Find out who our programmes are for, how you study whilst working and other elements regarding the curriculum of the EMBA programmes.
Who are our EMBA programmes for?
We offer two Executive MBA programmes: the Cambridge Executive Masters of Business Administration (Cambridge EMBA) and the Global Executive Masters of Business Administration (Global EMBA). The Cambridge EMBA takes place at Cambridge Judge Business School, UK, and the Global EMBA is taught mainly at Cambridge Judge Business School, UK, and also at international locations and live online. Both programmes also have an International Business Study Trip which takes place anywhere in the world.
This qualification is designed for senior executives who are now looking at leading roles within their organisations. The programme develops both hard and soft skills, providing practical, relevant knowledge to enable participants to excel in those leading roles.
Programme objectives
Through a collaborative ethos – the core value of the Executive MBA programmes – the aim is to produce graduates who are:
- skilled in the practice of management and core business principles
- able to apply these skills within a global context
- equipped to lead, build and manage enterprises that create value in a dynamic global economy
- able to demonstrate intellectual rigour
- able to demonstrate an entrepreneurial mindset to facilitate innovation within an organisation.
It is a highly practical programme – the Team Consulting Project (TCP) and International Business Study Trip (IBST) ensure the Executive MBA programmes are at the leading edge of global business developments.
Elective modules and individual projects allow participants to customise their experience to suit their long-term goals.
A programme architecture that fits you
These masters programmes allow you to study while you work. Designed to fit into the busy schedules of senior executives, it does not require significant time spent away from your organisation.
In addition to a relevant curriculum, participants engage with a diverse network of professionals within their cohort. This forms the backbone of the Executive MBA experience.
The schedule is demanding, but coursework is designed to complement your organisational responsibilities. The programmes encourage you to apply what you learn to your own role. The weekend format on the Cambridge EMBA ensures you can maintain work-life balance alongside your study schedule.
Participants are fully supported and engaged in the programmes through the online learning platform.
A powerful peer network
Class members are carefully selected based on their potential, experience and skillset. As an Executive MBA student, you will meet a diverse group of people who will challenge, stimulate and often surprise you.
The EMBA programmes offer the opportunity to network with peers across the Cambridge Judge Business School community. You will also have access to the huge networking potential of the wider University: its students, academics and alumni.
EMBA students benefit from unparalleled opportunities to learn from innovators, entrepreneurs and business leaders acting as guest speakers, mentors and coaches.
Practical, relevant learning
The Executive MBA programmes set high academic standards. At the same time, our faculty takes a hands-on approach to management issues. We invite business leaders and thinkers into the programme to work with participants on real-world issues.
To accommodate all learning styles, we offer a range of approaches including:
- Classroom sessions
- Workshops
- Seminars
- Case study discussions
- Interactive classes
- Team and individual projects
Our curriculum is applicable and relevant to your work, both now and in the future. Weekend sessions let you return to work the next week with fresh insights and skills which can be implemented immediately.
Effective collaboration is at the heart of business success. Our Executive MBA programmes encourage this approach during classes and projects. Participants work in international teams to test and apply their new skills in the business world.
The Executive MBA programmes
In-person teaching for the Cambridge EMBA and the Global EMBA are both principally taught in Cambridge, a globally renowned seat of learning, attracting students and faculty from across the world.
The Global EMBA includes teaching in two locations outside of the UK, as well as a proportion of live online teaching.
This global ethos runs throughout both programmes. You might choose to undertake your practical projects abroad as part of an International Business Study Trip.
Lifelong Learning
After graduation, the Executive MBA continues to equip alumni with the knowledge and skills to become more effective managers and leaders.
Graduates matriculating in 2023 have the option to return to Cambridge to take one elective a year alongside current EMBA students. For classes matriculating from 2024 onwards this model is changing; both Cambridge EMBA and Global EMBA alumni will have the opportunity to participate in Lifelong Learning opportunities from the Business School and the University to keep abreast of the latest research and thinking to support your professional and social development. This will enable our alumni community to stay engaged with CJBS and the University community throughout their careers.
The programme gave us the skills and tools to venture out there and set up our own business… it’s been a rollercoaster ride ever since.
Hear from our participants
The value of networking
Dr Andrew Jones, Executive MBA participant, talks about the value of networking.
As a doctor, we get taught a lot about communication. And obviously, we know a lot about medicine, but the wider aspects of running a hospital or how business is applied are key areas for doctors to learn as they progress through management. So for me, the most important courses have been in finance, accountancy, modelling– learning these new disciplines and applying them at work.
The hidden benefit here at Cambridge is the network of people in the class. There are over 30 nationalities. People fly in from all parts of the world. They’re working in lots of different sectors, which, as a doctor, I wouldn’t normally come across. So the opportunity to work with them in groups, to work on different projects has been fantastic. And of course, all of these people come with a contact book which you can often apply in your business role to see if you can make those new kind of connections to take your business forward as well.
Real world application
Shiri Gold, Executive MBA participant, talks about how she was able to apply immediately at work what she had learned from the Management Science class.
I think out of all the courses we’ve taken so far, management science has been the most useful one for me. I found that it’s given me the tools and the ability to present my case, what I want to say, in a way that’s very clear and very convincing to management and to the other people at my company. A particular example was, we’ve got a monthly meeting between all the project managers of Broadcom where we present our needs and what our projects are doing. And we debate over resource and over how to utilise and what to do in the next coming month. And it’s usually a three hour long meeting, which involves a lot of debating. Using the management science tools that I received in here, I went and presented my case, the whole meeting was over within half an hour to the result that I wanted, and I was praised by management for presenting my case so clearly. So it went very well.
Innovation & entrepreneurship
Simon Peace, Executive MBA participant, talks about innovation and entrepreneurship.
In the innovations class, we were forced into a dragons den type format, which was challenging, to say the least. Initially, we’re asked to develop an idea, come up with innovative business ideas and develop those into business plans, and then pitch them out to a group of Cambridge business angels, very much in the dragons den format. Which was tough, and you felt like you were there in real life.
But the thing that for me was challenging is, coming from a large business, I was forced into the position of an entrepreneur and asked to come up with innovative new ideas for small businesses. And that is a situation that pushed me well outside my comfort zone. In the end, it was a fantastic experience. And the feedback we got from the business angels was cutting, but also a massive learning experience. It was fantastic.
And it’s also opened up for me an area of interest which I didn’t really realise I had, which is going into small businesses, developing ideas, and starting businesses on my own. I’d not considered it before this course. And now I am, in a really quite a serious way.