School of Management

Executive M.B.A.

Web: som.gmu.edu
Phone: (703) 993-1832
E-mail: emba@som.gmu.edu

The Executive Master of Business Administration program is a 21-month general management program leading to the M.B.A. degree. The program provides managers and executives with state-of-the-art education in contemporary management. Emphasis is placed on leadership and strategic management of business resources, technology, and operations.

The class schedule of alternating Fridays and Saturdays, two domestic residencies, and one international residency is designed to allow participants to continue their careers while they study and master a broad range of functional and leadership skills.

The curriculum incorporates three distinctive elements: a focus on services as the dominant context, competencies needed to transition to executive rank, and an understanding of the transformational impact of technology.

Participants

The Executive M.B.A. is designed for those with significant business and professional experience. Participants must have the support of their organizations (i.e., given the time to attend class). Financial sponsorship is desired but not required.

Sponsoring organizations include but are not limited to SAIC, Oracle Corporation, EDS, ExxonMobil Corporation, Defense Intelligence Agency, PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP, L-3 Communcations, Allstate Insurance, Atlantic Research Corporation, AT&T, Verizon, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, General Motors, Landmark Systems Corporation, Paxton Van Lines, TASC, the U.S. government, the World Bank, and Xerox Corporation.

Methods of Instruction

Study groups are an essential part of the Executive M.B.A. experience and are arranged by the director of the program. The groups usually meet independently, once a week to discuss course work and prepare class presentations. Between classes and study group sessions, group members continue to work collaboratively through a groupware platform provided by the program.

The faculty encourages classroom discussions in which opinions are shared and experiences reviewed for the benefit of the whole class. The program is designed to combine the theoretical with the practical, making each person's contribution to the discussion essential.

Residency Weeks

Live-in sessions complete the Executive M.B.A. experience. The international residency is scheduled at the end of the first year. It is a two-week program in Europe, designed to help the participants integrate the managerial disciplines learned during the year. The European program includes one week of study in residence at Oxford University where a certificate is earned, and one week in continental Europe where participants visit firms, research centers, and governmental institutions. The domestic residencies vary in length and are designed to provide students with business seminars, site visits, and lectures that leverage our location in the Northern Virginia and greater Washington D.C. area.