Finding a good UK (London)-based EMBA with the right fit and schedule

lobsta100

4 7

Posted Feb 21, 2018 13:08

Hi all

First time posting on this site and hoping for some advice.

I am considering an EMBA as it feels the right stage in my career and it looks possible that my employer could sponsor.

My current situation:
I am 35 with just over 10 years of work experience. I am a Chartered Accountant with most of my career spent in management positions in commercial/ strategic finance in a FTSE100 airline group. I am based in London and married with 3 children and a 4th on the way(!).

I am very driven and want to accelerate my career, preferably using the EMBA to move me into a commercial/ strategy-leadership position, using my commercial finance background rather than staying in finance itself. The network of whichever program I choose is therefore important and, to me, this discounts most online EMBAs.

However the main difficulty I am finding when researching the available programs is that work-life balance is clearly important to me, given my young family, but also I am not able to attend classes on Friday evenings or Saturdays as I am an Orthodox Jew.

I would appreciate any advice on a program that would allow me to still achieve the EMBA at a good school, attend any classes in the London area and not have to attend on a Friday night/ Saturday - does this exist?!

Thanks in advance

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Duncan

14.013 15.475

Posted Feb 21, 2018 22:59

Cass is on Tuesday and Thursday evenings
https://www.cass.city.ac.uk/study/mba/executive-mba

Maybe Warwick at The Shard?
http://www.wbs.ac.uk/courses/mba/distance-learning-london/teaching/

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lobsta100

4 7

Posted Feb 21, 2018 23:08

Cass is on Tuesday and Thursday evenings
https://www.cass.city.ac.uk/study/mba/executive-mba

Maybe Warwick at The Shard?
http://www.wbs.ac.uk/courses/mba/distance-learning-london/teaching/

Thanks so much for replying Duncan. I will look into both. Does Cass have a good reputation? I know v little about it. I had looked at Warwick at the Shard but only at their EMBA (which included Saturdays). Are the criteria etc different for a Distance/ online MBA vs an EMBA? I had half assumed I should really be avoiding those types

Thanks again

[quote]Cass is on Tuesday and Thursday evenings
https://www.cass.city.ac.uk/study/mba/executive-mba

Maybe Warwick at The Shard?
http://www.wbs.ac.uk/courses/mba/distance-learning-london/teaching/ [/quote]

Thanks so much for replying Duncan. I will look into both. Does Cass have a good reputation? I know v little about it. I had looked at Warwick at the Shard but only at their EMBA (which included Saturdays). Are the criteria etc different for a Distance/ online MBA vs an EMBA? I had half assumed I should really be avoiding those types

Thanks again

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Duncan

14.013 15.475

Posted Feb 22, 2018 12:24

Cass is an excellent school and, for most of the most of the last 30 years, it's weekday evening model has meant that it's been the major competitor of LBS's EMBA in the city. I was a TA there in the 1990s, and even then the EMBA had an even stronger reputation than the school's very good full-time MBA (as is still the case now). For salary, which is a good proxy for class quality, it is well above Warwick, Henley and Imperial's EMBAs: http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/executive-mba-ranking-2017

Yes, the distance learning MBA is a much weaker alternative, and will be less selective.

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lobsta100

4 7

Posted Feb 22, 2018 12:30

Cass is an excellent school and, for most of the most of the last 30 years, it's weekday evening model has meant that it's been the major competitor of LBS's EMBA in the city. I was a TA there in the 1990s, and even then the EMBA had an even stronger reputation than the school's very good full-time MBA (as is still the case now). For salary, which is a good proxy for class quality, it is well above Warwick, Henley and Imperial's EMBAs: http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/executive-mba-ranking-2017

Yes, the distance learning MBA is a much weaker alternative, and will be less selective.

Thank you again Duncan - very helpful and Cass is certainly starting to look a very viable, if not the most viable, option.

Last question, if I may.

My background and work experience is in finance but more recently has been strategic and commercial finance and one of my aims if I embark on an eMBA would be to use it to propel myself over the line between finance and strategy/commercial leadership.

Given Cass' reputation (at least from what I have read) for heavy weighting of cohort towards finance, do you believe it has the breadth to help me achieve these aims?

Thanks so much

[quote]Cass is an excellent school and, for most of the most of the last 30 years, it's weekday evening model has meant that it's been the major competitor of LBS's EMBA in the city. I was a TA there in the 1990s, and even then the EMBA had an even stronger reputation than the school's very good full-time MBA (as is still the case now). For salary, which is a good proxy for class quality, it is well above Warwick, Henley and Imperial's EMBAs: http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/executive-mba-ranking-2017

Yes, the distance learning MBA is a much weaker alternative, and will be less selective. [/quote]

Thank you again Duncan - very helpful and Cass is certainly starting to look a very viable, if not the most viable, option.

Last question, if I may.

My background and work experience is in finance but more recently has been strategic and commercial finance and one of my aims if I embark on an eMBA would be to use it to propel myself over the line between finance and strategy/commercial leadership.

Given Cass' reputation (at least from what I have read) for heavy weighting of cohort towards finance, do you believe it has the breadth to help me achieve these aims?

Thanks so much

quote

Duncan

14.013 15.475

Posted Feb 22, 2018 12:38

MSc students go to Cass to learn finance. Because of its location in the City, most Executive MBAs students there (and perhaps also on the Chicago EMBA around the corner) known about finance already: they are there to learn about general management: https://www.cass.city.ac.uk/study/mba/executive-mba/programme-structure As a huge school, I think Cass is very strong for all the core management domains. The EMBA has a big focus on people in strategy, finance and marketing/business development.

What option seems most viable for you: distance learning?

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lobsta100

4 7

Posted Feb 22, 2018 12:44

MSc students go to Cass to learn finance. Because of its location in the City, most Executive MBAs students there (and perhaps also on the Chicago EMBA around the corner) known about finance already: they are there to learn about general management: https://www.cass.city.ac.uk/study/mba/executive-mba/programme-structure As a huge school, I think Cass is very strong for all the core management domains. The EMBA has a big focus on people in strategy, finance and marketing/business development.

What option seems most viable for you: distance learning?

No actually the evening weekly format would work - it would be tough (with 4 young children in the house by that point) - but I simply couldn't do the weekend 2+2 format and I don't believe that distance learning would work for me without the motivating element of the regular class environment.

[quote]MSc students go to Cass to learn finance. Because of its location in the City, most Executive MBAs students there (and perhaps also on the Chicago EMBA around the corner) known about finance already: they are there to learn about general management: https://www.cass.city.ac.uk/study/mba/executive-mba/programme-structure As a huge school, I think Cass is very strong for all the core management domains. The EMBA has a big focus on people in strategy, finance and marketing/business development.

What option seems most viable for you: distance learning?[/quote]

No actually the evening weekly format would work - it would be tough (with 4 young children in the house by that point) - but I simply couldn't do the weekend 2+2 format and I don't believe that distance learning would work for me without the motivating element of the regular class environment.

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Duncan

14.013 15.475

Posted Feb 22, 2018 13:02

Okay, so Cass must be the best option?

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lobsta100

4 7

Posted Feb 22, 2018 13:08

Okay, so Cass must be the best option?

Yes it seems that way. Trying to find as much info as I can about it now.

I will get in touch with their admissions team and sound it out also. I haven't found any reference on their EMBA website to GMAT/ GRE .etc requirements - can this be right?

[quote]Okay, so Cass must be the best option? [/quote]

Yes it seems that way. Trying to find as much info as I can about it now.

I will get in touch with their admissions team and sound it out also. I haven't found any reference on their EMBA website to GMAT/ GRE .etc requirements - can this be right?

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Duncan

14.013 15.475

Posted Feb 22, 2018 15:07

Yes, I don't think that is very unusual for an EMBA where the career history is a much better guide to management aptitude than a GMAT.

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lobsta100

4 7

Posted Feb 22, 2018 15:14

Yes, I don't think that is very unusual for an EMBA where the career history is a much better guide to management aptitude than a GMAT.

Not that I am adverse to having to take tests to prove myself but that would be great if my 10+ years of career experience (plus of course my essays/ interviews) would be considered sufficient.

I have submitted my CV for review by the Cass EMBA team so will see what they come back and say.

Next step is likely to be the potential deal breaker - discussing this with my wife, given I have 3 kids aged 3-9 and one due in June!

[quote]Yes, I don't think that is very unusual for an EMBA where the career history is a much better guide to management aptitude than a GMAT. [/quote]

Not that I am adverse to having to take tests to prove myself but that would be great if my 10+ years of career experience (plus of course my essays/ interviews) would be considered sufficient.

I have submitted my CV for review by the Cass EMBA team so will see what they come back and say.

Next step is likely to be the potential deal breaker - discussing this with my wife, given I have 3 kids aged 3-9 and one due in June!

quote

Duncan

14.013 15.475

Posted Feb 22, 2018 15:24

Try and bring your wife to sit in on a class with you. With an EMBA you can earn more in less time, and have more time for the family.

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lobsta100

4 7

Posted Feb 22, 2018 15:32

Try and bring your wife to sit in on a class with you. With an EMBA you can earn more in less time, and have more time for the family.

Here's to hoping I can win her over!

Thanks for all your advice and swift responses - very much appreciated

[quote]Try and bring your wife to sit in on a class with you. With an EMBA you can earn more in less time, and have more time for the family.[/quote]

Here's to hoping I can win her over!

Thanks for all your advice and swift responses - very much appreciated

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