What is the "Non-EMBA" Segment in the 2025 Report?
The 2025 EMBAC Membership Program Survey Standard Report introduces a strategic shift in how participating programs are categorized. To reflect the evolving landscape of Graduate Management Education (GME), the Executive MBA Council (EMBAC) is now targeting the broader category of "Executive Degrees." This article explains how these programs are defined in the report and how to interpret the data for the "Non-EMBA Programs" segment.
Understanding the "Non-EMBA" and "Executive Degree" Segments in the EMBAC Report
How are "EMBA Programs" defined?
To maintain the integrity of benchmarking data, the survey uses strict empirical criteria to classify a program as an "EMBA." To be included in the EMBA Programs segment, a program must meet one of the following conditions regarding professional experience:
- Minimum Requirement: The program requires a minimum of five (5) years of work experience for all entrants.
- Average Requirement: If the minimum requirement is less than five years, the program must report an actual average work experience of ten (10) years or more for the latest cohort.
What is the "Non-EMBA Programs" segment?
Any program that does not meet the "5 years minimum / 10 years average" criteria listed above is classified as a Non-EMBA Program.
In the 2025 Standard Report, this segment primarily houses Executive Degrees. These are often specialized or accelerated master's programs (e.g., Executive Master of Finance, Master of Management in Healthcare) that target mid-career professionals who may not yet meet the seniority threshold of a traditional EMBA.
Note on Reporting: As noted in the 2025 Standard Report:
"Executive Degrees and other programs not fitting this criteria are included in the 'Non-EMBA Programs' segment at this time. A new segment will be created once a critical mass of Executive Degree programs complete the survey."
Why are Executive Degrees grouped with "Non-EMBA" programs?
Currently, the volume of data for specific specialized executive degrees is growing but has not yet reached the threshold required for separate benchmarking.
- Critical Mass: To report on a specific segment, there must be enough participating schools to ensure statistical significance.
- Confidentiality: Aggregating these programs into the "Non-EMBA" segment protects the anonymity of the participating schools until the sample size increases.
As more member schools report their Executive Degrees, EMBAC intends to split this data into its own distinct segment in future reports.
How to view Executive Degree data
While the Standard Report (PDF) aggregates this data, users can leverage the EMBAC Program Survey Dashboard for more granular analysis.
- Filter by Experience: You can use dashboard filters to isolate programs with 5–9 years of average work experience to view data that likely corresponds to these Executive Degrees.
- Filter by Cost: Filtering by different cost bands can also help separate traditional EMBAs from other executive degree models.
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