The Vanderbilt program adds essential layers that will help you achieve your full potential as a leader: Advanced Financial Frameworks, Strategic Skills and Vision, and Leadership Development.
Executive MBA Program – Northwestern – Designed for senior and mid-career executives, the Kellogg Executive MBA Program is flexible and challenging. The program emphasizes teamwork and cross-cultural collaboration, leadership and adaptability.
Executive MBA Program –Univ. of Texas – The Texas EMBA program is the only one among the top 10 schools with a price tag under six figures. The two-year program consists of four consecutive academic semesters and 42 credit hours of coursework.
Global Executive MBA –Duke University – This 15-month Global Executive MBA has five mandatory terms. Each of these sessions is followed by distance learning periods. This program is designed for older execs where the student’s average age is 38.
Executive MBA Program –University of Michigan – The 21 month Ross EMBA requires a mandatory consulting project with a corporate sponsor. The projects in this program allow student teams to help resolve real business challenges, often in international or entrepreneurial settings. It’s a unique feature of this EMBA which doesn’t exist in most other programs.
Executive MBA Program – Cornell – The Cornell executive MBA program combines a traditional MBA program with the general management curriculum and weekend format of an executive degree program. This 22-month program is divided into four terms of approximately equal length.
Executive MBA Program – Washington University, Olin Business School – This program offers a curriculum that ensures an absolute command of all functional disciplines and the ability to apply those skills to complex, unstructured business problems. The curriculum will challenge you to overcome any barriers.

Pros & Cons

Earning your EMBA will open many doors as you work your way up the corporate ladder:

Pros:

You will be able to more easily earn promotions with an esteemed MBA degree.
You can apply what you are learning in your EMBA program right away when you get back to the office after your classes for the day or week.
You can grow your personal network both in the US and around the world.

Cons:

Earning an EMBA usually requires you to go to school and work full time.
EMBA programs often require many years of experience, which means that you could be in school in your 30s and 40s.

Financial Aid

Below are four scholarships you should think about when earning your executive MBA:

Johnson Cornell University Scholarships: Cornell University offers many scholarships of use to EMBA students.
Chicago School MBA Scholarships: The Chicago School offers several scholarships for merit-based applicants for the MBA program.
University of Michigan Graduate School Scholarships: Students who are admitted into the EMBA program will have the opportunity to earn several scholarships.
Toigo MBA Fellowship: A $2500 scholarship for any type of minorities that are accepted into any two year online or on campus MBA program.

Career Paths

Earning your EMBA will provide you with nearly endless career possibilities which can include:

Chief technology officer. In this very important role, you will set up a visionary technological outlook for your corporation, and will oversee all aspects of the technology that is used there. Also, a professional in this role usually will oversee R&D and work on a variety of technical special projects. Many in this role have additional background in information technology and programming.
Financial manager. This is primarily a role of money and financial management where you will need to be the overseer of all financial activities and transactions that you company needs to be profitable. Most financial managers will provide oversight of cash management on a daily basis and many types of capital investment roles. Also, as a financial management professional with an MBA, you will need to set up efficient financial procedures and manage the budget processes for your organization. Also of great importance is raising capital for your company’s new products, markets and projects. A particularly important area is ensuring that mergers with other companies and divisions go smoothly.
Health services manager. The healthcare industry is constantly expanding and diversifying, and every health organization needs to have knowledgeable managers that can ensure that the business runs smoothly. A health services manager will ensure that a company will stick to important government reforms in the delivery of healthcare. For example, you would oversee the work of physicians, technicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals. In smaller organizations, you may oversee the entire healthcare organization. In a larger facility you may manage a department, which includes finance or patient care services.
Management consultant. With an EMBA, you will have the skills to offer the most focused business direction that firms need in the 21st century to stay relevant, profitable and competitive. For example, many corporations may have complicated business management issues that arise as they are dealing with a merger. In this sort of complicated business situation, an experienced and expert management consultant is needed to make sure that the merger is profitable and smooth; there are many details that can go wrong in these mergers if they are not attended to promptly. Also, you need to assist your organization in adjusting to any new business regulations that affect your industry.
Chief information officer. Today, technology and business are deeply intertwined. A company cannot fully succeed unless technology is properly implemented throughout the organization, and it needs to be technology that meets all of the needs of the company’s business goals. With your previous business experience and the skills you have learned with your MBA, you have to do analyses of how your company is working with technology, and determine ways to improve any weak areas. Most CIOs have to provide very close oversight of an IT department and also the development of the most important technology projects.

Why Choose a Executive MBA