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See Research StudiesIndustry-focused Executive MBA programs zero in on a course of study that takes into account all of the most-needed skills and knowledge in a given sector.
These specialized programs give students the chance to surround themselves with a cohort and faculty who bring to bear top tier industry connections for a strong advantage in post-graduation networking. While any Executive MBA program can give a participant the much-needed boost from middle management to the C-Suite through a diverse curriculum, those students coming from industries undergoing a period of change might be the ones to best benefit from a specialized EMBA that can prepare them to be leaders through the transitional years to come.
One such industry undergoing a period of transition is the energy sector—and several programs offer specialized EMBAs to train professionals working in energy. The Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary features a Global Energy EMBA program that is tailored to the industry.
“The need for innovation is upon us and the application of learning in this program can be applied within [a participant’s] organization immediately. The energy business is dynamic and complicated, it is constantly changing,” explains Dr. Harrie Vredenburg, academic director of the Haskayne School’s Global Energy EMBA program. “This program is designed to build high potential managers to become the next senior executive energy leaders. Those who graduate from this program will change the world. The experience in this 20-month program would take up to 10 years…to obtain in the workforce.The program focuses on applicability from Day One.”
Vredenburg co-founded and envisioned the Global Energy EMBA at the Haskayne School and has participated in every module since its inception. As the visionary behind the program, he emphasizes the importance of constructing a curriculum around all of the relevant topics in the energy industry today. He also notes that because of the program’s specialization, it is able to attract a truly diverse, international cohort—bringing a range of perspectives and experience and networking opportunities to the table. Students, who on average are in their late 30s and who are drawn from the private sector, state-owned enterprises and government in oil and gas, electricity generation, coal, consulting and financial services, are being groomed to take the most senior positions in their organizations. They continue in their full-time jobs and travel to six two-week intensive modules complemented by online classes.
“The program’s vision [is one of] bringing together emerging senior energy industry leaders from around the world to important energy industry locations around the world to learn about and discuss critical global energy and sustainability issues,” Dr. Vredenburg explains. “The entire program is built on a conceptual foundation of energy and sustainability and the critical issues are discussed in the deepest manner possible.”
The Haskayne program includes residential modules with industry field visits to London, Beijing, Houston, Doha and Calgary to name just a few. With students hailing from every continent around the world—except, of course, Antarctica—Vredenburg says that having the specialization on the energy industry is helping to shape leaders in this field around the world: “This program develops senior industry and government executives from around the world to provide insightful and enlightened leadership to their organizations in the increasingly complex contemporary world of energy and sustainability.”
Haskayne School of Business is also home to one of the top global joint EMBA Programs. You can learn more about their joint EMBA program by clicking here.
The Haskayne School is one of just a handful of programs that offer an energy-focused Executive MBA program.
The HEC Paris EMBA allows participants to choose a major in Energy. The program begins with a weeklong session in Doha, Qatar—a city at the heart of the international oil and gas industry. The second part of the program takes place in Paris and includes visit to power plants and electricity providers. According to its website, the program seeks to develop tomorrow’s energy industry leaders by instilling in them a strong understanding of energy economics and the global energy demand.
The Freeman School of Business at Tulane University offers EMBA program participants with a finance concentration a second master’s degree option with a focus on energy. The dual MBA-Master of Finance with a focus on energy is aimed at expanding the students’ ability to compete in the field—and with all energy management classes held on the school’s campus in Houston, they will be well-located for making the right connections in the oil and gas industry.
At the University of Houston’s Bauer College of Business, the Global Energy EMBA offers a wide range of courses on industry-related topics including upstream economics, the future of value creation in the oil and gas industry and petrochemical and refining economics. Participants can pursue a certificate in energy finance, energy investment analysis, energy risk management and other key topics that can provide the much-needed tools to compete in this industry.
Located in another hub for domestic energy production, the Michael F. Price College of Business at the University of Oklahoma offers an EMBA in energy. The 15-month program is primarily offered online in an effort to accommodate industry professionals working in energy around the world. It also offers in-person learning sessions and an international trip to give students real-world experience.
To view our rankings of top EMBA and Joint EMBA programs, visit here.
R Kress
R. Kress is an Emmy Award winning journalist whose reporting and writing has appeared in national media from NBC News to the International Herald Tribune. She has covered news from cities around the world including Jerusalem, Krakow, Amman and Mumbai.