Does An MBA Program Help Working Executives?

MBA’s for working executives is often referred to as `The Executive MBA Program’. Designed specifically for working managers and professionals with a minimum of at least three years work experience which can go up to 11 years, the course normally requires the candidate to have some managerial experience. The whole program is designed in such a way as to support working executives to continue to remain in employment during the duration of the program. This ensures active participation of current situations in the workplace which are relevant and encourage active discussion and participations amongst the students.

How does the program work

The EMBA program is often designed to develop managerial skills by combining practical experience with key theories in a classroom where the peer group can challenge each other. The most important point to note about EMBA is the fact that students who enroll are not freshers but come with a wealth of experience and their whole objective to join a program is to expand their knowledge and perspective and to better career perspectives. Hence the key difference between MBA and EMBA is the fact that students are experienced and hence have the ability to challenge theories. They can also immediately put into practice their learnings and finally they benefit hugely as the course often teaches them to fill in gaps in skills and knowledge which they may not even be aware that they are missing. They, in fact, become effective managers on completion with astute decision making skills, effective problem solving abilities and well prepared leaders who can take more challenges and responsibilities.

For Yogita Ghotkar, the reason for choosing further studies is simple! “To further my career prospects!” she says, “I have around 3 years of experience as a software developer and I know that to grow further I need to study. It will help me achieve my goals faster.”

Benefits of an Executive MBA Program

Top Faculty

Since Executive MBA students have work experience and hence are more knowledgeable they automatically becoming extremely demanding students who expect the faculty to know things they don’t know. This ensures that the faculty themselves are highly educated and experienced people with consulting experience in the business world.

Exceptional Peer Group

Interaction and communication become the key highlights of an EMBA program as students share real-life experiences and day-to-day work challenges with each other. This becomes a wealth of knowledge for students who can avert issues before they crop up and sometimes promote good practices which were not even thought of earlier. In this way both students and organisations benefit from EMBA programs.

Mid Career Growth

It is often quite possible that professionals drift into what is called the `mid-career crisis’ where they have reached the optimum position which their education and experience can carry them to. Often these professionals find that others jump ahead or sometimes outsiders are brought in to fill up senior positions. This happens especially if knowledge and skills are perceived to be inadequate by the organisation. In such cases, an EMBA helps to fill in knowledge gaps even as it bestows an additional esteemed degree upon the professional. It is now nearly impossible for any organisation to pass over a professional with an EMBA and on the other hand, organisations retain such executives and offer them better positions to attract them to stay on. Thus EMBA is a mid career propeller.

Learning Experience

During the early part of one’s career one is more open to learning and absorbing information, but as one reaches a certain point in one’s career, it is easy to fall into a pattern of set habits, values and decision making capabilities. Advice from seniors is often perceived as criticism and further hampers healthy growth. However, an EMBA program, allows relationship building at the executive level where one learns team building skills and the importance of peers to help one to succeed. By creating a healthy sharing atmosphere, students transfer skills and best practices to each other.

Immediate Applicability

Unlike most theory oriented learning programs, an EMBA because of its relevance to the current business world finds applicability almost immediately. Students even on a day-to-day basis can take back to the office their classroom learnings and convert these into best practices.

New Business Methodologies

In the field of education there are always new updates and current methodologies which working professionals may not have the time to read about. They may, therefore, be caught in outdated practices. An EMBA program brings current relevant learnings to the table.


Thus, EMBA programs are effective educational programs designed for professionals who wish to see their career goals achieved and climb to the next rung in the executive ladder.