What is a part-time MBA?

Posted by The Lisbon MBA on 6 May, 2019 1:32 pm

It’s easy to get lost in the terminology when you’re looking for the right Executive Business Program for you. Everyone knows that an MBA is the most prestigious among Business degrees, and that it covers both hard business skills and soft skills such as public speaking and intercultural communication. Executive MBAs (or EMBAs), on the other hand, are designed for mid-level professionals who cannot or do not wish to press “pause” on their careers. In this context, what are Business Schools talking about when they promote “part-time MBAs”?

Recommended: MBA vs EMBA: choose the one that’s right for you

Part-time MBA: a hybrid program

A part-time MBA offers you the flexibility of an EMBA, yet its entry requirements correspond to those of a regular MBA. A quick comparison between MBAs and EMBAs may be useful here. These programs are very similar in terms of substance; they differ only in duration, methodology and requirements. Some key facts you must bear in mind are:

A full-time MBA takes 1 to 2 years, while an EMBA can take up to 5 years;
EMBAs require a longer work experience (9,5 years is the average number of years of full-time employment EMBA students have accumulated; the minimum entry requirement is 4 years of full-time employment);
Many EMBAs now accept the Executive Assessment instead of the GMAT or GRE;
MBAs bet on face-to-face teaching and collaborating (also known as contact work), while EMBAs are renowned for their flexible teaching/learning modalities and at times resort to technology to replace face-to-face interaction.

Application requirements and admissions process for part-time MBAs

Part-time MBAs have the same basic admission requirements as full-time MBAs, namely:

3 years (minimum) of full-time professional experience;
Bachelor’s degree;
Proficiency in applied mathematics (GMAT or GRE);
Fluency in English (IELTS, TOEFL, CAE or CPE);
Personal skill set in accordance with the School’s target profile.

Likewise, the admissions process for a part-time MBA corresponds in great measure to a regular MBA’s admissions process. Its main stages are:

Evaluation of GMAT/GRE score;
Assessment of CV;
Appraisal of Essays & Recommendations;
Personal Interview.

Teaching/learning modalities

Part-time MBAs follow EMBAs’ logic of adjusting to students’ busy schedule. Popular teaching/learning modalities are:

2 to 3 days/week of intense study in a specific location, including lectures, case studies and group assignments, usually for one or two years;
Combinations of face-to-face work with distance learning and work resorting to the use of technology, varying widely in terms of duration, with lectures, case studies and group work taking place in presence and online;
Distance learning courses: distribution of lectures, case studies and group work designed to compensate the absence of physical interaction among students and between students and Faculty.

Each of these modalities combines theory and practice and manages group assignments in its own way; market exposure tends to be concentrated in a final thesis or field project.

Is a part-time MBA the right option for you?

As you probably guessed by now, the main decision you have to make is whether to keep your job while going back to school or to take a break from it to fully immerse yourself in the MBA experience. A part-time MBA allows you not to lose career momentum by minimizing the cost of opportunity, and doesn’t have as negative an impact on your personal finances as a full-time MBA (because money keeps coming in). Your family and your boss probably have something to say about your choice, so talk to them and negotiate!

If you want to know more about executive programs, feel free to download our free ebook below.

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