Executive MBA Program

Returning to school, particularly as an experienced professional, is a bold and daring objective. Doing so as an Executive MBA student at the University of Illinois raises the stakes to a new level.

If you are looking to prepare for advanced leadership roles within your organization, the ILLINOIS Executive MBA may be a great fit for you. In addition to examining the various languages and approaches used in business today, this degree is focused on preparing you to be a far more effective leader within your company by sharing the broad perspective that all great leaders intuitively understand. All courses in the program are delivered in the context of shaping students for the strategic challenge of leading a major enterprise.

Perhaps the most distinctive aspect of the ILLINOIS Executive MBA is our approach to global business. Not only do our students study international business, they practice and experience it first-hand. Throughout the second-year of our program, students work in teams on a real business consulting assignment for a real company based in a foreign country. At ILLINOIS, we’ve been providing this intense, global cap-stone experience for years, an approach our students thrive on. This approach not only builds your understanding of global business and society, but shapes, in a very hands-on way, your strategic perspective that all leaders need and rely upon.

The ILLINOIS Executive MBA is one of the oldest and most established Executive MBA programs in the world. For decades we have delivered a specially designed curriculum for experienced professionals. Classes meet only four days per month on alternating Fridays and Saturdays and are structured in a way to minimize disruption to your busy work schedule and personal life. Classes start in September and are completed in an employer-friendly 20 months.

Should your work involve regular travel or if your company transfers you, our strategic location in downtown Chicago enables you to easily continue with your studies. With our advanced technology and team-based learning approach, you can bridge the gap between school and work no matter how wide the distance.

The following is required of prospective students:

• A minimum 7 years of business experience (the typical student has about 12-15 years of post-baccalaureate experience)
• Company sponsorship letter
• Completed application and three letters of recommendation
• A successful personal interview
• A commitment to pursue The Executive MBA with a high level of motivation and to set aside at least 15-20 hours per week for study time

Unlike most full-time or part-time programs, the Executive MBA is a lock-step curriculum in which students remain as a cohort, taking all classes together. Our team-based learning approach means you and your classmates will learn with and from each other in a supportive class environment. You'll be on a study team with four to six other students of diverse professional backgrounds who will broaden your perspective and push you in new directions. Likewise, you will push them.

Executive MBA students have more work experience including in-depth managerial responsibility than typical part-time or full-time students. At ILLINOIS, our Executive MBA students have on average 10 to 15 years of work experience. They often come from managerial roles, direct operational roles, or in some cases already work as a major company officer. Aside from for-profit enterprises, some students are preparing to be leaders in the public, not-for-profit sector where the same demanding, strategic leadership challenges exist.

At the ILLINOIS Executive MBA, you'll be challenged in a dynamic and collegial learning environment and you'll find, just as The Wall Street Journal has recently noted, that our Program provides a meaningful return on investment, well worth the time and resources you'll invest. Graduates of the ILLINOIS Executive MBA put their learning to work, at work. That's an edge that has real personal and professional value.

Tuition and fees for the cohort beginning fall 2010 have not been approved by the Board of Trustees but are expected to be $89,500.

Compared to other Executive MBA programs, this total cost covers nearly all aspects of the 20-month program including all meals, snacks and beverages, all course materials including textbooks and cases, and all campus fees.