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Best Online Executive MBA Programs 2024 Top Consensus Ranked Online EMBA Programs

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Business & MBA Editor
B.S., MBA
Tammie Cagle is a writer, editor, entrepreneur, and certified academic life coach. Tammie received her bachelor’s degree from Texas A & M University-College Station and her MBA from Marylhurst University.
Best Online EMBA

An online executive MBA program is also known as an online EMBA. It is designed for business students who are further along in their careers and ready to continue working full-time while seeking an advanced business degree. Schedules vary among the nation’s best programs, but most offer part-time formats. Online programs provide virtual class meetings with some weekend residencies throughout the program. In most programs, EMBA students pursue the same MBA degree as full-time MBA students.

The Nation’s Best Online Executive MBA Programs 

Unlike completing a degree while working full-time like online EMBA students, traditional MBA students leave their positions to attend school. But an executive MBA generally follows the same rigorous curriculum as a traditional MBA. The structure and delivery of the advanced program differ to meet the needs of executive business leaders. If you are a business leader looking to develop more of your strategy and organizational leadership skills, an online EMBA can be a great fit. Top business schools around the country are offering these programs where business leaders around the world are walking this path together. Here are the top 30 online EMBA degrees available in the United States.

Recommended Online MBA Programs

Explore our featured online programs to find the right match for you today.

Ranking Navigation

Methodology

This ranking of the top Online Executive MBA programs is a consensus ranking. By combining data from multiple sources, we get to rule out ranking idiosyncrasies and show the top programs across the board. We combined data from five leading ranking systems: Bloomberg BusinessweekForbesFortune, The Financial Times, and U.S. News and World Report. All data was averaged and placed on a 100-point scale to find each Online EMBA program’s Consensus Score.

The 30 Best Online Executive MBA Programs

An online EMBA can be found at the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell. Their prestigious online Executive MBA Americas program has been designed to meet the needs of actively working professionals wanting to advance their careers without interrupting them. Cornell has created a program that professionals across the nation can pursue with weekend classes twice a month.

The EMBA Americas program is unique with its international classroom and network. Enrolled students connect with classmates throughout North and South America via live, interactive videoconferencing as they attend in-person classes at their local boardroom or remotely from wherever they live and work in the United States. Offered through a partnership with the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University, Cornell’s Americas program presents a global experience that will advance professionals’ careers while boosting their leadership potential. The Executive MBA Americas program format combines two delivery methods: solid relationships and collaborative teamwork. There is a lot to love about Cornell’s online EMBA.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
100.00

Duke University features one of the best EMBA programs at the Fuqua School of Business. This Duke EMBA can be pursued without uprooting your entire life. The Global Executive format combines distance learning periods with short in-person residencies.

Each term starts with a study period to prep students for residencies—a 24/7 immersion with classmates and instructors—and ends with time spent working remotely. Class convenes in Durham, North Carolina, over a two-week orientation session in mid-summer. The classroom moves through Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America. EMBA students gather for one-week residencies during fall, spring, and summer, with each residency followed by distance learning periods. For graduate students’ final term, they return to Duke for two – one-week residences for electives.

The format ensures EMBA students experience a traditional MBA program immersion while continuing to work and live wherever they call home. Duke’s distance EMBA is an excellent business program.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
99.49

An online EMBA is available at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. World-class instructors guide this incredible program. Enrolled students’ intentional learning experience provides them the skills to lead teams and projects forward, even in times of daunting uncertainty.

Darden’s Executive MBA program boasts a convenient hybrid structure of in-person and online engagement that allows students to earn the Darden MBA while advancing their careers. This Executive MBA is designed with students’ lives in mind. UVA Darden DC Metro is an excellent place for its Executive MBA program. Located just a few miles from Reagan National Airport and Union Station, the Washington, D.C. campus is a sleek, modern building with 360-degree views of the capital area. The Executive format’s hybrid schedule leverages in-person and virtual components to minimize time away from home and the office and maximize time in class.

Virginia’s experienced and dedicated career advisors work with graduate students to develop career plans unique to students’ backgrounds, goals, and interests. This online EMBA is an excellent program for business leaders.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
98.71

The University of California, Los Angeles’s Anderson School of Management offers an online Executive MBA. Graduate students in the UCLA Anderson Executive MBA program learn and network with peers who inspire them to get the most out of executive business leadership training. This distance program’s greatest strength is the driven and accomplished executives who are a part of every EMBA cohort at the business school. As a part of this innovative team, EMBA students take on critical new positions that challenge them to adopt unique ways of thinking and solving problems.

This stellar program features classes on weekends and flexible scheduling. Graduate students at the Anderson School of Management accomplish more than they ever thought possible in less than two years from start to finish. This program prepares EMBAs for success. The unique curriculum provides all graduate students with immediate skills, tools, and knowledge needed to propel them to the next level of leadership. World-renowned instructors lead EMBA students on how to tackle business issues head-on through the curriculum. You will want to give this top-five program another look.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
94.22

The highly-ranked University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers a unique online EMBA program. The AACSB-accredited Kenan-Flagler Business Schools provides an EMBA experience specifically designed for busy leaders. In this Weekend Executive MBA program, students are able to juggle their schedules with a combination of weekend in-person residencies and virtual residencies. In between these immersive sessions, students have flexible asynchronous work. This hybrid format allows EMBA students to get the best of both worlds: flexibility and connection.

This STEM-designation online EMBA was created to propel managers into the business leadership they seek. Whether it be within their current working environment, those looking to make a career change, or budding entrepreneurs, this degree will equip students with the skills and knowledge they need. With our business landscape constantly changing with the tides of technology and globalization, graduates of this degree will be prepared to not only face change but lead it.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
89.49

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The University of Pennsylvania offers an elite MBA for Executives. The Wharton School understands that most industry leaders cannot leave their jobs to enter a full-time MBA program. Thus, they created a global cohort that incorporates a blended learning format. This format includes virtual courses to offer flexibility and in-person residency weeks to encourage strong student relationships. The face-to-face residencies take place across the globe in order to enhance global leadership. This degree is highly impactful, so their graduates can positively impact their companies.

The curriculum in this 22-month program was explicitly designed to be cross-functional. This allows graduates to exit the program with the confidence to lead well. The curriculum covers analytics, leadership, business foundations, and a myriad of electives. Students also have the option of choosing a major. Majors include marketing, management, finance, entrepreneurship and innovation, and strategic management. This is truly a program for tomorrow’s leaders.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
85.00

The Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State provides a top online EMBA. Enrolled students transform their high potential into high performance with the Broad Executive MBA. Whether they want to rise to the C-suite in their current organization or explore new horizons, the business school’s 20-month hybrid Executive MBA will give graduate students the knowledge, tools, and connections they need to advance their careers.

The new EMBA Flex option combines professional and personal flexibility with in-person, team-oriented classes. All students meet one weekend each month and complete the balance of their courses through distance learning on their time and schedule. The Flex option retains the impact, value, heritage, and ROI of the traditional Executive MBA while giving distance learners more flexibility to achieve their goals.

Program outcomes include significant rewards and ROI across various metrics. EMBA students learn in the evenings and on weekends. They instantly apply what they learned to make a broader and more profound impact in their organizations. Michigan State’s online EMBA has got the right stuff.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
77.56

Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business offers an online Executive MBA. Throughout the 21-month Michigan Ross Executive MBA program, executive graduate students gain the skills they need to lead across organizations. The business school’s curriculum is perfect for senior leaders ready to build on their experience and show how they can apply it to more substantial and challenging environments.

This program is taught from a strategic perspective by award-winning instructors. Distance learners gain foundational elements through twelve core courses, including Strategic Thinking & Competitive Analysis and Business Analytics & Statistics for Executives. EMBA students can enhance their experience by choosing from nearly fifteen electives, like Entrepreneurial Ventures, Corporate Financial Strategy, and Personal and Organizational Leadership. The curriculum challenges students to think on an executive level and transforms how they view business. If you are ready to accelerate your career as a leader in today’s progressive business world, you are prepared for this excellent EMBA.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
77.50

The University of Rochester’s Simon Business School provides an excellent online EMBA. Business practitioners have designed Simon’s Executive MBA to help working professionals regardless of their career objectives. It will prepare distance learners for the next phase of their careers, help them promote change in their organization, increase business performance, and support business executives redefine their personal goals. All EMBA students learn alongside equally ambitious participants from various backgrounds and industries. Business students are taught by experienced instructors whose research findings and insights are trusted by industry and the media everywhere. EMBA students see first-hand how business is conducted worldwide.

The mixture of online and in-class learning makes returning to school more convenient and manageable. Program leaders are committed to preparing working professionals to lead, connect better, and see a return on investment. Enrolled students see results from day one as the Executive MBA program is designed to help them create an immediate impact in their workplaces. Simon’s rigorous online EMBA delivers a lifetime of returns.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
76.91

The Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California provides an online Executive MBA. USC Marshall’s hybrid Executive MBA program is designed for senior managers and mid-career professionals who wish to remain employed and earn an MBA degree in two years. The business school’s hybrid schedule includes on-campus classes on USC’s historic University Park Campus in California and virtual classes through Zoom. Students meet in Los Angeles on Saturdays and Zoom on Tuesday evenings.

Since the program’s start, USC Marshall School of Business has delivered the world’s preeminent Executive MBA through a curriculum that equips graduate students with a comprehensive understanding of interrelating business principles and a solid command of their unique managerial and leadership skills. There are no stand-alone courses in accounting, statistics, economics, or any traditional business school disciplines. The Executive MBA curriculum is structured thematically. Each class is co-taught by a small team of instructors with varying and complementary expertise. This online EMBA from Marshall will aptly prepare business leaders.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
74.07

Recommended Online MBA Programs

Explore our featured online programs to find the right match for you today.

Emory University provides an online EMBA at the Goizueta Business School. Everyone knows a top EMBA can be characterized by the depth and impact of its academic experience. Emory’s globally recognized Executive MBA provides graduate students with the academic foundation and personalization that elite business leaders need to stand out from the competition.

Core courses within the program include Data & Decision Analytics, Managerial Finance, Financial Reporting & Analysis, Marketing Management, Global Business Practices, Goizueta IMPACT, Managerial Economics, and Goizueta Plus. Electives are available during the Executive MBA. Graduate students can also take electives from Goizueta’s Evening MBA and Full-Time MBA programs and at other schools in the university (space- and faculty-permitting). Executive MBA alums can take up to three courses within three years of graduation.

Program directors make cultivating talents central to the EMBA program. The Executive MBA develops business leaders as holistic, principled leaders through integrated learning, applicable practice, and immediate feedback. This online EMBA creates excellent business leaders.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
70.63

The Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia offers a top online Executive MBA degree. The focus of this program is on effective leadership and strategic thinking. It is designed to propel students all the way to the C-suite. Core courses include topics on management, leadership, entrepreneurship, finance, and analytics. On top of the foundational classes, students can pursue a certificate. Certificates are available in Workforce Diversity, Change Management, and Lean Six Sigma. These certificates can offer a competitive advantage to any leader, no matter the industry.

This online EMBA program offers a hybrid format for today’s leaders. It includes intense residencies in Georgia to enhance peer-to-peer engagement. The degree consists of online learning that will fit busy professionals’ schedules. This unique program also has an international residency. Students engage in international regulatory, economic, and cultural environments. The Terry College of Business is intentional about every part of this EMBA program. Their commitment to excellence shines through.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
67.21

A top online Executive MBA is available at the University of Texas at Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Management. The online Global Leadership MBA program is perfect for mobile professionals looking to accelerate their careers by gaining a broader international business perspective. Students can personalize their GLEMBA degree by adding a specialization in Business Analytics, Finance, Transformation Leadership, Organizational Consulting, Project Management, and Strategic HR, or choose a combination of electives that matches their predetermined professional goals.

All program requirements can be satisfied in as little as 21 months, and all content is delivered online. EMBA students can begin their degree in the fall, spring, or summer. Most classes are eight weeks long, allowing graduate students to take only two classes at any given period in the program.

Global Leadership MBA Core Courses make up 32 credits of the program. Courses include Financial Accounting, Accounting for Managerial Decision Making and Control, Strategic Management, Financial Management, Cross-Cultural Communications and Management, and International Business Management. Naveen Jindal School of Management’s online EMBA has much to offer today’s business executives.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
65.31

The University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management features an online Executive MBA. Executive MBA students in this stellar program embark on a rigorous course of study that helps them build critical skills in the building blocks of business. The program focuses on strategy and leadership. Graduate students’ professional experiences enrich their learning potential and provide the foundation for an enduring network of EMBA friends and colleagues. All this is provided through the program’s dedicated cohort model.

Each class moves through the twenty-four-month program together as a cohort. Current students and alums routinely cite the program format as one of the most valuable components of their experience. Classes meet on the business school’s campus on Fridays and Saturdays every other month. EMBA students do not meet during the summer term. The business school is proud to offer a HyFlex option for synchronous distance participation, allowing graduate students to take more control of their classes and their journey of obtaining a degree. This advanced business degree from the University of Minnesota is one of the nation’s best.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
62.17

A top online Executive MBA degree is offered through Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business. This highly esteemed AACSB-accredited business school is known for its leadership education and online education. In addition to the Carey MBA Full-Time MBA, Online MBA, and Evening MBA, students with their eyes on the C-suite can pursue an Executive MBA. This program is focused on leading projects, people, and budgets.

This degree was designed with the experienced leader in mind. All EMBA students must have at least ten years of work experience with at least five years of management experience. So much of an MBA is molded by the peer to peer interaction. This high caliber of EMBA students ensures a high-caliber student experience.

With the EMBA student population coming from business management, Carey does not expect EMBA students to sacrifice quality for convenience. This EMBA meets in person one weekend per month. Then, students will meet virtually one more Saturday per month. This program is a great opportunity for business managers.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
57.44

The Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh provides an excellent online Executive MBA. Established healthcare professionals or physician leaders seeking to advance their careers want to be confident they’ve chosen a premier Executive MBA program. A high-quality distance degree addresses the unique and rapidly evolving challenges business leaders face as healthcare managers.

This excellent degree from Pitt provides access to global experts in business and healthcare. Program designers are committed to helping students apply best practices and skills from other industries. The flexible online program enables students to balance the demands of an MBA-level curriculum with their family’s needs and nonstop professional responsibilities. The Katz Executive MBA in Healthcare program is perfect for today’s healthcare leaders. Whether their payers, providers, clinicians, administrators, or working in the biotech, pharmaceutical, or medical device industries, this program will equip graduate students to answer the tough questions in business leadership.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
55.30

A high-quality online Executive MBA is featured at Howard University’s School of Business. This distinguished Executive Master of Business Administration program draws upon the legacy of one of the nation’s top business schools. The Online EMBA program will enhance the development of experienced professionals with the technical knowledge and skills needed to build and strengthen their positions as senior leaders and influence organizational change across diverse business sectors.

Designed and led by the business school’s award-winning staff, the EMBA curriculum gives graduate students the framework they need to conduct data-based business analyses, make educated financial decisions, and lead high-performance teams. In addition to being immersed in high-level business curriculum and topics, enrolled students also gain an applied understanding of accounting, finance, management, and innovative business practices through the Strategic Management Capstone and international residency. Graduates of this online program are prepared to lead in a global marketplace among the corporate elite. The accessible online format offers professional competencies while connecting EMBA students with Howard University’s impressive network of students and corporate partners.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
47.43

The Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, features a top-notch online Executive MBA. For over a hundred years, the Haslam College of Business has prepared business students to deliver results that improve the world. Today, the business school awards a quarter of all master’s degrees at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. It empowers strategic leaders to drive positive organizational change through industry-transforming graduate programs with experiential insights.

This online program takes less than one year to complete, using an accessible hybrid format. A community of influential leaders converge at Haslam to engage in individualized leadership development, construct relevant industry skills, and develop lasting network connections. This stellar graduate program is for working professionals. It is centered around the goal of creating industry, non-profit, and government leaders. EMBA students refine their leadership through a structured curriculum with mentors and meaningful course content centered on best practices. This online EMBA is worth a second look.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
41.67

The Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison offers a top online EMBA degree. This program is perfect for managers looking to develop their leadership skills. Applicants in this exclusive program need to have at least ten years of work experience, with at least half of those years in a leadership role. The program is offered in a hybrid format. Students meet weekly in a virtual classroom with one campus-based weekend residency per month. This format allows even the busiest managers to engage and thrive in this EMBA.

The curriculum in this EMBA program is focused on the topics of strategic leaders. Students dive into issues like strategy and growth, innovation and change, and leadership and negotiations. This program only lasts for 18 months, and students work with a career coach to help them map out their future plans. This flexible EMBA program is a great option.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
41.25

The Herbert Business School at the University of Miami provides an excellent online EMBA. Program designers believe it is time to explore big ideas, mega-trends, and issues that matter and shape how business is done worldwide. The Global Executive MBA helps graduate students understand the opportunities and challenges within regions and how these play out in a global context.

The Global EMBA gives executives and senior-level leaders the insight, framework, strategic leadership skills, support ecosystem, and real-world credibility to drive and create the next stage in their international careers. Students can expect to form vision, determination, and confidence at every step. This program is a perfect fit for seasoned entrepreneurs building enterprises or proven senior-level leaders who have experienced advancement or have the potential to grow their careers.

Business students seek Miami Herbert Business School because they realize they have become subject matter experts in their functional business area but need the breadth in other areas. They want to validate their intuition or open their minds to more ways to conduct business. This online EMBA is one of the nation’s best.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
28.43

The University of Arizona features one of the nation’s best EMBA programs at the Eller College of Management. Program designers understand the demands on executives. They also know how to vault careers to new heights within a schedule that works for business leaders. This program’s flexible hybrid schedule pulls executive students together for two intensive days of on-campus classes each month. Online courses round out the 21-month experience. Working professionals in leadership roles wanting to lift the limits on how far they can go will discover that this online Executive MBA fills every expectation and takes them even higher.

Enrolled students get the in-depth experience, knowledge, and connections they need to take on new roles and responsibilities. This stellar program is reserved for senior-level managers and accomplished professionals. The curriculum bypasses some of the basics and dives right into the leadership skills vital for success today. Designed with management tasks and complicated business issues in mind, this Executive MBA curriculum features a hybrid program with online courses and on-campus classwork each month. The result: graduates emerge with a deep, multi-faceted mastery of the elements that drive business.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
26.66

One of the nation’s best online Executive MBA programs is delivered at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business. Today’s organizations are facing unprecedented challenges. Business leaders require sophisticated strategies to meet those issues and allow their companies to thrive. The Leeds Executive MBA program features the innovative business knowledge and skills students can immediately utilize to strengthen their company’s competitive advantage—and enjoy leadership growth that will accelerate their career trajectories.

Benefits of this program include a unique delivery format featuring residency sessions in Boulder and the Colorado mountains. Included residencies allow students to build lasting relationships with cohorts and faculty members while they gain sophisticated business skills. Between residencies, business school instructors leverage technology for instruction. The teaching provides the flexibility students need to continue meeting the demands of their careers and personal life.

Enrichment opportunities outside the classroom include workshops, networking events, and coaching related to professional development. This stellar curriculum emphasizes leadership, inclusion, foundational business skills, and inclusion. You can’t go wrong with UC Boulder’s online EMBA.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
25.88

Two excellent EMBA programs are available at the Michael F. Price College of Business at the University of Oklahoma. The business school’s Executive MBA in Energy prepares leaders for the energy transition. Program designers understand the clean energy transition underway and hope for net-zero carbon emissions by midcentury. At the core of the transition are carbon emissions reduction, electrification, and renewables and alternative energies. The EMBA in Energy program’s curriculum prepares business students to manage this transition and secure the opportunities it provides. The program’s concentrations, Hydrocarbons or Renewables, allow graduate students to specialize in their experiences.

Price’s Executive MBA in Aerospace and Defense is another excellent online program for executives. That degree is designed to develop the leadership and managerial skills of the aerospace and defense workforce. Graduate students lacking a business education are qualified for this program. The curriculum is developed and taught by industry leaders and OU faculty. Both stellar online EMBA programs equip business leaders for success.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
24.27

The Manderson Graduate School of Business at the University of Alabama provides an online EMBA. Program leaders realize today’s business professionals earning an EMBA must juggle their education, social life, and an ever-expanding work schedule.

To aid in this school-work-life combination, the EMBA Program at UA offers a convenient blended-instruction format for pursuing the degree at the Huntsville or Tuscaloosa locations. At both branches, enrolled students experience a balance between weekly interactive online classes and in-class sessions. With on-campus sessions scheduled one weekend each month, graduate students get the chance to embrace the academic challenge without affecting their work and personal obligations.

Program alumni call their EMBA Program experience challenging, valuable, and life-changing. Within each class, instructors bring together a team of highly successful managers, professionals, and executives across various industries and job positions. The program aims to feature the tools and opportunities needed to drive more success for students, alum, and their organizations.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
23.04

Rochester Institute of Technology features one of the nation’s best online EMBA programs at the Saunders College of Business. The business school’s Online EMBA program is an AACSB-accredited seventeen-month four-semester program with two annual start times. Graduate students who start in late August graduate in December of the following year. EMBA students who begin in January will graduate in May of the next year.

RIT’s Online Executive MBA program is perfect for mid-to-upper-level working professionals needing to hone their business and leadership skills to enhance their performance, take on greater responsibilities at work, and effectively position themselves for future advances. From business school surveys and industry research, it is clear executive MBA students need more than a simple transfer of management and business theory and concepts. These professionals need a high level of engagement with instructors and their peers. The chance to discuss, collaborate, argue, and compete with other seasoned managers on topical and strategic issues and projects is an essential part of a solid EMBA program. The RIT online EMBA delivers these experiences.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
19.70

Recommended Online MBA Programs

Explore our featured online programs to find the right match for you today.

The Raymond J. Harbert College of Business at Auburn University provides an online EMBA. Professionals in executive and senior-level positions often discover the competition for promotions is challenging. Graduate students can set themselves apart with an Executive MBA—without putting their careers on hold. Auburn’s online Executive MBA is designed for mid to late-career working professionals. They need the flexibility of online learning but want to enjoy the collaboration that peer-to-peer interaction in a classroom provides. The program’s blended curriculum combines online education and several on-campus residencies.

Enrolled students work on team projects with their cohort from various industries. These diverse backgrounds and businesses foster a unique and robust classroom experience while students build a network of peers nationwide. Graduate students will enjoy the intentional blend of short on-campus residencies, online lessons, and international experiences. A degree requirement is for incoming students to have at least eight years or more of career experience. This online EMBA has a lot to offer today’s business leaders.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
18.33

The E. J. Ourso College of Business at Louisiana State University features an excellent online EMBA. LSU’s online Executive MBA Flex is a fast track to advancing business leaders’ careers. The 20-month Executive MBA Flex degree incorporates a hybrid curriculum, blending online learning with relevant campus residencies. The monthly campus residencies offer a combination of experiential and academic learning that includes team strategy, case studies, and consultative engagements. All Executive MBA Flex students have a minimum of three years of professional work experience and usually work full-time while pursuing the MBA program.

EMBA Flex students master team dynamics, broad-based business fundamentals, and leadership behaviors. They apply leadership practices and models throughout their program experience to drive personal development and reflection. Through executive coaching and team engagement, graduate students foster a personal leadership strategy rooted in professional development. Students also engage in experiential learning and travel to work on global projects. LSU’s hybrid EMBA will take you places.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
15.73

The University of Arkansas’s Sam M. Walton College of Business features an online EMBA. In today’s constantly changing business requirements, employers need business leaders with broad knowledge of how business functions work together. The Executive MBA program at Arkansas will expand working professionals’ expertise in core business fields so they can draw critical connections that impact their organizations. This program is built around the student’s life and career. With face-to-face class days scheduled for one Saturday each month, the Walton EMBA accommodates the active schedules of working professionals.

Solid connections with Fortune 500 companies in the business school’s region put graduate students within reach of robust networks of business leaders so they can advance their careers. Because Walton College is in the heart of the retail industry, program architects have designed this online Executive MBA curriculum with a firm foundation in the consumer-packaged goods industry and value chain. EMBA instructors focus on applications-based learning through projects and cases that can be quickly applied to graduate students’ current workplaces. This excellent online EMBA combines theory with real-world business solutions.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
13.75

The University of Hawaii at Manoa offers a unique online EMBA through the Shidler College of Business. This AACSB-accredited business school is known for its international business. They use state-of-the-art technology to make this program accessible and interactive in distance learning.
The curriculum in this EMBA covers courses like Business Policy and Strategy, Accounting and Decision-Making, and Leadership and Organizational Behavior. Shidler also offers EMBA students two specialization tracks: Health Care Management and Travel Industry Management. These tracks give students an in-depth look into what leadership looks like in these industries. In addition to the exceptional business education, Shidler EMBA students benefit from an Executive Mentoring Program.

To apply to this EMBA program, students must have at least five years of work experience on their resume. In addition to experience, applicants must submit two statements of objective, two recommendation letters, offer GMAT/GRE/Executive Assessment scores, and sit for an interview. This program provides an elite education to tomorrow’s leaders.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
12.62

One of the nation’s best online EMBA programs is delivered at Temple University’s Fox School of Business. The Fox Executive MBA is the perfect degree to fit the schedule of active mid to senior-level professionals. All enrolled students meet for classes one weekend each month, with additional web conference sessions to coordinate with classmates and instructors from home or the office.

Graduate students start the Fox Executive MBA in the fall semester. They kick off the program with an on-campus program orientation that connects them to other students in the program. The high-quality weekend residency allows incoming students to interact with and get to know other classmates while engaging in special events and workshops. Every course within the Fox Executive MBA is combined with one in-person weekend (Friday – Sunday) each month, with added web conferencing sessions.

The 48-credit program features an accelerated 16-month pathway to graduation that is perfect for professionals with more than a decade of work experience. Enrolled students enjoy the dedicated program support staff and exclusive networking opportunities this excellent online EMBA provides.

MBA Website

Consensus Score
11.74

Online EMBA Programs

Executive MBA programs (EMBAs) have been a mainstay of business leadership training since 1943. Many people are confused about how the degree differs from a traditional MBA.

What is the Difference Between an Online MBA and an Online EMBA?

U.S. News & World Report explains that a traditional full-time Master of Business Administration is the program that ambitious young professionals often pursue. And executive MBA programs tend to emphasize fewer business basics and more on business nuances. A traditional MBA prepares someone to enter a management career. The Executive MBA teaches a current leader how to be more effective at managing and leading.

If you are already serving in a leadership role, an online EMBA will help hone your business acumen, give you more problem-solving tools, and bolster your existing collaborative capabilities. Another difference between an MBA and an EMBA is the years of experience among graduate students. Learners enrolled in an executive MBA program are surrounded by other seasoned professionals with at least a decade or more of experience.

Events of the past years—including a global pandemic, supply chain limitations, the great resignation, and workplace transition from the office to home and back to the office—show how business is constantly changing. Leaders must be more than experts in their fields. They must design and execute strategies, make informed decisions, and inspire workers as they lead organizations.

How Does an Online EMBA Format Help Executives?

Pursuing an online EMBA allows individuals to balance their studies with work and personal commitments. The online degree format provides executives with the flexibility, convenience, customized pace, networking opportunities, applied learning, and global perspective they need to pursue further education while managing their professional responsibilities. It allows executives to enhance their knowledge, skills, and credentials without compromising their career progression.

Why Do Professionals Get an Online EMBA?

Pursuing an online EMBA can be highly beneficial for individuals looking to advance their careers in various industries. This degree program provides individuals with specialized knowledge, skills, and credentials that are highly sought after in today’s job market. It opens up career advancement opportunities, enhances employability across industries, and offers the flexibility to balance work, personal life, and education. By obtaining this degree, individuals can position themselves as competent and capable leaders, ready to take on challenging issues and lead successful outcomes.

Top Executive Careers

ExecutiveAverage Salary
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) $137,318
Vice President (VP) $135,753
Chief Operating Officer (COO)$134,250
Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) $131,003
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)$126,973
Chief Information Officer (CIO)$107,419
Executive Director (ED) $85,315
Data from Indeed

Online EMBA Attributes

Not only do online executive MBA programs match the rigor of their on-campus mates, but an online degree might be the wiser choice depending on the graduate student’s situation. Here are the top reasons to consider earning an online EMBA:

An Online EMBA May Prove to Be Affordable

Many ambitious business students are rightly concerned about rising tuition rates. EMBAs can offer great value in base cost and timeline flexibility. It’s likely to find accredited online executive MBA programs for $5,000 to $10,000 a year, just as it’s possible to spend up to and over $50,000 annually. Within some of the nation’s best programs, you can adjust how many credits you enroll in each semester.

Deciding how long it takes to complete the program is another way to control how much you can afford to pay in expenses throughout the program’s duration. Online EMBA students have a leg up on the competition as they can continue working while in school. This is an undeniable financial advantage.

An Online EMBA Can Be Flexible

If you’re researching online EMBA programs, you’re probably balancing work and family responsibilities while keeping one eye on your future.

Many online executive MBA programs feature a combination of synchronous (set appointed class or project times) and asynchronous learning (work that can be completed at any time that’s best for the learner). Online EMBA schedules tend to be highly adaptable to active work schedules.

Some programs allow online EMBA students to take their courses 100% online. Many offer campus-based residencies to fulfill program requirements or international field study residencies. If you must work full-time, tend to a family, or transition from military service into the workforce, the flexibility of an online degree may help you juggle adding a business program to the balls in the air.

An Online EMBA Gives Students Access to Innovative Technologies

Because they present a quality curriculum directly to their students’ computers, online executive MBA programs sit at the intersection of business technology and academic innovation. Online learning promotes two advantages to EMBA students: they build their mastery of business technology while making their educational experience compatible with their needs and schedule.

Online platforms like Adobe and ANGEL make online learning more interactive and dynamic. Individual online EMBA programs offer comprehensive tech support to troubleshoot any issues as they arise. Technological fluency is vital to business success today, and an online EMBA immerses students in its language.

An Online EMBA Features Vast Diversity

Online executive MBA programs, by their design, are adaptable to many backgrounds and needs. Executives and leaders in senior roles need to learn from as many other viewpoints as possible. Seeking an online program is a great choice. Business will always be a vast horizon. Connecting with students of different ages and stages, career paths, and nationalities will keep you considering new ideas while reconsidering old ones.

Global Opportunities Abound in Many Online EMBA Programs

As online EMBA programs flourish and gain prestige, many business schools prioritize attracting international students. Some feature international business immersion opportunities and establish satellite learning centers in other countries. Since online executive MBA students don’t see classmates every day, the chance to connect with other students, instructors, and professionals in immersive international environments can make a substantial educational impact, even if the experience lasts for a short period.

EMBA@UNC offers global immersions each year, giving online students in the Kegan-Flagler Business School a chance to travel to business centers worldwide. In the last year, students have visited Istanbul, Mumbai, and Johannesburg. For graduate students wanting to expand their professional network abroad, it may be worth pursuing an online EMBA.

Executives Today

Even before global pandemics, executives in every industry needed to respond to sudden emergencies. The same can be said for now, as the world has changed so much over the years. According to Forbes, to be successful in a post-pandemic workplace, leaders must exercise:

  • Adaptability,
  • Agility,
  • Innovation,
  • Collaboration, and
  • Customer-centric problem-solving.

Executives who possess and carry out these skills are well-positioned to lead healthy organizations in today’s post-pandemic business environment. They will take an organization to the next level and manage in today’s ever-evolving market. Executive MBA programs that feature data-driven approaches to decision-making are an excellent asset to business leaders.

The nation’s top executive MBA programs use curriculum and instructor insight to prepare graduates to lead organizational transformation.

These are a few reasons to consider an executive MBA if you are interested in what the stellar degree offers. Many of these programs in advanced business leadership utilize the cohort model. Students enter the program together and take all courses as a team throughout the degree. The relationships formed with an EMBA can last a lifetime. This degree has a lot going for it.

Related Resources:

The Best EMBA Programs
Highest Paying Master’s Degrees
Top Online Management Certificates
Top Online Strategy Certificates
Guide to Online Business Certificates
Best One Year Online MBA Programs

business leaders working together at a table

Ready to start your journey?

Ready to start your journey?