Top 10 Executive MBA Programs in the World 2020

Top 10 Executive MBA Programs in the World 2020

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Updated September 25, 2024 Updated September 25

The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania has been ranked the best in the world for the second year running in the QS Global EMBA Rankings 2020.

Released today, the QS Global EMBA Rankings 2020 reveal the top executive MBA programs around the world, as well as providing a regional breakdown to help you find a top school near you. The rankings also include a separate table of the best joint programs.

You can find out more about the methodology used to produce the rankings here.

The top 10 in the world can be seen below:

QS Global Top 10 Executive MBA Programs 2020

Rank

School

Program

Location

1

The Wharton School

MBA for Executives

US

2

IESE Business School - University of Navarra

Global Executive MBA

Spain

3

HEC Paris

Executive MBA

France

4

MIT Sloan School of Management

Executive MBA

US

5

London Business School

Executive MBA

UK

6

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Executive MBA

US

7

INSEAD

Global Executive MBA

France

8

Saïd Business School

Executive MBA

UK

9

UCLA Anderson School of Management

Executive MBA

US

10

Haas School of Business

Executive MBA

US

10) Haas School of Business

Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, Berkeley Haas’s executive MBA program scored a close to perfect score for thought leadership, and very highly for employer reputation.

The EMBA program at Haas promises a global experience, with an immersive course that will send you to Silicon Valley, Washington, DC, and global business hubs like Shanghai or São Paulo.

There are 68 students in the cohort, of which 32 percent are female students and 12 percent are underrepresented minorities. 17 countries are represented in the class, and the students have an average of 13 years’ work experience and nine years’ managerial experience before commencing their studies.

The cost for the 19-month program is US$194,000.

9) UCLA Anderson School of Management

Next, we venture to LA’s Anderson School of Management, which scored very highly in both employer reputation and thought leadership.

Anderson’s class has 137 students, with students averaging 14 years’ work experience and nine years’ management experience. 30 percent of the cohort have C-Suite experience (the highest percentage in the top 10). 

The cohort also boasts 22 countries of origin, with 21 percent of students hailing from abroad. Over a third of the class (35 percent) are female.

As classes are on the weekends with flexible scheduling (either biweekly or monthly), you’ll complete your EMBA in just 22 months. Past electives cover a broad range of topics including entrepreneurship, macroeconomics and management communication.

Fees for the two-year program are estimated at US$167,992.

8) Saïd Business School

A new entry in this year’s global Executive MBA top 10 is the Oxford Executive MBA. The program scored very highly across all indicators.

The program consists of 16-18 week-long modules (depending on your choice of electives) which run approximately every five weeks to fit alongside work commitments.

Said’s Executive MBA program features a class size of 74, with an average age of 38, 34 percent women on the program, as well as 23 employment sectors featured within the cohort.

This year’s program starts in September, and students can choose either the 22- or 24-month options. Tuition for the program is £91,350 (US$113,743). 

7) INSEAD

INSEAD’s Global Executive MBA program achieved high scores for thought leadership and career outcomes, as well as a perfect score for employer reputation (the only school to achieve this in the top 10).

Students in the GEMBA Class of 2019 have an average of 14 years’ work experience. The program is designed in a modular format, with students able to choose primary locations in Europe in Fontainebleau, Singapore in Asia, or the Middle East section in Abu Dhabi.

The Europe section starts in October, taking 14 months to complete with 63 days out of office. Tuition fees are €125,500 (approx. US$140,644). The Asia section starts in August, with 57 days out of office and takes 17 months, with tuition fees of SG$196,000 (approx. US$140,429). The Middle East section starts in October, spanning 15 months with 55 days out of office, and tuition fees of US$135,000.

6) Chicago Booth School of Business

Chicago Booth School of Business created the world’s first Executive MBA program in 1943, so it’s clear to see why the program retains its soar. Booth scored very highly across employer reputation, thought leadership, and career outcomes.

Depending on whether you study Booth’s EMBA program in the US or one of their other campuses, tuition fees will vary. Chicago’s program fees for June 2020 are US$194,000 – which covers three residential weeks in Chicago, one in London, and one in Hong Kong.

5) London Business School

The Executive MBA at London Business School achieved high scores for employer reputation, thought leadership and career outcomes.

The LBS EMBA is divided into two streams in two locations: London and Dubai. There are also options for international assignments and electives in locations including, Buenos Aires, Beijing, Mexico City, San Francisco, Athens and Hong Kong.

The 20-month program, commencing in January or September, has fees of £98,500 (approx. US$121,982) for London and US$128,600 for Dubai.

4) MIT Sloan School of Business

This year’s runner-up for the title of best executive MBA program in North America is MIT Sloan, which earned a perfect score of 100 for thought leadership and also ranked extremely well for diversity and employer reputation.

The MIT Executive MBA is a 20-month program, with classes once every three weeks. There are four week-long modules, 26 weekend sessions (spaced about three weeks apart) for iterative development, and a one-week international project trip during the capstone Global Labs action learning experience.

The Class of 2020 has 126 students, an average age of 41, and 17 years’ work experience. 16 percent of students have C-Suite experience, and 48 percent are international.

Tuition payments (Class of 2022, matriculating September 2020) total US$178,302 – the same price as the previous academic year.

3) HEC Paris

In bronze position this year (up from joint fifth last year) is HEC Paris Executive’s MBA program. The EMBA scored highly for employer reputation, thought leadership, executive profile, and career outcomes.

The HEC Paris EMBA offers a variety of part-time options, split into two main strands – the International Paris EMBA or the International EMBA. The Paris EMBA options are all taught in Paris, while you can study in Doha, Qatar on the International EMBA.  

The program takes between 15 and 18 months to complete, with fees of €82,950 (approx. US$93,048) for Paris. The most recent cohort have an average age of 40 with 15 years’ work experience.

2) IESE Business School

Moving up two spots in the global top 10 is the Global Executive MBA program at IESE Business School. The program achieved very high scores across all ranking indicators.

Students have the option of completing the EMBA in one of four locations: Barcelona, Madrid, Munich or São Paulo. In your second year you can choose to study an international immersion with cohorts from around the world – locations include New York, Shanghai and Nairobi.

Fees for the 18-month Global EMBA program are €73,700 (approx. US$82,679.61). This includes tuition, course materials and most meals during residential modules. Participants on the program have an average of 10 years’ work experience, 30 percent are female, and 20+ nationalities are represented.

1)The Wharton School

Taking the top spot for yet another year is the MBA for Executives program at The Wharton School. The Executive MBA program – scoring very highly across all indicators – features a required one-week Global Business Week, and students can also take part in Global Modular Courses at locations such as Israel, India, Brazil and more.

Wharton’s Class of 2021 has 236 students, an average age of 36, 12 years’ work experience, and a median GMAT score of 700.

Students entering Wharton’s two-year program in May 2020 paid US$214,800, which includes tuition, most course materials, room and board, and a Land Package for the Global Business Week.

 

This article was originally published in July 2020 . It was last updated in September 2024

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