The Best Executive M.B.A. Programs

The following is an excerpt from The Wall Street Journal about the best Executive M.B.A. programs and the newly ranked Mendoza College of Business at No. 6. To read the entire column, visit: The Best Executive M.B.A. Programs 

Last year, Takashi Yoshizaki was halfway through his executive M.B.A. studies at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business when his employer announced it would file for bankruptcy.

This could have been a worrisome development, to say the least, since he was personally committed to pay the $150,000 in tuition. But Mr. Yoshizaki, 37 years old, quickly negotiated a new position with one of the companies buying out his firm. And paying his tuition himself, he says, helped maximize his bargaining power.

As Mr. Yoshizaki's experience suggests, the journey of the typical E.M.B.A. student has grown more complicated since The Wall Street Journal's first ranking of executive M.B.A. programs in 2008. E.M.B.A. programs cater to students already in the managerial ranks who have a decade or more of work experience. Classes are typically held every other weekend over two years.

In the aftermath of the financial crisis and a continuing decline in corporate sponsorships, students are increasingly paying their own way and searching for new jobs even while they're still enrolled. They also are demanding more from their schools, such as specialized training, career coaching and job placement.

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