Olin Business School makes its debut in the Wall Street Journal’s 2010 survey of accredited Executive MBA programs in the No. 2 spot behind the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. The newspaper cited Olin’s high scores in the areas of career services and alumni satisfaction with the program as strengths that helped “vault” Olin into the rankings.
“Recognition of our EMBA program is not only a well-deserved recognition of our outstanding students and faculty, but also a tribute to the Midwest companies and business people who choose Washington University for its rigorous, collaborative and transformative learning experience,” says Mahendra Gupta, PhD, dean and the Geraldine J. and Robert L. Virgil Professor of Accounting and Management. “We are very proud that our programs are not only meeting but also exceeding expectations.”
Olin’s alumni gave the EMBA program high marks in every category of the survey. In addition to top scores for faculty, academic programs and skills, alumni ranked their classmates’ contributions to the learning experience as first rate.
The Wall Street Journal’s top 25 rankings are based on survey data collected on 87 EMBA programs at 64 business schools with campuses in 18 countries. The survey responses are solicited from corporate human resource officers and recent EMBA alumni and calculated in conjunction with an independent research firm.
Noting that the needs of EMBA students have changed since the financial crisis and economic recession, the Wall Street Journal highlighted the extensive career services offered at Olin as an important aspect of the program. An interview with Frans VanOudenallen, Olin’s full-time career coach for EMBA students is featured in the Journal’s education section.
According to the Wall Street Journal, about 35 percent of EMBA students said their No. 1 reason for getting an EMBA was “to help them change careers or industries, with 29 percent citing hopes of getting a promotion at their current company. In years past, according to business-school administrators, executives enrolled in programs primarily as a way to move up the ladder in their own company.”
Olin’s EMBA program anticipates and responds to the changing needs of its students and helps each one develop a personalized Executive Leadership Plan to develop self awareness, identify areas for growth and hone the skill set to navigate their career path.
Olin’s Shanghai-based EMBA program is ranked eighth by the Financial Times and No. 1 in China. Students in the U.S. and Chinese programs spend two weeks in Shanghai and St. Louis as part of the international component of each program. Olin’s EMBA program in Kansas City was launched in April 2010.
Click here for more information about Olin’s Executive MBA program.