Are you a seasoned professional ready to advance your career and knowledge of the business world? You may be eligible for the 50 percent tuition benefit offered to WUSTL staff and faculty to pursue one of two programs toward a master’s of business administration (MBA) degree at Olin Business School.
The executive MBA (EMBA) and the professional MBA (PMBA) programs are designed for full-time employees at different career stages. The 50 percent University benefit covers tuition only and excludes meals, parking, lodging, travel and books.
Significant work experience (typically ranging from eight years to more than 20), demonstrated career progression and proven academic ability are a few of the prerequisites for the EMBA program.
The executive program allows students to balance a full-time work schedule and courses over a period of 20 months. Two class schedules are available: the weekend program, which meets every other week on Fridays and Saturdays; and the monthly program, which meets for three days, once a month, Thursday-Saturday.
The curriculum for both formats (57.75 credit hours) is centered on the complex challenges faced by mid- to senior-level executives.
WUSTL professors, doctors, scientists and administrators from various schools have taken advantage of the graduate school tuition benefit at Olin.
Akash Sharma, M.D., an instructor in radiology at the School of Medicine, is currently in the EMBA program. “We all received training on the clinical side in medical school, but physicians rarely get training about the business of medicine,” Sharma said. “With cost of health care at the forefront, physicians’ awareness of the issues and participation in reform is needed now more than ever.”
Sharma said the program is challenging, but so are the rewards. “The teamwork, negotiations and project management concepts that we have learned so far are universal for any professional, so I am starting to see how my learning is affecting my mindset and my approach to these issues at work,” he said.
Students in the PMBA program come from a wide range of industries and have an average of five years of professional work experience. Professional MBA students take classes two evenings per week. Students can accelerate their studies by taking more than two classes per week, weekend classes or weeklong classes and earn the MBA in about two-and-a-half years. Fifty-four credits are required to graduate, and more than half the courses are electives.
All Olin MBAs (full-time MBA, professional MBA and executive MBA) who complete the program successfully graduate with the same degree, fully accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International.
To inquire about the PMBA program, contact the team at mba@wustl.edu or 935-7301 or visit olin.wustl.edu/pmba.
Faculty and staff may be eligible for additional subsidies from Olin to cover tuition for the EMBA. For information about the EMBA program, visit olin.wustl.edu/emba or call Debra Williams, director of admissions EMBA program, at 935-3622.