If you’re looking to get a Master’s degree in business administration while working and raising a family, the best executive MBA programs in the U.S. allow you to do both.
Although tuition and fees are steep, the programs not only offer flexible scheduling but upon graduation, students who hold MBAs from these schools move up the career ladder faster.
Wharton – University of Pennsylvania
Tuition and fees: $167,160
Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT): 710 (median)
Program length: Two years
Wharton is the world’s most expensive MBA program, but it is consistently ranked among the best in the world and attracts the top students.
However, with the ranking comes high admission standards and a challenging program; its acceptance rate is 44 percent.
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Booth – University of Chicago
Tuition and fees: $148,000
GMAT: Not required
Program length: 21 months
What is unique about Booth is that it has three campuses on three continents – downtown Chicago, London and Singapore. The university admits 270 students (90 from each continent). The program focuses on strategy and leadership and is said to be designed to, “refresh, expand and strengthen students’ grounding in the fundamental discipline of business.”
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Kellogg – Northwestern University
Tuition and fees: $159,000
GMAT: Not required
Program length: 22 months
As with most top MBA programs, at Kellogg you have to be ready to work – a lot. Students say they spend an average of 25 to 30 hours of work outside of class weekends studying. The school offers four executive MBA program schedules each year from two locations, Evanston, Ill., and Miami.
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Columbia Business School
Tuition and fees: $154,320
GMAT: 600-740 range
Program length: 20 months
Columbia Business School really is big business. The school’s portfolio of partner programs includes EMBA-Global Americas and Europe, EMBA-Global Asia, and the Berkeley-Columbia Executive MBA. In New York, students are offered two paths to graduation: a traditional schedule of Friday/Saturday as well as a Saturday-only program.
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New York University Stern
Tuition and fees: $149,000
GMAT: Not required
Program length: 22 months
What is neat about Stern is that the program is especially friendly for working adults. Classes are held every other Friday and Saturday and the program begins each year in August and January. Students focus on only two courses at a time and projects and exams are spread out to help “balance career, coursework and personal life.”
Source: 2012 ranking by PoetsandQuantsforExecs.com
