Trying to decide which MBA program is best for you? Not sure what the difference between an MBA and executive MBA is or whether you should study your MBA online or in person?
These questions and more are answered here.
What’s an executive MBA degree or EMBA?
An executive MBA degree (EMBA) is designed for managers and executives who have significant industry professional and leadership experience.
What is the difference between an MBA and executive MBA (EMBA)?
The main difference between an MBA and an executive management MBA is how much experience you need to be eligible for entry. Many standard MBAs are easier to get into than executive MBA programs.
Other differences can include:
- program length – some EMBAs are only available to study part time
- study mode – online or in person
- intake (i.e. when you can start)
- what you learn
- the goals they can help you achieve.
Executive MBA vs MBA
Where you are in your career and what you want to achieve by completing an MBA or EMBA may help you choose which program is best for you. For example, many MBAs are best suited to professionals who want to gain leadership capabilities and make new industry connections with the aim of advancing their career. Executive MBAs are most suitable for those with already established careers looking for further growth into more senior leadership roles.
What most MBAs and executive MBA programs have in common
- Courses that will prepare you for success in business leadership, usually including HR, marketing and finance.
- Growth opportunities beyond the classroom, such as access to thought leadership, leadership and alumni networking events, international study, and career coaching and professional development.
The UQ MBA gives you the best of both an MBA and executive MBA
Study with experienced, influential peers
The UQ MBA requires less professional and management experience than an executive MBA but more than other MBA programs. For this reason, it’s more like an EMBA than MBA.
This means when you study a UQ MBA, you’ll share the classroom with highly experienced, motivated and influential peers across government, corporate and not-for-profit sectors. As these other students bring their diverse backgrounds and experiences to the group, you’ll gain a practical understanding of how the tools and frameworks you learn apply to their industries as well as your own.
Flexibility
The UQ MBA is also more flexible than most other local MBA programs, offering hybrid study (online or in person), evening classes and intensives, and the option to study full time or part time with up to 10 years to complete the program.
It can also be customised to suit your goals. You can build on core business leadership courses with your choice of practical innovation subjects, overseas study at a partner university, or completing a research project.
If you don’t meet the entry requirements for the UQ MBA, you may meet the requirements for our Graduate Certificate in Business Administration. By enrolling in the graduate certificate, you’ll study the same classes as MBA students and, after successful completion of the graduate certificate, you may be eligible to transfer into the MBA.
In-person vs online MBA courses
As you consider which MBA or executive MBA (EMBA) program is right for you, you’re probably also weighing up the pros and cons of in-person versus online study.
The pros of online study are flexibility and convenience, which are invaluable when you’re juggling study with work, family and other priorities. But there are cons too, like missing out on immersing yourself in the full learning experience, engaging in incidental and often insightful conversations with peers and faculty, and establishing the connections that will enrich your career in the long term.
There's a third option: hybrid learning
Taught in hybrid mode, the UQ MBA gives you the best of both options. Our MBA classes are taught at UQ’s premium Queen Street site. This convenient Brisbane CBD location means you can walk to class after work or easily commute in via bus or train.
Or, if you can’t make it to class in person, you can join the room online for a learning experience alongside your peers. If you’re just running late but still want to attend class face to face, you can even join from your phone, then walk into the classroom without having missed a thing. Many of our students who are FIFO workers have also been known to attend online classes from their donga when on site and then join us in person when they’re home.
We aim to offer our students as much flexibility as possible, allowing you to decide how and where you want to attend your classes on the day rather than being locked into one mode for the entirety of your degree, or even the entirety of a single course.
Learn more about how the UQ MBA can flex to your schedule.
Are there universities with online MBA programs? Yes. But completing your MBA completely online means you’ll miss out on the in-person networking and professional development opportunities that are invaluable at this stage of your career.
While the flexibility that comes with online MBA courses is important for busy professionals juggling study with work, family and other commitments, we believe you get so much more value from attending classes in person. This is where you’ll have robust discussions and establish relationships with industry experts and influential peers that will enrich your learning experience and connect you to opportunities throughout your career.
Learn more about the benefits of studying your MBA face to face or read about the 6 things to consider when choosing the best MBA program for you.
Designed to fit around your life, not the other way around, the UQ MBA’s hybrid model delivers all the benefits of in-person learning but also gives you the flexibility to join classes online when life happens.
