Elon Musk criticized what he called the “MBA-ization of America” in December 2020, saying that hiring people with degrees improves a company’s ability to think outside the box and meet customer needs. said that it would be cloudy, causing ripples. Business school leaders quickly fired back. Needless to say, no matter what the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX thinks, he and other entrepreneurs in the technology industry rely heavily on MBA graduates.
An MBA is a great way to learn about business, expand your network, and climb the corporate ladder. All of this applies to professionals in the technology industry. If you’ve been working for 12 to 20 years and want to move up in a technology company, you may be considering an Executive MBA degree. Several top-ranked EMBA programs offer curriculum and experiences tailored to technology fields, and many have networking opportunities and partnerships with technology companies and entrepreneurs.
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UNC Kenan-Flagler’s top-ranked online MBA is designed for experienced professionals looking to take their careers to the next level. Students have access to lifelong career benefits and a global network of more than 51,000 business school alumni. You can earn her MBA online in as little as 18 months or as long as 3 years. MBA fellowships are available.
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But which programs are most effective for this?
To find out, Fortune spoke to business school officials across the country to find some of the top EMBA programs that cater to aspiring technology executives. This is what we found.
University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business
When it comes to networking in the technology field, the EMBA program at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business has a lot to offer.
Hoyt Ng, senior director of Berkeley’s MBA program, said recent EMBA students include those employed by SpaceX, Google and Facebook, as well as Top Gun flight instructors and U.S. Navy Blue Angels flight demonstration flights. It also included members of the corps. Approximately 15% to 18% of his EMBA students at the school come from the technology field. About 25% of graduates work in the technology industry, often at companies such as Facebook, Apple and Google, Ng added.
Ng said the school’s Silicon Valley location benefits students because of its alumni network.
“We have a very extensive network in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and all over the West Coast,” Ng said, adding that Berkeley’s EMBA students have a bond with each other. “You’re expanding your network. Not only are you learning skills to manage and lead in the world of technology, you’re also building great relationships.”
Berkeley’s 22-month EMBA program also offers technology-ready field experience. These immersions include a focus on Silicon Valley’s entrepreneurship and innovation, along with San Francisco’s applied innovation. During the Silicon Valley immersion, students learn the demands, benefits, and risks of working for or at a startup, and engage in candid conversations with founders and executives throughout the immersion. During their hands-on experience in San Francisco, students work with leaders from design firms and corporate innovation labs to solve complex business problems.
Cornell University, Johnson College of Business
Cornell University’s Johnson College of Business offers three EMBA programs: the Metro NY Program, the Americas Program, and the EMBA and Master of Science in Healthcare Leadership dual degree. Program length is 17 to 22 months.
All three services address the technology industry in different ways, said Mark W. Nelson, dean and professor of accounting at Cornell University’s Samuel Curtis Johnson School of Business. The Metro EMBA and the Healthcare Leadership EMBA are both based on the Cornell Tech campus, which is designed to address the digital economy and aims to blend technology and business with creative thinking.
“They’re on a campus that houses both MBA students (and) technology-based master’s students,” Nelson says. “In terms of networking opportunities, there’s a lot.”
Cornell University’s Metro NY EMBA Innovation and New Venture Creation program is perfect for aspiring technology leaders.
“This would be a classic for anyone interested in technology to further strengthen that focus,” Nelson said, adding that the program’s courses in leading digital transformation and innovation will also be beneficial. . “The idea is that every business is a technology business. Every business needs to be well-equipped and ready to thrive in the digital economy.”
In the school’s Americas Program (delivered remotely and in boardrooms across the Americas and in collaboration with Queen’s University), students benefit from the diversity of their grade level and engage with their classmates through discussions and team projects. Learn about the technology industry from.
The EMBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership program is offered in collaboration with Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City and is located at the Tata Innovation Center on the Cornell Tech campus. There, students will have the opportunity to explore the application of digital health technology as well as entrepreneurship in the healthcare field. The program’s curriculum provides students with the opportunity to study elective courses including Design Thinking in Healthcare and Digital Innovation in Healthcare.
Approximately 15% of graduates across Cornell EMBA programs end up working in the technology industry. Many more of her EMBAs work in the technology sector across industries such as finance, consulting, and healthcare. Major technology companies that hire Cornell graduates during and after their EMBA programs include Amazon, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, and Microsoft.
Georgia Institute of Technology, Scheller College of Business
Georgia Tech’s 17-month EMBA program offers two specializations: the Global Business Track and the Technology Management Track.
Trent Thurman, associate dean for executive education at Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business, says one of the reasons the school attracts technology-focused students is because of Atlanta’s Technology Square neighborhood. He says that it is a connection with As he points out, the surrounding region is home to more than 100 startups, 25 innovation centers and seven venture funds. “Having access to all of this and being right next to it is a big draw,” he adds.
In addition to a curriculum that includes the process of innovation, technical forecasting and analysis of emerging technologies, technology management students also experience a capstone that includes courses focused on launching new products and services. In a team environment, students select emerging technologies and go through a process of market validation, financial analysis, and develop marketing and business plans and go-to-market strategies.
Technology management students have the option of a mandatory two-week international stay in Dubai this year and a trip to Silicon Valley to learn from startups and other technology companies such as Google, eBay, Sysco, AT&T There is also. In the past. In the future, Thurman said the trip will be expanded to other tech hubs such as Austin and Boston.
Now, Georgia Tech is expanding its focus on current technology trends and rethinking its curriculum to build digital fluency, Thurman said. “Technology is in our name and definitely at our core,” he says.
University of Washington Foster School of Business
The University of Washington Foster School of Business offers the EMBA in two 21-month formats. One is a weekly program aimed primarily at students in the Puget Sound area, and the other is a monthly program aimed at people who frequently travel for work or live outside the area. .
Foster has between 130 and 150 students at any given time between the two formats. And the EMBA program attracts students from a variety of backgrounds, said Louise A. Kapuska, executive director of Foster’s Executive MBA program.
“This gives you the perspective of not only your own industry, but also different companies, companies of different sizes, and even nonprofits,” she says. “It gives you a broader view of what’s going on in the business.”
Ms. Kapczka says her EMBA program does not have electives, and says, “In our opinion, that’s about right.”
More than 25% of Foster EMBA students are mid- and senior-level managers in the technology industry. In addition to the foundational business curriculum, Foster courses explore technology trends and their impact on the future of employment and leadership.
Kapuska said Foster has relationships with the local business community and many local entrepreneurs enjoy mentoring students. Faculty and guest speakers are often executive-level professionals who have focused on technology in their careers. Companies Foster is associated with include Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Intel. The EMBA program also includes a capstone in which students create their own business on paper. Some students choose to carry out their plans after graduation.
See how the schools you’re considering rank in Fortune’s rankings of the best executive, full-time, and online MBA programs.
