Yahoo Finance 12 Ranked U.S. EMBA Programs Under $115K In 2024
A graduating class of EMBA students from Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business. Courtesy photo
The prospective upsides of an executive MBA are appealing: A higher salary, possible promotion, and a clear pathway to the C-suite.
The most recent Student Exit Survey from the Executive MBA Council found students exiting an EMBA program in 2023 reported getting an average 23% raise by graduation. Another 42% reported getting a promotion. There’s also the personal and professional self-reflection many candidates at top programs claim to be among the most valuable aspects of the experience.
But there are certainly downsides as well. Namely: cost.
No matter where you choose to pursue an executive MBA, you’re going to shell out tens of thousands of dollars. At the top programs, you’re talking hundreds of thousands.
AVERAGE COST FOR A TOP 10 PROGRAM IS $196,000
Every school in the top 10 of Poets&Quants For Execs’ composite 2023 Executive MBA Ranking has a price tag over $150,000. No. 1 ranked University of Chicago Booth School of Business, for example, now costs a whopping $204,450 for its 22-month EMBA. And it’s not even the most expensive.
That honor goes to Columbia Business School at $239,880. CBS tied for 15th in our 2023 ranking because it was not ranked by the most recent Financial Times’ EMBA ranking. (P&Q’s EMBA ranking of U.S. programs uses a composite approach to smooth out fluctuating results from other ranking methodologies. Schools that don’t participate in all three of the rankings we consider – U.S. News & World Report, The Financial Times, and Fortune Magazine – are dinged in our methodology.)
No. 4 Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management will set you back $231,174 while No. 2 University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School costs $231,174. In fact, the average cost of the ranking’s Top 10 schools is $196,803.
Not pocket change, in other words.
EMBA ROI BARGAINS
However, if you’re looking for a better return on your initial investment, there are deals to be found. We have scoured through school websites to find the tuition data on all of the 66 schools on our latest ranking.
And, we’ve uncovered a couple of gems. These include six top-25 ranked EMBAs that cost nearly half of the big brand schools.
Below, we bring you the 12 of the best P&Q-ranked executive MBA programs costing less than $115,000.
1. Fordham Gabelli School of Business
Tuition: $114,000
P&Q Rank: 12
Location: New York City
The 22-month accelerated format is designed for working professionals, requiring one three-day weekend on campus per month.
Gabelli’s EMBA features a globally-focused concentration in management and strategy and access to a global alumni network numbering 40,000. The program is cohort based and students complete a global capstone. Experience-based team projects on leadership are program cornerstones.
“Significant teamwork! I have been a team captain in the NFL for 13 years leading men into battle against the world’s best for sport,” Robert Griffith, a retired NFL all-pro and EMBA candidate from 2023, tells Poets&Quants.
“I have never been a member of a group of women and men so diverse, motivated, skilled and determined to achieve success than my EMBA Cohort. It has been a life-changing experience that I will embrace forever.
The Financial Times ranked it No. 83 in its Global Executive MBA ranking for 2023-2024 and it was 18th on the U.S. News & World Report ranking of U.S. programs.
2. Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School
Tuition: $99,500 for Texas residents
P&Q Rank: No. 17
Location: Houston, Texas
Mays’ 21-month program is a mix of in-person and live online classes designed for seasoned executives with 10 years or more of professional experience and seven years of managerial experience. Classes are held every other weekend.
Beyond the opening residency week on Mays campus in College Station, executive MBAs take a four-day immersion in Washington, D.C., and complete a self-selected capstone project.
“I chose the Texas A&M EMBA program because I was ready to be challenged in ways that would help me grow professionally. I expected that this EMBA program would challenge me,” says Kizzie Davis, Mays EMBA ‘23.
“Not only was I challenged, but I was also transformed. The Texas A&M EMBA has a motto of ‘You, only better,’ and that is what you experience throughout the entire program.”
Financial Times ranked it No. 14 for U.S. based EMBA programs in its latest global ranking while Fortune Magazine ranked it No. 12.
3. University of Tennessee at Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business
Tuition: $79,000 to $90,000 depending on program
P&Q Rank: 22
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
Haslam offers four accelerated executive MBA programs each lasting one year: Global Supply Chain, Healthcare Leadership, Strategic Leadership, and a program for physicians. Cost varies between $79,000 and $90,000 depending on which you choose.
Each program is formatted through a mix of online and in-person classes. There are four in-person residencies in the Global Supply Chain program – two at Haslam and two at international supply chain hubs – with asynchronous distance learning in between. The Strategic Leadership EMBA, meanwhile, averages five out-of-office days per quarter.
Financial Times ranked it No. 21 for U.S. based EMBA programs in its latest global ranking while Fortune Magazine ranked it No. 22.
4. Rutgers Business School
Tuition: $105,288
P&Q Rank: 23
Location: Newark, New Jersey
Though not in New York City exactly, Rutgers Business School offers one of the strongest EMBA programs in the New York metro area. (It’s about a 25-minute train ride from NYC to Newark, less than many executives’ daily commutes.) And, it’s relatively affordable.
Rutgers’ 20-month, in-person program is called The Powerhouse for its mantra: “outperform, hit harder.” Classes are held on alternate Saturdays and Sundays. It also has a weeklong residency at the start of each semester and a 10-day summer international immersion. It offers specialized concentration options in finance, supply chain management, marketing and more.
“After serving in the United States Marine Corps and achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant, the program has given me the added skillsets needed to transition my military experience to that of an executive leader within corporate America,” Subhash Durga, EMBA ‘23, tells P&Q.
“Leadership is what I am most passionate about, and throughout the journey of obtaining my Executive MBA, I learned different strategies and tactics to lead. I am forever grateful to my peers in my cohort for continuing to inspire me, and the professors who enlightened our minds.”
Learn more in our EMBA Spotlight on Rutgers’ Powerhouse.
Next Page: More top-ranked EMBAs for under $115K
Georgia Institute of Technology’s tech square. Courtesy photo
5. University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business
Tuition: $93,000
P&Q Rank: No. 24
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
The Eccles’ EMBA is globally focused in every facet of its curriculum. During its 10- to 12-day International Field Study, students visit companies, government agencies and senior-level executives in the host country.
The 21-month program features on-campus classes every other week on Friday and Saturday, and three off-site “intensive weeks.”
The Financial Times ranked it No. 20 EMBA programs in the United States while Fortune ranked it 38th. The school reports that during the program, 46% of students receive promotions while the average salary increase is 25%.
6. Georgia Institute of Technology’s Scheller College of Business
Tuition: $82,500
P&Q Rank: 25
Location: Atlanta, Ga.
Best & Brightest Class of 2023 EMBA Danielle Hall chose Scheller’s program for its “perfect marriage of tech and business,” she tells P&Q. “The program provides a great format for professionals to balance life and school. The 17-month program delivers the core business foundation, while also providing executive professionals the opportunity to have concentration areas and focus on new and emerging topics through electives.”
The globally-focused, cohort-driven program takes 17 months. Classes are twice a month on Friday evenings and Saturdays with some online coursework. Graduates report an average 20% salary increase from the start of the program to finish and a 63% increase three years after graduation. The average student has between 10 to 15 years of professional experience.
Candidates can specialize in either Global Business or Management of Technology.
The Financial Times ranked it No. 17 of EMBA programs in the United States while Fortune ranked it 48th.
7. Marquette University
Tuition: $79,500
P&Q Rank: 26
Location: Milwaukee, Wis.
Marquette’s executive MBA focuses on global applied learning, and students who complete the program earn a degree with a specialization in international business. As such, a 10- to 12-day international trip is required, with costs included in the tuition price.
Over 17 months, students attend classes every other Saturday on the Milwaukee campus, completing the rest of their coursework online. The EMBA has a GMAT/GRE waiver policy for executives with advanced degrees or quantitative experience. Students average 12 years of work experience to promote collaboration and interactive learning.
Students work in teams of four to six, with different backgrounds and talents, throughout the experience.
U.S. News & World Report ranked it 27th in its latest edition while Fortune ranked it No. 45.
8. Xavier University Williams College of Business
Tuition: $76,250
P&Q Rank: 27
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Williams’ 16-month program is designed for seasoned and aspiring C-suite executives. In-person classes meet twice per month on Fridays and Saturdays.
That 50-credit program includes 17 core business courses through which the cohort will advance together. Students work on real-world consulting projects with regional companies including a six-month capstone project. It also includes a 10-day international residency with locations changing from year to year.
The Williams’ EMBA was ranked No. 27 in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report and No. 55 in Fortune.
Next Page: More top-ranked EMBAs for under $115K
Arizona State University
9. Arizona State’s Carey School of Business
Tuition: $92,036
P&Q Rank: 29
Location: Tempe, Ariz.
Designed for senior leaders managing people, projects and budgets, Carey’s 21-month program uses case studies, role playing, simulations and more in its entrepreneurial approach to learning.
Executive students meet on ASU’s Tempe campus for one intensive weekend per month with overnight lodging provided. Live, virtual courses occur an additional Saturday per month. Classes are small, fewer than 50 students, giving students the space to build networking relationships with their peers, and students join an alumni network of more than 100,000.
“I wanted to go somewhere that wasn’t virtual. I wanted to go in-person and get to know people. The point of going wasn’t to get an ‘M,’ a ‘B,’ and an ‘A.’ It was to actually learn something,” Shane Speirs, MD, told P&Q in this EMBA Spotlight feature. The EMBA from the Class of 2021 is now president and Chief Medical Officer at HealthyU Clinics.
“I’ve never felt the support like I’ve had at ASU – not through undergrad or even med school. Even before I started, they were just set up not only to give me an education, but provide me with somewhere where I was geared up to succeed in what I wanted to do.”
The program includes two class trips: one to Washington, D.C., and one international trip. Executive coaches work one-on-one with students to provide personalized, high-level professional development. Students may also opt for the Business of Health concentration, deepening understandings of the industry’s economic, supply chain, and technology issues.
10. Georgia State’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business
Tuition: $77,000 for Georgia residents
P&Q Rank: 30
Location: Atlanta, Ga.
Robinson claims among the best values in the executive MBA market, touting its comparatively low cost at an average 37% salary increase three years after graduation.
The five-semester personalized EMBA includes one-on-one executive coaching, and students will earn certifications in Six Sigma Green Belt, change leadership, data analytics and fintech. It also features a two-week international business residency in which students work on a consulting project in the host country.
Students meet every other weekend on the GSU Buckhead Campus on Friday evenings and Satrudays. The program features a required international trip to South Africa.
The Robinson EMBA was ranked No. 18 EMBA programs in the U.S. by the Financial Times.
11. Michigan State University’s Eli Broad College of Business
Tuition: $89,000
P&Q Rank: 31
Location: Lansing, Mich.
In its 20-month program, students learn on the weekend and are able to apply the lessons upon their return to work on Monday. Traditional EMBA students meet Friday evenings and all day Saturdays every other weekend while flex students meet one weekend per month and complete the rest of their coursework online.
Broad’s executive EMBA features a weeklong academic residency and has a global residency option for international experience. The program serves the Great Lakes region and Chicago metropolitan area with campuses in Lansing, Mich. and Troy, Mich.
No GMAT required, and the school reports that 98% of its graduates would recommend the program. It also reports that 55% average salary increase three years after graduation
“This degree will introduce you to a world of new industries like never before; a network of high-caliber professionals who are experts in their own rights; and a new understanding of ‘having time,’” 2023 EMBA Best & Brightest candidate Al Makke tells P&Q.
“I gave this degree everything, and I am so glad that I did because I got so much out. I can navigate complex business situations with more confidence, and I have a large network of business professionals that I can leverage for any reason that I want.”
12. St. Joseph’s Haub School of Business
Tuition: $71,040
P&Q Rank: 33
Location: Philadelphia, Pa.
Haub’s executive MBA offers an accelerated 12-month program or a more flexible 16-month program. In-person classes meet one weekend (Friday and Saturday) per month with online sessions throughout the week. An international residency is included for the longer session.
Students can also earn a certificate in the area of their choosing while taking advantage of working sessions with top CEOs, CFOs and COOs in the Philadelphia area.
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