Hi there, I've seen a lot of discussion here about online MBA programs, but what about online EMBA programs?

I've only been able to find a few schools that offer them:

UNC (Kenan - Flagler)
RIT (Saunders)
Washington State
Pace (Lubin)
West Virginia University

I understand that UNC offers a robust learning experience - but are their programs really geared toward executives?

What about the other schools? Seems like they do less marketing than the UNC programs.

Could there be a meaningful difference between them?

I think there's a bit of a nomenclature issue here, because a couple of these programs are more equivalent to part-time MBA programs than EMBA programs. The Pace/Lubin and West Virginia programs, for example, are geared towards people with only a few years of experience.

The UNC programs and the Washington State program tend to draw a more experienced cohort (10-11 years of work experience, on average.)

If you're selecting from among these programs, it would really depend on where you are in your career and what your goals are. If you've only got a couple of years of work experience and are looking to shift careers or functional roles, then you might want to look more closely at local part-time programs, or at least ones that offer blended learning. The Pace/Lubin program you mentioned is great for regional New York and New Jersey students, because the residencies are held in Manhattan.

I have about 12 years of experience, so I'm looking more towards the UNC and Washington State programs. Are there any other programs I should consider that are aimed at this experience level?

I'm in Nebraska, and the only accredited EMBA program I could find is at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Going to the in-class sessions would be doable here - how would this learning experience compare to that of one of the online EMBA programs?

If you can negotiate with your employer, perhaps a ranked EMBA program a little further out would be doable. It's only an hour-long plane ride to Chicago - and Booth's EMBA program is top-notch.

Or, the program structure of Wharton's EMBA program is especially suited to students who fly in from other parts of the US - it meets alternating Fridays and Saturdays - and Philly is just a few hours on the plane from Omaha. A program like this would undoubtedly be worth the investment of time and money.

That's a really good idea - I have family in Chicago so the Booth EMBA program is definitely looking into. Thanks!