Is the EMBA worth it?

Discussion around the value of an EMBA continued today amongst the recent release of the Financial Times’ 2010 EMBA Rankings.

While EMBA have been traditionally favoured by the Corporate world to retain star performers, corporate sponsorships are at an all time low, leaving coverage the cost these programs to individuals, and with some programs costing upwards of $150,000; it’s a large financial burden to take on. So, is the current decline in the EMBA’s popularity a trend; or a natural reaction to the current economic temperature?

Howard Kaufold, director of the EMBA program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, feels confident that what we’re seeing now is more of a cycle than a trend. “I still think the EMBA is good value, but it’s harder to see that when you are in a down cycle,” he says.

Another reason for hope for the EMBA: it’s gaining popularity worldwide. Steve DeKrey, associate dean of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Business School, says demand in Asia is on the rise as the EMBA has become the degree of choice in the east. “In Asia, the EMBA is taking over the mantle that the MBA has in the west,” says DeKrey. “Back in the west, [the EMBA] has always been the stepchild.”

This degree is so popular, tha almost one third of participants on the Kellogg-HKUST EMBA program are self-financing, says DeKrey. “It’s not just that the company won’t pay … half of my people who are self- financed are doing so through choice.”

Read the complete Top Ten List