3 Top EMBA Programs at Cornell

3 Top EMBA Programs at Cornell

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When looking into EMBA programs, there are many things to consider. You need to decide where you want to live. Do you like the West Coast or the East Coast? How about the Midwest? Then, you need to consider what you want to get out of your EMBA. Do you want to work internationally, excel in healthcare, or get the most out of your salary? Answering these questions will help you decide an EMBA program based on the customization it offers, how much travel is involved, the type of schedule you can handle, and the return on your investment. It’s everything together that makes the ideal EMBA program for you.

If you’re looking into EMBA programs on the East Coast, then there are few better schools than Cornell University’s S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management. The three EMBA programs at Cornell are some of the best in the nation. They are highly regarded in terms of prestige, curriculum, life balance, and career placement, and offer a variety of options to suit almost any business professional.

If you’re interested in an Ivy League education that will propel you to the next level of your career, Cornell EMBA programs are a solid choice. But how do you choose between the three options: Cornell Executive MBA Americas, Cornell Metro NY, and Weill Cornell EMBA in Healthcare? To help you out, we’re taking a deep dive into each program to highlight what they offer and why the program could work for you.

Top EMBA Programs at Cornell

Cornell Executive MBA Americas

The Cornell Executive MBA Americas takes just 17 months to complete and was designed for working professionals who desire the excellence of an Ivy League education no matter where they live. Combined with hands-on, experiential experience, this program is all about flexibility and networking. Offered in partnership with the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University, graduates earn two EMBAs from two topnotch institutions.

With medium-sized cohorts of just 158 students spread out at cities across the Americas, this Cornell EMBA is tailored to meet each student’s needs domestically and internationally. That’s why candidates who choose it come from and return to a variety of industries including financial services (20%), energy/utilities (15%), telecoms/engineering (14%), manufacturing (11%), and consulting (9%). They also earn an average salary increase post-degree of 59% and work at top companies such as Google, Microsoft, JP Morgan, and Goldman Sachs.

A truly global program with locations across the Americas, the Cornell Executive MBA Americas allows students to attend classes where they live and work. This means that no matter if you live in Atlanta, Dallas, Ithaca, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Seattle, you can still earn an EMBA from Cornell. There are even classes in Canada including Montreal Toronto, and Vancouver and South America including Peru and Chile. And since classes are held every other weekend, you can travel for work as needed while still connecting with your classmates via live interactive video-conferencing. This offers excellent networking opportunities in a collaborative and supportive learning environment.

Cornell Executive MBA Metro New York

The Cornell Metro NY EMBA is based in Palisades, NY—with four residential sessions at the Ithaca campus—and is an immersive experience that takes 22 months to complete. EMBAs meet alternating weekends to gain the skills they need to succeed in today’s business environment. The curriculum is taught by Cornell’s world-renowned faculty and delves into advanced topics such as Innovation and New Venture Creation, Valuations, and Global Business Study. In addition, students can customize their learning with electives designed to help provide an immediate benefit to your organization.

Offering a cohort half the size of the Executive MBA Americas with just 64 students, the Cornell EMBA Metro NY program is all about intensive coursework and close, personal interactions. During each weekend class, students meet up for lectures, review sessions, team meetings, networking, guest speakers, and more. Then, there’s the opportunity in the final term for students to embark on a global experience, allowing them to use their MBA studies internationally.

The majority of EMBA students at the Metro NY program come from and return to either financial services (34%) or technology (14%), two of the top industries in the New York area. The location and tight-knit community are also partly responsible for the 102% average salary increase post-degree. So, it should be no surprise that over 13,500 alumni claim the Cornell Metro NY Executive MBA.

Weill Cornell Executive MBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership

The final EMBA program offered by the university is the Weill Cornell EMBA in Healthcare. This unique dual-degree program takes 20 months to complete, and afterward, graduates earn both an EMBA from Cornell and an MS in Healthcare Leadership from Weill Cornell Medicine. Due to its highly specific nature, cohort sizes are exceptionally small—just 41 students—with classes meeting alternating weekends.

The incoming class is typically evenly divided between clinical practitioners and non-practitioners in the healthcare field, which offers candidates a diverse perspective of the entire healthcare community. The curriculum is focused on providing healthcare expertise alongside business acumen with the goal of providing students with the tools and knowledge they need to engage with stakeholders in complex healthcare organizations.

The delivery of the Weill Cornell EMBA in Healthcare is exclusively designed for full-time healthcare professionals, which is why classes are offered both on alternating weekends and in residential sessions around New York. Students will meet twice per year on Cornell’s Ithaca campus and in Metro-NYC while weekend sessions are at the Tata Innovation Center on Cornell Tech’s Roosevelt Island campus. The idea is to allow students to return to work on Monday and immediately implement what they learned.

Earning your EMBA from a top program at Cornell University you can’t go wrong. Whether you’re looking for the flexibility to work and attend classes across the Americas or you’re looking for small cohorts and customized study, there are EMBA programs at Cornell that fit your needs. And no matter which program you choose, you’ll be taught by Cornell’s world-class faculty and take part in the school’s rigorous and renowned curriculum.

Now, all you have to decide is which Cornell EMBA program is right for you.


Ivy Exec’s goal in releasing its annual EMBA program rankings is to support its members and the broader, global professional community in making better-informed decisions when selecting the best-fit Executive MBA program for themselves. Pursuing an EMBA is a significant investment of time, not to mention money, so these rankings may help a professional consider potential ROI ahead of time.

Kelly Vo
About the Author
Kelly Vo

Kelly Vo is a full-time freelance writer specializing in digital marketing, personal development, and content creation. A social media and brand development expert, you can find Kelly at http://kevowriting.com/ where she helps businesses and executives develop their authentic voice.

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