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Throughout the hybrid program, EMBA students typically meet for live sessions twice per term, creating a classroom structure that allows students to fully engage in the course while reducing time away from their work and personal lives. This structure also provides opportunities to build a network with fellow EMBAs and interact with Drexel’s Executive Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) students on the same schedule.
EMBA Academic Rigor
The Drexel EMBA program was created for professionals and executives who set high standards for themselves. Our students are selected based in part on the possession of qualities such as initiative, self-motivation, resilience after failure, and the ability to adapt, overcome and make good judgments under pressure.
Our graduates report finishing the program having far broader understanding and perspective and a level of proven confidence that will empower them for their entire career.
EMBA Experiential Learning
Executive MBA students in Dublin, Ireland in 2022
The program has two experiential residencies per term (six terms), including eight on-campus immersive residencies (one of which is Electives Week), one global residency and three virtual remote sessions.
Each residency serves as a milestone in the EMBA experience:
- A five-day, multidisciplinary strategic value and financial impact immersion kicks off the program, focusing on value creation across the enterprise and integrating critical thinking and decision-making across finance, strategy, marketing and the supply chain — all while building a connection and community among cohorted classmates.
- The program’s midpoint is a global residency, which adds an international perspective to coursework and workplace experiences.
- It concludes with an executive capstone, the culmination of efforts in critical thinking and decision-making, in which EMBAs use the knowledge they’ve gained from the variety of courses and combine it with their professional experiences to tackle executive-level scenarios from faculty and subject matter experts.
On-Campus Residency Experiences
When on campus, EMBA residency classes are grouped into full-day sessions at LeBow with meals provided (early morning beverages and light fare; break refreshments; lunch; and afternoon refreshments). Executive student hotel accommodations for each campus residency are provided at The Study, a modern and sophisticated hotel located on Drexel’s campus and within short walking distance to LeBow.
Global Residency
The international immersion trip includes insightful business visits and lectures, providing students with a global perspective to coursework and workplace experiences.
All hotels, meals and transportation to site visits are included in the cost of the program.
Virtual Remote Sessions and Online Coursework
Some multi-day sessions are completed virtually to accommodate our students’ busy schedules and alleviate the number of on campus visits throughout the program. Other courses are delivered throughout the term online and asynchronously, allowing students to budget their time and complete weekly sessions at their own pace.
Learn more about the Executive MBA curriculum View the Executive MBA calendar for complete schedule information
EMBA Workload FAQs
- What will studying consist of?
Every course and every session varies, but here are some guidelines that may be helpful. Start by thinking in three phases: Research (pre-class preparation), Experiential (class sessions) and Implementation (post-class work).
The Research Phase helps you prepare for class sessions, understand both basics and background and then get more from your time with the professors and colleagues. Many professors give reading or videos to help you become familiar with key topics so that the class can focus more on application problem-solving and advanced learning.
The Experiential Phase varies but is typically either clustered into teaching days or even groups of days to encourage an immersion experience, and to include lectures, team assignments or projects like simulations. Some professors like to supplement their lectures with outside speakers, expert videos, TED talks and so on.
The Implementation Phase may include additional reading, review of notes and class materials and an assignment such as a paper or other project which are often graded. This phase emphasizes main takeaways of the class and how you plan to implement these new ideas at work.
- What can I expect in terms of time and workload?
As you look over the calendar, you’ll notice that the months vary widely in both scheduled and non-scheduled classes and events. This is intentional and has several purposes. Most EMBA students have both demanding work and family responsibilities so whenever possible, we try to create a balance of classes so that you have a sustainable workload with gaps that enable you to keep up with your job and your family. For instance, the Drexel EMBA has no class meetings in December.
- How many hours a week will I have to study?
At first, your Drexel EMBA program will be all new and may seem overwhelming, but you will quickly catch on and develop an understanding of how best to manage the requirements. You’ll also share knowledge with friends and classmates to help you become more efficient in each part of your work.
That’s why students often tell us they become increasingly efficient as the terms progress and are able to devote more time to thinking and learning, thereby freeing up time for reading and so on. In other words, it will still be rigorous but typically becomes more manageable.
- I am an introvert. Do I have to give presentations and be up front?
We are asked this question often. We encourage every student to actively participate in their groups and each activity within the group, including leading, facilitating, reporting and presenting. Our goal in all of EMBA is to challenge you to learn and do things you never thought yourself capable of. This is all to help you develop critical leadership skills. By the end of every EMBA program, many of our best presenters are those who were reluctant at the beginning.
EMBA Skills and Qualifications FAQs
- What are the skills and qualities you need to be successful in this program?
Every Drexel EMBA student comes to us with a different mix of skills and abilities. Each of them soon begin to build on their existing skills to develop new ones. Several skills are very important to possess as you enter, as our program is rigorous and demanding. Here are some of the core skills that are helpful:
- Diligence and discipline
- Both short- and long-term perspective
- Ability to listen and analyze
- Communication skills – including formation, delivery and follow-up
- Openness to learning and adopting new knowledge and tools
- Willingness to make mistakes on the way to excellence
- How can I start to prepare for the EMBA program?
We recommend that you set up a personal reading program that includes high-quality business publications such as the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Harvard Business Review and other similar publications and books.
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