Executive Master or MBA: which programme is right for you?

Are you a manager looking for a programme to bolster your career plan? Here are our tips to help you choose between an Executive Master and an MBA and find the most suitable format to meet your needs.

A MATTER OF TIME

How much time can you devote to studying? When you’re deciding on your programme format, the question of length is crucial. It’s also the first point of distinction between the Executive Master and MBA (Master of Business Administration).

“An Executive Master requires 40 to 50 days of attendance, whereas an MBA demands two, three or even four times as many,” explains Eric-Jean Garcia, affiliated professor at Sciences Po Executive Education. While the different programmes all generally require one to two years of commitment, an MBA is a far more intensive programme of study. They can be followed full or part time (essentially Executive MBAs, aimed at more seasoned managers who continue working while studying), including in some cases an opportunity to study abroad.
Executive Masters, meanwhile, are part-time accredited programmes, organised around two to three days of study a month. Participants are then able to fulfil their professional responsibilities in tandem. These programmes do call for a fair amount of self-study outside the classroom, so require a big personal commitment that you need to take into account — above all writing the dissertation.

CONSIDER YOUR MOTIVATIONS

Another essential point to think about before making a choice is your career goals. Why do you want to acquire new skills? In this respect, the two programme formats appeal to radically different types of people. “Executive Masters are especially popular among experienced mid-career managers who want to delve into a specific topic, to move on in their career, support a career change or broaden their skills outside their main area of expertise,” explains Eric-Jean Garcia. In a cohort, you’re as likely to find participants in their 30s as those in their 50s, some of whom will have a business school degree. MBAs attract participants from various backgrounds, and it’s not uncommon to find “people who haven’t been to business school,” adds Eric-Jean Garcia. Some are engineers, for example. Applicants are looking for a “general business programme” to rise up through the corporate ranks or change company. Young managers in their 30s make up a healthy proportion of cohorts. Executive MBA students typically have more experience and are hoping to move into corporate executive roles.

MBA: GAIN A GLOBAL VISION OF AN ORGANISATION

The MBA is first and foremost a “non-specialised programme focused on the inner workings of a company,” explains Eric Jean Garcia. Human resources, marketing, finance... the programme gives participants a 360-degree overview of an organisation, covering multiple disciplines through technical, hands-on learning. Which is actually one of the aims of the MBA: to equip participants with a veritable “tool box” they can pick from to tackle a business and its challenges as a whole. Armed with these tools, participants return to the workplace with actionable levers they can use in the real world. On an Executive MBA, special focus is turned to enhancing your managerial performance in a company and the question of leadership.

EXECUTIVE MASTER: SEE THE BIGGER PICTURE

Regional governance and urban development, social dialogue and corporate strategy, legal challenges and leadership, communication, and more. Executive Masters typically offer participants more specialised areas of study, all the better for participants to update their technical skills. By digging into every nook of a complex subject, the programme also offers participants an opportunity to see the bigger picture within their job and sector. “In this sense, Sciences Po Executive Education attaches a great deal of importance to discussions on the challenges and issues of a given function, and to challenging the topics discussed.” It’s an approach that helps participants acquire new insights backed by the social sciences— the bedrock of learning at Sciences Po Executive Education. The Executive Master and the MBA each take a significantly different approach to the corporate world, making it absolutely crucial that you be very clear about what you want and make the best decision for you.

THE REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLYING

The MBA isn’t set in stone: the programme comes in various formats, including full-time, modular and with a specialisation. Depending on the school, it is generally open to graduates who have completed three or four years of higher education. In Europe, executives who apply must have at least three years of professional experience under their belt. On the other hand, Executive Masters are the equivalent of a two-year Masters programme with the qualification awarded by the school in question. At Sciences Po Executive Education, candidates are eligible to apply if they have completed a minimum of three years of study and five years of professional experience at management level.

HOW MUCH DO THESE PROGRAMMES COST?

In France, the price tag of MBAs vary wildly depending on the institution, ranging from €8K to €100K and even as much as €130K for an Executive MBA. The Executive Masters dispensed by Sciences Po Executive Education cost between €17K and €30K.

Olivier Partouche, deputy ceo and general secretary of republic technologies international: “Why i did an executive MBA and an Executive Master”

What made you decide to do an Executive MBA in 2008?

I was at a career crossroads, leaving a very specific job to move into a much more generalist role. I needed a broad overview of all the possible challenges a company might have to tackle, be it at a marketing, financial, management, strategy or any level, really. Essec’s Executive MBA programme was able to give me just the practical toolbox I needed while also encompassing the broader business angle. Given I was moving up in my career, I felt that this programme best aligned with my goal to go into executive-level positions.

You also took the Executive Master in Management at Sciences Po Executive Education, in 2016, Why did you feel it was necessary to enrol in this new programme?

As managers today, we have to deal with an increasingly complex world within an organisation that is just as complex. What our employees expect of us as well as our business relations couldn’t be more diverse. Plus, we have social, societal and environmental challenges to navigate. Given all of this, I felt it was vital for me to take time out to think about what this meant in the bigger scheme of things, to reflect on my personal goals, my career strategy, my leadership, the “why” driving my actions. And the Executive Master offered me precisely this opportunity to take a step back and gain fresh perspective.