Over the course of two frigid days in January, nearly a dozen alumni, executives, WSB staff members, and faculty gathered in Grainger Hall to take part in a first-of-its-kind pilot program.
Through a series of lectures and group activities, the participants discussed approaches and strategies for effective communication across different business scenarios. It was an exercise with a purpose, and one aimed at shaping a key learning opportunity—all before the material debuts in a real classroom later this year.
In Fall 2024, the first cohort of students in WSB’s redesigned executive MBA (EMBA) program will embark on a path which combines a new curriculum, experiential learning, and an emphasis on skills like executive communication through co-curricular residencies. The goal of the degree: put today’s business professionals on an accelerated path to the C-suite while offering unprecedented flexibility and value.
“Our agenda over the past couple of years has been relentless innovation,” says Enno Siemsen, associate dean of the MBA and master’s programs at WSB. “We redesigned our professional MBA, created new specializations within the full-time MBA, and launched new master’s programs. With WSB’s redesigned executive MBA, we’ve completed a transformation of our entire portfolio of graduate programs.”
The EMBA redesign, which was informed by market research and corporate feedback, comes at a time of changing student expectations. To that end, Siemsen says the biggest change with the new program is moving it to a hybrid format. Whereas past EMBA students took courses entirely in person, the new program will see students attending weekly online classes, plus one weekend per month of in-person learning.
“The hybrid model achieves the goal of fitting flexibly into people’s lives, as well as the goal of creating a network and relationships among peers that are incredibly valuable,” Siemsen says.
The redesigned EMBA program can be completed in 18 months (down from two years) and is divided into four modules that give students a comprehensive understanding of general business basics, strategy development, organizational transformation, and leadership development.
“With WSB’s redesigned executive MBA, we’ve completed a transformation of our entire portfolio of graduate programs.”
—Enno Siemsen
Four new courses were also developed for the program: Corporate Governance and Board Membership, Growth Marketing, M&A (Mergers and Acquisitions) and Global Strategy, and Competing Through AI.
Students will also participate in two weeklong residencies, which offer deep dives into topics that complement the general curriculum.
“These residencies are foundational for developing as an executive-level leader,” says Jean Sink, director of career management for MBA and master’s programs at WSB. “They allow our students to step out of their day-to-day routines, connect with classmates, and immerse themselves in the content.”
These in-person learning opportunities place an extensive emphasis on subjects like executive coaching and communication: key areas that have taken on greater importance in today’s business world. Executives need to be adept at switching communications tactics based on an increasing number of situations and expectations, from presenting to boards and investors to providing thought leadership through personal social media channels.
Of course, any good communication strategy also involves listening. As such, Sink wanted to hear from other executives and EMBA alums before finalizing the content of the residencies—hence the two-day January pilot, followed by another pilot in March.
What they found—and what will now shape the student experience when the first residency kicks off in August—is that the executive-level participants benefited not only from faculty lectures, but from their own conversations with each other.
“We saw that many of the points we wanted to cover in our lectures were already being illustrated by real-life examples from participants in small-group discussions,” says Sink. “They also really benefited from hearing about how various strategies were applied across different industries.”
Going forward, both Siemsen and Sink are committed to keeping the listening going—and will continue to evolve the curriculum in service of leveling up today’s professionals.
“We’re preparing a strong cohort of future executive-level leaders,” says Sink. “I’m very excited to see how this degree helps our students catapult forward in their careers, impacting not only themselves but their teams, their direct reports, and their broader community.”