Yale SOM Opens MBA for Executives Program to Students Pursuing General Management
The school’s executive MBA program will offer students greater flexibility, while maintaining a commitment to its three existing areas of focus.
The Yale School of Management will expand the options for students in its MBA for Executives program, enabling them to pursue a broad leadership education or specialize in one of the existing areas of focus: asset management, healthcare, and sustainability. Starting with those entering in 2024, students will complete the program’s signature integrated core curriculum, as well as a Global Network Week and advanced management courses, and then, in their second year, choose from electives across the areas of focus.
This evolution in the MBA for Executives program will continue to build on what is special and unique in the program while enabling us to reach more people who will benefit from exposure to Yale’s mission-driven model of leadership and from deeper understanding of major issues confronting business and society.
Wendy Tsung, the assistant dean of the executive MBA, noted that the additional flexibility will benefit both students who specialize in an area of focus and those who take courses across multiple areas. “This evolution in the MBA for Executives program will continue to build on what is special and unique in the program while enabling us to reach more people who will benefit from exposure to Yale’s mission-driven model of leadership and from deeper understanding of major issues confronting business and society.”
Throughout its history, the MBA for Executives program has leveraged the strengths of Yale University to develop leaders who make a positive impact both in their organizations and communities. When the EMBA program launched in 2005, it focused on developing leaders for the healthcare industry. In 2014, the program expanded to include leaders focused on asset management and sustainability. Since the expansion, students have taken a series of specialized courses and attended colloquia with classmates within their areas of focus.
Starting with the Class of 2026, students will be able to choose electives and attend colloquium sessions from any area of focus. They will be able to specialize within an area of focus by taking at least four elective courses in that subject and attending five colloquium sessions. The program was previously restricted to students with professional experience within one of the areas of focus; it will now be open to a broader pool of applicants with significant leadership experience.
Professor Howard Forman was the founding co-director of the MBA for Executives program and currently serves as the faculty director for the healthcare area of focus. He said, “We’ve built up an amazing network of leaders committed to improving healthcare systems and organizations over the years. The same has happened in asset management and sustainability. We achieved this by leveraging the unique talents and expertise in these areas from across Yale University. We expect that we will continue to attract students interested in these critical areas for business and society, while allowing greater flexibility in course selection and offering general management applicants an opportunity to benefit from the Yale MBA in an executive-friendly format.”