By Shikhar Mohan, Founder, OneYearMBA.co.in
Executive MBA in India – four simple words that have created enough confusion to confound even the smartest MBA aspirants!
In this Executive MBA in India guide we will answer all the common doubts regarding this course.
Contents
An executive MBA is a course pursued by executives to enhance their career prospects. This course is typically pursued by senior executives with 10+ years of work experience alongside work – while they continue to work full time as executives – hence the course is called executive MBA – a MBA course for executives.
In India an Executive MBA is most commonly used to describe a One Year Full Time MBA. This branding is unique to India. India often has a unique take on things and we even have a Bollywood anthem celebrating this. The ‘It happens only in India’ song below has Govinda celebrating the unique aspects of life in India. Well he can add Executive MBA to the list.
Since one year full time MBA course in India are pursued by people who have worked for a number of years prior to the course, MBA institutes and the common man has branded them ‘Executive MBA’ courses.
We are not dealing with these courses in this guide.
Looking instead for One Year Full Time MBA courses / MBA courses for Executives and how they compare to Two Year Full Time MBA courses? In that case read One Year MBA in India vs Two Year MBA in India.
Executive MBA vs MBA
| Parameter | Full Time MBA ( 1 Year MBA/ 2 Year MBA) | Executive MBA (EMBA) |
| Format | Full-time Residential campus based programme – participants leave their jobs to attend the course | Part-time Participants continue to work full-time while learning |
| Duration | One Year MBA or Two Year MBA | Typically completed in 2 years or more |
| Who is it meant for | Mid level professionals with 3-10 years work experience | Senior executives – meant for VPs, CEOs, GMs with 10-20 years of work experience |
| What it helps you gain |
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| Eligibility | 3+ Years of work experience for most 2 year MBA courses globally 5+ years of work experience for most 1 year MBA courses globally | Typically 10+ years of work-experience is needed by reputed Executive MBA courses |
| Entry | Tough as nails. a lot of competition for the limited seats for both 2 year and 1 Year MBA courses A kick ass GMAT/ CAT/ GRE score for the top institutes is needed Good academic record Clarity of vision captured in essays etc | Comparatively relaxed entrance criteria Typically GMAT is not required Profile based admissions |
| Expense | Fee for One Year MBA & Two Year MBA India ranges between INR 5 lakh to 30 lakh The fee for similar courses in USA, Canada & Europe range between INR 30 lakh to 1 Crore | Most Executive MBA courses are more expensive than full-time MBA courses and start at INR 30 lakh plus. The reason for this is that the participants are often sponsored by their companies |
| Who pays for the course | Typically the individual pursuing the course | Many individuals pay for the Executive MBA, but most candidates are sponsored by their organisation |
| Intake | Usually 2-3 major admission intakes a year | Typically follows a rolling admission model with batches starting after a gap of every few months |
| Geographies the course is strong in | Globally – India, Europe, USA, Australia, Canada | Primarily outside India – USA & Europe |
| Placements | Most institutes offering a 1 Year MBA offer placements assistance to the students | No placement assistance is typically provided since most candidates are sponsored and engaged with a company already |
Source: Executive MBA vs MBA
The confusion between these two courses stems from the fact that to the layman both an Executive MBA and a Part-time MBA look like part-time courses.
Read this article to get complete clarity on The Difference Between an Executive MBA & a Part-time MBA.
Is an Executive MBA better than an MBA? Which is better PGDM or Executive MBA?
Is Thanos more powerful or a chainsaw? Is Trump better than Captain America? If those questions don’t make sense, neither does it make sense to compare an Executive MBA with an MBA.
As our analysis above shows, both are entirely different courses. One is meant for mid-career professionals looking to make a quantum leap in their career, the other is meant for senior executives looking to embellish their CV with a brand name, full in knowledge gaps for senior roles, and become more marketable at their existing job.
Is Thanos more powerful or a chainsaw? Is Trump better than Captain America? If those questions doesn’t make sense, neither does it make sense to compare an Executive MBA with an MBA.
That said, most companies assign more value to a Full time One Year MBA or a Two Year Full Time MBA as the rigour of entry and rigour within the course is higher than that for an Executive MBA.
Entry to Full time MBA courses requires a high GMAT score, multiple rounds of evaluations by admissions committees and a far better academic record than that demanded by B-Schools for admissions to their Executive MBA courses.
Since students study full time on campus the quality & quantum of peer learning in a full time MBA is also higher.
Read this article to delve deeper into Executive MBA in India vs One Year MBA in India.
(The above top executive courses are listed in no particular order as no reliable ranking of Executive MBA courses in India is available as on date).
Source: Top 10 Executive MBA Courses in India
The Executive MBA is for professionals with a number of years of work experience. The part-time nature of the program allows them to remain fully engaged with work and pursue studies outside the office hours.
Here, we will provide you with a ringside view of Executive programs in India and details on the various options available at the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) besides the private institutes, eligibility criteria, the fee and how to submit your applications.
Most EMBA courses require candidates to secure minimum 50% marks in graduation.
Recently, Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) has launched the mini-GMAT test for the working professionals who wanted to undertake EMBA program from international B-schools. Colleges analyse the candidature of candidates through their performance in personal interview and group discussion (GD), while some conduct entrance examination.
Many colleges accept scores of common entrance examinations. Some of the entrance examinations for admission to EMBA are mentioned below.
| CAT | Common Admission Test by IIMs |
| XAT | Entrance Exam by XLRI Jamshedpur |
| MAT | Management Aptitude Test by AIMA |
| SNAP | Symbiosis National Aptitude Test |
| FMS | Delhi University Entrance Test by Faculty of Management Studies |
| ATMA | AIMS’ Test for Management Admission |
| MAH-CET | Maharashtra MBA Common Entrance Test |
| JMET | Joint Management Entrance Test by IITs |
| IGNOU OPENMAT | Indira Gandhi National Open University Management Admission Test |
| GMAT | Graduate Management Admission Test |
| IBSAT | ICFAI Business School Aptitude Test |
Course specific requirements:
IIM Ahmedabad offers two-year e-Post Graduate Programme in Management (ePGP) for working executives and entrepreneurs that combines online and classroom learning. The participants should have a minimum of 3 years of full-time work experience (after completion of graduation) as on December 31, 2018.
The applicants should be 24 years or above (born on or before December 31, 1994). They should have at least a Bachelor’s Degree/CA /CS/ ICWA, with at least 50% marks in aggregate or equivalent CGPA, awarded by any of the recognized Universities.
Shortlisted candidates (on the basis of score obtained in CAT/GMAT/GRE) will be invited for a personal interview at the IIMA campus or in other cities as decided by the Institute.
For the ePGP 2019-21 Batch, the Application Start Date is February/March, Application Closure Date May 31 and Personal Interview in June/July 2019. The Campus Module will stars at IIMA on September 23 and Studio Module on October 3. The program fee will be Rs 20,00,000.
The Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) at the University of Delhi has a two-year evening MBA Executive program. The applicants should have pursued at least a three-year Bachelor‘s Degree program after 12 years of formal schooling having secured minimum 45% aggregate marks or equivalent grades.
These could be in any of the disciplines such as Arts, Commerce, Social Sciences, Law, Sciences, Mathematics/ Statistics, Medicine, Engineering or Technology. Additionally, she/ he should have at least five years of experience as an executive or an administrator in a commercial/government establishment/registered organization after passing the Bachelor‘s degree examination.
Experience would be determined as on the 1st April of the year of admission. Candidates should be either sponsored or produce a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to pursue the program from his/her present employer.
FMS also offers an MBA Executive (Health Care Administration) Program. The applicants should have a Bachelor Degree with minimum 45% aggregate marks or equivalent grade in any discipline such as Medicine (MBBS)/BDS/BAMS/BUMS/BHMS or Master Degree with 55% marks in Biotechnology/ Genomics/Genetics/ Nursing/ Bioengineering/ Alternative Systems of Medicine/ Paramedical Discipline/Pharmacology/ Anthropology/ Zoology or an examination recognized as equivalent.
The candidate should have at least five years of experience as an executive or in an administrative position in a public or private or autonomous/ registered Health Care Organization or in Health Sector after acquiring the Bachelor‘s degree.
The annual fee is Rs 50,000 plus Rs l1,000 (Library Fee) payable in two equal instalments of` 25,000 each for both programs. All candidates have to register using the online registration system available on www.fms for filling and submitting the applications.
The Indian School of Business (ISB) offers the Post Graduate Program in Management for Working Professionals (PGPpro), a weekend Executive MBA (EMBA) equivalent program. It allows specialisation in either Finance or Marketing. This is the first program from ISB to be offered outside its Hyderabad campus in Bengaluru, Delhi (NCR) and Mumbai.
The applicant should have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification in any discipline, full-time work experience of between 5-12 years. The online application form can be completed over several sessions. You will be able to save and review the information before final submission of the completed application.
You should also scan and upload the following documents along with the application. These are a colour photograph, Passport, Academic Certificates–Bachelor’s Degree Certificate & Mark Sheets/Transcripts (for all semesters/years), Class 12 Mark sheets/Transcripts.
Professional evaluations should be submitted, preferably online, as per the prescribed format. For employed applicants, evaluations should be requested from the current manager and the most recent previous manager.
Self-employed applicants may get evaluations from business associates like your customers or vendors. In case of any doubt, please write to the Admissions Office before making a choice.
IIM Kozhikode launched the Executive Management Education Program (EMEP) for working executives. Participants have the flexibility to choose the classroom centres based on their city of residence/work.
The executive education program offers a two-year post-graduate diploma program in management and one-year post-graduate certification programmes in Operations, Marketing, Finance, Strategy, IT and Human Resources which supports the working professionals and executives to enrich their knowledge in the area of expertise.
It is an AICTE approved the three-year part-time weekend program in business management for Working Executives and Business Owners. It is a rigorous program of 900 contact hours. Participants should have a minimum of two years of work experience in executive/supervisory roles.
They should have a three-year Bachelors’ degree or its equivalent in any discipline from a University or a Deemed University. Candidates who have completed the four-year Bachelors’ degree in any Engineering discipline from a University or Deemed University are also eligible to apply. They must have a score of 50% or more marks (or its equivalent GPA).
The Post Graduate Executive Management Program (PGEMP) at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan SPJIMR, Mumbai, is a 21-month program conducted in a modular format. It is tailored specifically for middle-senior management executives with more than 5 years of work experience, who are unable to take a break from their jobs and attend school full time.
The AMBA-accredited program has a format that ensures minimal absence from the workplace – a total of 60 days on campus over 21 months (9 days residence on campus every quarter). Participants get to apply the learnings on campus immediately to their workplace through a host of application assignments and a major Capstone Project.
Most participants are company sponsored executives from SPJIMR’s partner companies from diverse sectors. The program is also open to self-funded applicants.
PGDM – Part Time is aimed at working executives who are looking for a jump in their career but wish to complete their MBA without leaving their job. It involves regular, weekly classroom interactions with the faculty at IMT campus.
Approved by AICTE and accredited by AACSB, it is designed to impart conceptual, communication, business and management skills with a focus on developing business leaders and change agents who should be ready to take the leadership roles after the completion of the program.
Participants can opt for either the weekend mode or alternative weekend mode. They will have to check-in into the campus on Friday evening and check out on Sunday evening. Accommodation on campus will be on payment basis. The program also has an optional international immersion on payment basis.
The candidate should have a Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline with 2 years of work experience after graduation (one year in case of Post -Graduation or those with professional qualification). You will be evaluated on the basis of a written assessment exercise and personal interview. The application fee is Rs 2000. The program fee is Rs 6 lakh, payable in six instalments.
The two-year, alternate weekend Post-Graduate Diploma Programme in Management for Executives (Modular)-PGPMX, offered in Mumbai, is designed for working executives and entrepreneurs.
It is equivalent in content and rigour to the regular Post-Graduate Program in Management (PGP) and the classes are facilitated and taught by the same faculty.
The MBA (Executive) programme at Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM) Pune has been designed specifically for working executives at a more advanced level in their career. The classes take place on weekends at the campus. It offers a choice of six specialisations in Marketing, Finance, Human Resource, Operations and Supply Chain, Analytics & Information Technology and Innovation & Entrepreneurship with a rider that at least 10 students should have enrolled for the specialisation.
Executive Master of Business Administration program (EMBA) has a flexible curriculum design offering program completion option in a fast-track 15 months or 24 months duration. It is a learner-driven credit-based E-MBA program. Participants can register for a module as per their convenience subject to completion of pre-requisite courses.
Specialization is available in areas of Finance, Marketing, HR, Information Systems, & Operations to refashion managers well-endowed in a particular functional area. Dual specialization option available to those who want to specialize in two disciplines.
The student is required to complete 58 credit courses for this program. This includes 24 core courses and 12 electives, along with a dissertation which is the equivalent of 4 full credit courses.
Source: Admission Process For Top Executive MBA Courses – 2019
The score requirement for an Executive MBA differs from IIM to IIM.
IIM Ahmedabad’s ePGP requires a valid CAT score (of the test taken within the last 3 years i.e. 2016, 2017, and 2018) or GMAT / GRE score (test taken within the last 5 years i.e. from January 1, 2014, to May 15, 2019). However, it does not specify a cut-off score. IIM Indore’s Post Graduate Diploma in Management for Executives in Mumbai (PGP-MX) does not mention any requirement of GMAT/GRE scores for admission.
IIM Bangalore’s Post Graduate Programme in Enterprise Management (PGPEM) is a two-year weekend MBA. It wants the score of CAT / GRE / GMAT or IIMB Test. Here also, the minimum score is not specified.
IIM Indore’s two-year, alternate weekend Post-Graduate Diploma Program in Management for Executives (Modular)-PGPMX, offered in Mumbai, is designed for working executives and entrepreneurs. The admission guidelines do not specify any need for CAT, GMAT or GRE scores.
IIM Kozhikode’s Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management takes into consideration scores of an entrance test EMAT or CAT/GMAT scores during the preliminary screening process for selection of applicants. The applicants should have a minimum of 75 percentile in CAT or a minimum score of 650 in GMAT to be considered eligible for the next stage of the selection process.
The first part of the question needs to be replied in the affirmative. The Executive MBA will certainly help you to develop your skills to such an extent as to help you make good progress in career.
This could mean moving up within the organization you are currently employed in as the part-time nature of the Executive MBA allows you to keep working throughout the duration of the program, unlike the full-time MBA courses.
With the newly acquired skills, you will also be able to seek a better job profile elsewhere too. Post-EMBA salaries also tend to be much higher. However, be warned that the Executive MBA programs do not have the rigour and depth of full-time MBA. Also, you would be missing out on networking and internship opportunities to a great extent.
On the plus side, the flexibility offered by the part-time nature of the program allowing you to meet your work and family commitments without much disruption is a great advantage. Since the cohort will comprise experienced professionals, you will be able to find enough diversity in the classroom.
Some of the programs like IIM Ahmedabad’s ePGP, a hybrid program, with online lessons conducted through study centres, classroom teaching at IIMA campus and project work, allows you to gain by interactions with fellow students much like in a full-time course.
The quality of the program, the faculty and the cohort are the most important factors to be considered while zeroing in on a particular program. You also need not despair about enrolling for a part-time Executive MBA program, as Vishnu Prasad, an alum of IIM Bangalore, answering a question in Quora, says some of the most famous alumni of IIM Bangalore are from the part-time PGPEM program.
IIM Alumnus, Ex-banker and Business Head Madhulika points out the need to pick the institutions with care. Executive programs at the IIMs, especially the top six, offer better value and care. However, some of the private ones, even the better-ranked ones seem to be using the reputation of their regular MBA, to get in Executive MBA students.
She says these private ones pay about 30–40% commission, to sales partners, for every seat for an Exec and Part-time MBA. So for every lakh you’re paying them as fees, 30–40k is going as sales commission. Under such circumstances, it would be better to reach out to the alumni and check the career advantages if any, you get.
The institutes do not provide placement facilities to Executive MBA graduates. On-campus placement is restricted to students of full-time programs as it is assumed that the Executive MBA cohort is already working somewhere and do not require any such facilities.
For pursuing EMBA, candidates must have the bachelor’s degree along with the work experience of at least more than four years. Some colleges have an age criteria for students, according to which these candidates must attain the age of 27 years before the 31st March of the admission session.
The Program Fee for the ePost Graduate Program (ePGP) is Rs 20,00,000 for the 2019-21 Batch. IIMA does not offer any scholarship/loans except for the facility of paying the fee in six instalments. The schedule is Rs 3,50,000 each on September 1, 2019, May 1, 2020, September 1, 2020 and January 1, 2021. The last instalment of Rs 2,50,000 is to be paid on April 1, 2021.
Candidates seeking financial assistance will have to apply for a bank loan on their own.
The program fee is Rs 15,00,000 + applicable taxes. A non-refundable commitment fee of Rs 1,00,000 + applicable taxes is to be given at the time of acceptance of admission offer. Before Registration in the Program Rs 6,50,000 + applicable taxes are to be remitted. In the first week of the twelfth month, counting from the month program commences, Rs 7,50,000/- + applicable taxes are to be given.
No scholarship/loan is available for the program.
In the year 2001, with the launch of the Executive Management Education Programme (EMEP) for working professionals, IIMK pioneered management education through a synchronous interactive learning mode (IL) in the Asia Pacific region. Subsequently, it became the Executive Post Graduate Program (EPGP) in Management. The two-year program has recently been renamed as MBA program for working professionals.
While scholarships are not available for the program, loans can be availed from banks.
The tuition fee for PGPEM 2019-21 is Rs 18,50,000 along with a refundable caution deposit. The fee is payable in 8 installments. IIMB provides scholarships for deserving students. In addition, banks and other financial institutes also provide loan facility.
The annual fee payable to the Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi is Rs 50,000 plus Rs 1000 (Library Fee) payable in two equal installments of`25,000 each for MBA Executive and MBA Executive (Health Care Administration) programs.
There are no scholarships or educational loans on offer at FMS.
The fee for MBA (Executive) is Rs 6,10,000 payable in four installments. Educational Loans can easily be availed from Axis Bank, Indian Bank, Canara Bank, Credila, Bank of Baroda or Corporation Bank.
The program fee for the academic year 2019-20 is Rs 30,41,000 plus GST and includes the admission fee & tuition. A refundable security deposit of Rs 20,000 has to be paid in addition to the program fee. This amount is refundable after deduction of any dues payable to the School.
No scholarship or loan facility is available from the institution for the program.
The tuition fee for the first year (2019-20) is Rs 4.26 lakh, second-year Rs 3.23 lakh and for the third year Rs 3.23 lakh. No scholarship or loan facility is available from the institution for the program.
The fee is Rs 8,00,000. Individual Applicants (not sponsored financially by their organisation) can avail the installment facility. The first installment will be Rs 3,60,000, second installment Rs 2,40,000 and third installment Rs 2,00,000. No scholarship or loan facility is available from the institution for the program.
The total fee for the program is Rs 6,00,000. Students who opt for the International Immersion will have to pay an additional Rs 2,00,000 at the end of the first year. No scholarship or loan facility is available from the institution for the program.
View Comments
I must say you have shared a lot of useful information regarding the difference between MBA and Executive MBA. This information is sure to help candidates aspiring to pursue further education. It is nice that you have also explained the difference between executive MBA and part-time MBA.
IIM B and IIM C are not there?
Hi Nilesh, are you referring to One year MBA programs from IIM B and IIM C? They are listed in the One Year MBA category - https://www.oneyearmba.co.in/one-year-mba-india-top-institutes-best-one-year-mba-information-how-to-apply-when-to-apply-eligibility-worth-what-is-a-1-year-mba-what-is-executive-mba-which-institute-best-executive-mba-fee-deadline/
If you think some specific programs are missing from the Executive MBA page, do share and we will add them if they are suitable for the page.