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As business education has boomed, a major increase in applications to the relative newcomer to the family, the Executive MBA (EMBA) Course, has also seen a dramatic overall rise in applications of 9% in 2005 and a 16% increase in 2006.

Arnold Longboy, Director of Recruitment and Corporate Relations at the Chicago GSB European campus near London's Guildhall, says, "We saw a record level of interest in our EMBA programme last year and all indications this year lead us to believe that interest is growing."

Meanwhile, the Global Trium EMBA, an alliance of NYU Stern, HEC Paris and our own London School of Economics, has seen applications jump by more than 140%. "The partnership has been an extremely successful model, as evidenced by Trium's continued growth," explains Tom Cooley, Dean of the NYU Stern School of Business.

The effect of this success is a proliferation of EMBAs and competition between schools to offer the best and most cost-efficient courses. In London alone about a dozen schools now offer EMBA programmes, and many showcase at the QS World MBA Tour.

Designed for senior managers or younger executives on fast-track careers, the EMBA is a relatively recent innovation. It provides expertise in the latest management practices that are vital to a company's success, giving businesses an edge in this world of high competition and a 'war for talent' between the world's biggest organisations.

The demographic of applicants to EMBAs also differs from that of typical MBA courses, generally featuring a more mature and experienced range of managers. Begoña de Ros Raventós, Assistant Director of Global Executive MBA at IESE GEMBA, notes, "The profile of our candidates is getting older. The average age in our class this year is 38 years old, with a range that goes from 30 to 55. Many did not get a chance to take MBAs when they were younger, and now want to acquire new skills, improve their earning potential, or simply be able to lead their teams better."

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Source: -
Ross Geraghty
Website: www.topmba.com