The University of Notre Dame executive MBA-Chicago (EMBA-Chicago) program announced a significant change to its format. Starting in January 2022, the new format extends the length of its program to two years with monthly residencies Thursday through Saturday.
The EMBA-Chicago program, held at the Notre Dame Chicago campus at 224 S. Michigan Ave., previously was offered as a one-and-a-half-year program with bimonthly residencies.
The decision to restructure the format resulted from input from many different groups associated with EMBA-Chicago, including current and prospective students, faculty, staff, alumni and industry representatives. Mendoza leadership also reviewed competitive EMBA offerings and market trends.
“Our ultimate aim in shifting the EMBA-Chicago format to a two-year program is to enhance the student experience,” said Walt Clements, Mendoza’s associate dean of executive education. “The extended length allows students more time to engage with all aspects of the program, including speaker and networking events, international immersions and additional electives, and with each other — classmates and faculty — in our collaborative approach to executive education.”
The EMBA-Chicago program is intended for experienced professionals, particularly chief executives, managers and business owners with more than 10 years of professional experience. The program will continue following its current schedule of starting classes in January.
“The extended format provides a greater opportunity for group work and co-curricular activities, which in turn allows students more time for discussion and sharing of experiences,” said Mike Brach, Notre Dame EMBA program director. “It also offers some practical advantages — reducing travel time and expenses and allowing students more flexibility in balancing the demands of their professional lives, their home lives and the program requirements.”
The program plans to enhance career services support for executive students, including individual coaching sessions.
“Mendoza’s mission is to grow the good in business, which means we focus on the development of the whole person,” said Martijn Cremers, the Martin J. Gillen Dean of the Mendoza College of Business. “The two-year format supports this development by allowing for deeper engagements with our faculty and within the cohort, as well as with the larger Notre Dame community.”
The Notre Dame EMBA-Chicago program is currently accepting applications for the class starting in January, which will be the first class to enroll in the two-year format, with priority consideration dates of July 15 and Sept. 1 and a final application deadline of Oct. 15. Visit EMBA-Chicago website or contact the program at emba.business@nd.edu or 574-631-8488 for more information.