An Elite Experience – the Proven Value of a Public-Ivy EMBA

At a time when brand, rigor, reputation and cost matter most to MBA hopefuls, many are looking to a growing list of ‘Public Ivy’s’ to suit their needs.

First discussed in the 1980’s, the term Public Ivy was created by Yale alum and Admissions professional Richard Moll, who wrote A Guide to America’s Best Public Undergraduate Colleges and Universities in 1985. His original methodology included several factors he used to compare schools to those in the Ivy League.

Today, Public Ivy programs, such as the Executive MBA at the University of Connecticut have grown very popular as students look for an ivy quality program without the high price tag.

UConn offers an Ivy-quality EMBA. Elite Experience. Global Reputation.

UConn’s EMBA provides a rigorous education at a price that won’t break your budget. “We attract students who genuinely want to learn,” said the program’s Academic Director, David Souder. “Anyone who will come to school for half their Saturdays is going to demand that the professors help them see new things.

Everyone has already achieved some career success, and wants to gain a general understanding about all the other parts of business that they don’t manage themselves.

That’s how you can develop as a leader. We make sure we have the faculty who understand where the executives are coming from, and how to lift them from there. It’s fun to get pushed by the students to demonstrate the relevance of each lesson.”

Flexible studying options.

The UConn EMBA Program runs over 20 months, allowing you time to learn the necessary skills in a timeframe that is conducive to your current working schedule.

The scheduled weekend classes mean you can develop your knowledge and practical skills when you are not at the office, before putting your expertise into practice the following week.

Marketing professor Robin Coulter led an EMBA redesign several years ago that reflected consumer needs. “Area companies were hesitant for talented employees to miss so many Fridays, so we rearranged the program so that students only attend one Friday every two months. We also thought carefully about the sequence and mix of classes to blend subjects and spread out the quant work.”

As a busy professional, it can be difficult to find the time to develop your skills. However, upgrading your talents can be a vital difference when it comes to getting ahead of your contemporaries and becoming a sought-after top performer.

Dr. Souder, a strategic management professor, teaches statistics in the program. “A traditional statistics course takes a very mechanical approach. That’s fine if the students are 20 and building skills for the future. But our audience has been working for at least a decade – they are making decisions based on statistics whether or not they have mastered the mechanics. So I built the course to emphasize the questions you need to ask and the biases you need to overcome for the statistics to help you make good decisions. It’s really another strategy course grounded in quantitative analysis.”

Leadership professor and Associate Dean Lucy Gilson points out that strategy and leadership are the big frontiers for EMBA students. “Students have already mastered their area of expertise to qualify for entry into the program. But how do you tie your work to the rest of the organization?  How do you help your team embrace change? Who do you have to build coalitions with to achieve success? These are not one-size-fits-all things that you can just read in a book. In the classroom, we can guide the conversations so that the students learn from each other’s experiences.”

EMBA networking opportunities.

Being an executive-level manager requires networking skills just as much as you need vision and talent to steer your team to the next level. The UConn Nation has 230,000 alums across the globe, providing you with unlimited opportunities to connect, begin a new career, or build new ventures.

Dr. Coulter has enjoyed teaching two of the program’s hallmarks: a mid-program international trip and a second-year executive project. Both of these courses highlight the importance of a strong cohort. “Students learn so much from talking with their classmates about experiences in other organizations and industries.  Our biggest analysis of incoming students is about whether they’ll add to the overall group.” Not only can you benefit from the expertise of others, but you could also offer your help and experience to advance others in their endeavors. The interaction between UConn alums can provide incredible advantages that may not otherwise be available.

Accelerate your career at UConn.

Many professionals begin to fall into a comfortable routine in their 30’s and 40’s, but this can be a critical career error. Employers are likely to appreciate staff who invest in their own potential and commit to learning new and modern skills that increase revenues.

The UConn EMBA program will introduce students to a world of new ideas, concepts, and methodologies. To help students use their studies to positively impact their career, EMBA students work with an Executive coach during and program and beyond.

EMBA Executive Coach, Meg Warren sees her role as a bridge between academics and career. She works with students to help them leverage classroom information into their current role, as well as defining broader career strategy? “My role a coach is to be both a sounding board and to help students get better at what they do. Along with larger cohort activities which focus on team building, we’ll work together 1:1 to help students respond effectively to immediate challenges and think though their broader goals and interests”.

Worth it in the End

UConn’s Executive MBA is a challenging, but rewarding program. Students are driven to success by a sense of grit and self-determination. Program Director Michael Bozzi gets to hear it all from students – the enthusiasm and the challenges. “It’s all smiles at our in-residence kickoff – everyone has all this excitement. But over 20 months, there are a lot of ups and downs as students change jobs, take on extra work, or add to their families. We’re always adjusting to help people through the stressful periods. And then at the end – all the smiles are back at graduation!”

To learn more about the Executive MBA at UConn, please click on the following link: [email protected].