Difference between MBA & EMBA

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Hortonka, Sep 25, 2007.

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  1. Hortonka

    Hortonka New Member

    What is the difference between the MBA and EMBA? Other than one is targeted for senior management I have seen advisements stating you can get your EMBA in 12-15 months. Does the EMBA have the same prestige as the MBA? I have an MPA and working on a PHD with aspirations of going into hospital administration, I am interested in all opinions.
     
  2. dlady

    dlady Active Member

    As a hiring manager outside of academia land, I give them equal weight.
     
  3. me again

    me again Well-Known Member

    An MBA is equal to eating an apple. An EMBA is equal to eating an apple strewdle. Which is better for you? :D
     
  4. fortiterinre

    fortiterinre New Member

    An EMBA probably does not give you the same level of access to recruiters as baby MBAs enjoy, but then the EMBA really builds on your experience and contacts, so you are not generally what those recruiters seek anyway. Many EMBAs are paid for by employers who seek to retain and promote the student. Good programs all have prestige whether it is an MBA or an EMBA. But if you have an MPA I can't see what an MBA would add, especially if you work in healthcare. It's a whole lot of very similar schooling.
     
  5. Arch23

    Arch23 New Member

    Since the EMBA targets primarily senior professionals who have already attained extensive professional experience, I would have a higher regard for EMBA graduates than MBA graduates, if either type of degree was earned only recently ...
     
  6. Hortonka

    Hortonka New Member


    Fortiterinre,

    You make a valid point; I concur that for me getting MBA while already having MPA doesn't make a lot of sense. However, if I had to do over I would have done the dual degree option and gotten a MBA/MPA just for personal fulfillment. However the PHD will provide a better ROI for me, and open more doors of opportunity for me to teach and enter into hospital management.
     
  7. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    As a hiring manager in academia, I too give would them equal weight.

    -=Steve=-
     
  8. dlady

    dlady Active Member

    so it would seem the answer to this question is: nothing.
     
  9. macattack

    macattack New Member

    For more information on EMBAs, check out the Executive MBA Council's website. Included is their definition of an EMBA.

    At one point I looked at the University of Washington's EMBA program. Here is their explanation of the difference between an MBA and and an EMBA.

    "The main difference is the participants. The Executive MBA Program is designed for mid-level and senior managers as well as executives. Most students enter the program with an average of 12-15 years of work experience and about 7-15 years of experience in a management position. The EMBA curriculum focuses on business fundamentals from a leadership perspective and students benefit from the professional experience of their executive peer group.

    The traditional Full-time MBA Program offers early career professionals an opportunity to enter or move up in a business-related field by completing one year of required business core classes followed by one year of electives of their choice. The evening MBA Program is designed for early to mid-career professionals who want to continue working full time while completing an MBA program at night.

    Another significant difference is the schedule. The EMBA Program offers two convenient schedules to meet the needs of most working executives. By attending sessions an average of two - three work days per month, you can earn your degree without interrupting your career."


    There are some elitist traditional MBA types that feel that EMBAs are MBA-light. From this article:

    "Some of corporate America views Executive MBA programs as “MBA-light,” given that the timeframe in such programs can range between 15-24 months full time, often completing such programs only on weekends."

    Imagine how these elitists feel about DL :rolleyes: . However, there are many that feel an EMBA is equal or better than an traditional MBA. Your mileage will vary.
     
  10. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    My impression (not to be confused with reality) is that executive MBA programs require a certain amount of real world business experience as a component of their admission criteria. Standard MBA programs do not. I could be wrong about the above but that's the only difference in my mind.
     
  11. rtongue

    rtongue New Member

  12. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    Quote fromrom the above site:
    "Still, some recruiters are skeptical about the admission standards and academic rigor of some costly executive M.B.A. programs. They believe some schools would be reluctant to give low grades to anyone sponsored by an employer, for fear the company would stop sending students."

    I believe this is true for all company sponsored education - at my last company (a fortune 100 aerospace company) I know of no-one who failed to obtain a degree. This company paid for about half my BS and 100% of my two graduate degrees. During the once a year academic fair 15 to 25 schools would show up to promote their academic programs.
     
  13. SMAS

    SMAS New Member

    I agree with what Ian posted - at least based on my prior experience (10+ years with a Fortune 50 corporation). While my corporation strongly supported it's "partnership" with several area universities (both in marketing and in $), the HR department was not too "keen" on Executive MBA's. The perception at the time centered around the mass marketing of EMBA programs on the back of TV guides, local newspapers and late night commercial slots. When a university holds status in the area (such as Southern Methodist University or University of Dallas) starts to market their EMBA program on the back of a TV guide, the perception grew that the EMBA was less valuable than a traditional MBA. It did not help that many of the "executive qualifications" were met with and level of management as long as it was 5 years. While front-line (read Assistant Manager of Ray's Burgers) experience is terribly important, it can be argued it is not the same level as an executive director of a Fortune 50 corporation. Additionally, an Assistant Vice President of a bank (a smaller or regional bank) is usually front-line management whereas an Executive Vice President is senior level. A particular distinction such as banking titles can impact the level of experience an EMBA student possesses. So then, can an HR department have a reasonable expectation that an EMBA program admissions staff is "policing" the qualifications of it's students? Is it even their business to? Is the work experience of an Assistant Manager at Ray's Burgers the same as a Senior Vice President of Texaco? In some aspects, yes. In executive aspects? Not sure.
     
  14. SMAS

    SMAS New Member

    I agree with what Ian posted - at least based on my prior experience (10+ years with a Fortune 50 corporation). While my corporation strongly supported it's "partnership" with several area universities (both in marketing and in $), the HR department was not too "keen" on Executive MBA's. The perception at the time centered around the mass marketing of EMBA programs on the back of TV guides, local newspapers and late night commercial slots. When a university holds status in an area (such as Southern Methodist University or University of Dallas) and starts to market their EMBA program on the back of a TV guide, the perception grew that the EMBA was less valuable than a traditional MBA. It did not help that many of the "executive qualifications" could be met with any level of management experience -- as long as it was 5 years worth of experience. While front-line (read Assistant Manager of Ray's Burgers) experience is terribly important, it can be argued it is not the same level as an executive director of a Fortune 50 corporation. Additionally, an Assistant Vice President of a bank (a smaller or regional bank) is usually front-line management whereas an Executive Vice President is senior level. A particular distinction such as banking titles can impact the level of experience an EMBA student possesses. So then, can an HR department have a reasonable expectation that an EMBA program admissions staff is "policing" the qualifications of it's students? Is it even their business to? Is there a need to? Is the work experience of an Assistant Manager at Ray's Burgers the same as a Senior Vice President of Texaco? Many EMBA's lacked the admissions standards of traditional MBA programs as well. So then, the question was in HR, what is the true value of the EMBA in relation to an MBA? Lower admissions standards (compared to other programs offered at the same school), only 5 years of any type of "management" experience that was not defined nor consistent and mass marketed in Sunday TV guides and late-night commercials. The end result was the perception that the EMBA was much less value than the MBA. Was it more valuable than a BA? Sure. But it begged the question "Why the EMBA and not the MBA? -- Could they not succeed in the traditional program?" Granted, the corporation was a bit "old-school", but it still is one of the biggest financial services companies in the world. And, sad to say, I was in those meetings and still share some of those concerns. Can I say having an EMBA helped someone? Absolutely. Can I say that, all things being equal, an EMBA holder from XXXX University would not get the interview over an MBA holder from the same XXXX University. Yup
     
  15. macattack

    macattack New Member

    :confused:
     

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