MBAs Come in Different Shapes and Sizes
Generally speaking, there are two types of MBA programs available to working professionals:
The Fully Employed or Professional MBA program
The Executive MBA program
The Fully Employed MBA
The curriculum of the MBA program for the fully employed is
usually taken from a university's full-time MBA program, and
then rescheduled in an evening format (although some schools
only offer MBA programs to working professionals). Students
normally possess an average of 3-5 years of work experience
since college.
Admission requirements are generally more traditional than Executive
MBA admission criteria, and will usually require an acceptable
score on either the Graduate Management Admissions Test or the
Miller Analogies Test, an acceptable undergraduate G.P.A., and
a review of past work experience. In some instances, an admissions
formula is used to determine an applicants admissions status.
Executive MBA
Executive MBA programs are designed for those individuals with
extensive work experience (7-10 years). They are usually shorter
in length than the fully employed or professional MBA programs,
and special attention is given towards topics such as strategic
planning, international markets, and management (though other
areas of concentration may be available).
These programs are usually shorter in length than the fully
employed programs, and most are scheduled in a lock-step fashion.
Lock-step signifies that participants move through the program
together as a unit, allowing little flexibility in scheduling
of courses.
It is very difficult to draw a comparison between admission
requirements to Executive MBA programs. There is no standard
formula on which to draw conclusions about an individual's chance
for acceptance. Instead, applicants are reviewed on an individual
basis.
Interviews are a critical part of the admissions process for
Executive MBA programs. These interviews are used to determine
a candidate's job responsibilities, and whether or not the candidate
will fit with other members of the class. Class balance amongst
participants is important in executive MBA programs.
On occasion, a student may be accepted without an undergraduate
degree, based on exemplary marks in the other areas of consideration
for admission.