What is an EMBA?
Established in the mid 1900’s the Executive MBA (EMBA) programs originated to meet the needs of mature age business professionals with extensive business experience.
A history of EMBA and MBA courses
The first MBA offered by Harvard University in 1908 with 59 students sought to establish ‘business’ as a profession and their first program was limited exclusively to college graduates.
The first EMBA program was offered in 1943 by University of Chicago, offered exclusively to “experienced managers” followed in 1945 by Harvard with a group of sixty executives and WWII Veterans returning from the War.
More recently business schools have adapted their Executive MBA programs to the needs of the business community by providing programs customised to the skills and knowledge required of the graduates.
Whereas MBA programs tend to be more standardised.
What’s unique about EMBA’s?
Demand for the traditional MBA has reached saturation and is evidenced by a shift to non-traditional delivery formats,
- for instance, being delivered off-campus or via distance learning formats.
- the growth in part-time MBAs and the growing acceptance of online delivery of MBA programs.
This has led to a perception that MBA’s are losing value and quality. A large number of foreign students and continuing undergraduate students has seen professionally and culturally inexperienced graduates flood the market.
However, Executive education is rapidly evolving to meet technological and competitive environments with greater emphasis on “life-long learning”,
EMBAs in Australia
- No university claims to have the first MBA.
- AGSM claims to have hosted 40 years of MBA programs – Joint venture of UNSW and Sydney University – which ended around 2005.
- Last year at there were at least 77 internationally accredited MBA’s of which 69 were reviewed.
- Around 50 were standard MBA’s.
- 20 were online degrees.
- Some had 100% foreign students or a high percentage.
- 71% age under 34 (some under 25).
- Most required undergraduate qualification.
- By contrast, 17 were specialised MBA’s
- 12 were Executive MBA’s.
- Most were 2 years Full Time.
- Few had international students.
- Entirely 34-44years with Melbourne exclusively 45+ for CEOs.
- The majority have Senior management experience.
- Around half of students did not have undergraduate degrees (because of experience).
- Only one was listed as 4 years part-time and online component – (MBA-E) 1600 students.
- Only 2 had cohorts greater than 100 students – most averaging 50 or less.
- Around 50 were standard MBA’s.
