How to Survive the 'Divorce Course' EMBA

“It will turn your world upside down.” So says Jamil Brown, in reference to the demanding but rewarding executive MBA at Arizona’s WP Carey School of Business. A manufacturing leader who is married with children, he began the EMBA alongside a full-time job. 

“I need to spend 20-30 hours a week on school work to be successful, but I miss out on family time such as my son’s football games,” he says.  

A typical working week is swotting for three hours every night, and for entire weekends. “The time management is a huge challenge,” Brown says. 

His story encapsulates the difficulty of studying for an EMBA, which students half-jokingly refer to as the “divorce course”. While the degree can boost career progression, EMBA students — usually executives in their 30s or 40s — juggle long hours of work and study, often while raising families, and must battle fatigue-inducing jet lag from constant travel. 

“This is a full MBA degree in a compressed timeline, which means […] some compromises need to occur to get the most out of the degree,” says Doug Hyatt, academic director of EMBAs at Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. 

He says the course requires excellent time management, and the support of your colleagues and family. “We encourage students to experiment in the beginning to find what works best for them to maximize their time — waking up earlier than usual, staying at work later, or relying on family [or colleague] support.” 

Get your employer on board

The first challenge for prospective EMBA students is to prove to admissions committees that they have employer backing. “We require applicants to obtain at least one of their recommendation letters from their employer,” says Zoltán Antal-Mokos, dean of degree programs at ESMT Berlin. 

This can help prevent employers summoning students to meetings during course time, he says. Attendance is mandatory on the ESMT EMBA. “There is no such a thing as ‘unexcused absence for business reasons’,” Antal-Mokos says. If it’s necessary to skip class, say in an emergency work situation, students should accept the consequence — usually a lower grade. 

“It’s all about accepting trade-offs and coming to terms with personal preferences,” adds Antal-Mokos. 

Brown at the Carey school says one way to get support from a boss is to sell the benefits of the EMBA. “The things we learn we can immediately apply into work, unlike in a full-time MBA,” he says. “I have learned how organizations act and run, and how much the culture and norms of a particular organization can really have a huge impact on how successful that company is.” 

Steer clear of stress 

Once on an EMBA, one source of stress for students is competition with other participants. “I felt some pressure as I felt I was on the lower end of the talent scale in the class,” says Brown, an engineering supervisor. However, he adds that competition can be beneficial too.  

“The possibility of learning from the other participants was something that attracted me to the business school,” says Brown, where the average EMBA student has 14 years’ work experience. “There are some talented folks in the class and I’ve built strong networks.” 

Although drop-out rates in EMBAs are low — as participants are high-performers, accustomed to pressure — schools can spot stress, says Terry Akitt, EMBA director of program delivery at IMD in Switzerland. “Typically the first signs are when performance suffers, and deadlines are not met,” she says. “Also, the amount of emails with basic questions increases significantly, which is a clear sign of anxiety.” 

Students should not be afraid to ask for support, says Dr Elena Beleska-Spasova, head of post-experience postgraduate programs at the UK’s Henley Business School. “[The EMBA cohort] becomes a second family to the students. They really support each other in working on case studies, preparing for exams, learning from each other, sharing tips, resources and experiences,” she says.  

IMD’s Akitt says those who succeed in EMBAs tend to possess motivation and perseverance, as “the workload will seem interminable and the feedback is often direct and highlights areas for improvement. A dash of humility is also helpful to embrace this valuable feedback and view it as a learning opportunity and not as a personal critique that triggers defensive behaviour.” 

Character flaws can be exposed in an EMBA — but the course should be seen as an opportunity to identify and improve upon weaknesses, believes Gerry Keim, EMBA faculty director at the Carey school. “We have an extensive coaching program and we do student-led reviews to help identify areas for improvement and personal growth,” he says.  

Some schools offer courses to help participants cope with stress. At Rotman, for example, EMBAs take co-curricular sessions on resilience and self-management, presented by experts. “Our in-house health and wellness team, executive coach and EMBA program staff are always on-hand to provide personalized guidance and assistance,” adds Hyatt.  

Rise of the flexible program

Other schools have elected to make their EMBA courses more flexible. Mannheim Business School in Germany lets participants spread the six EMBA modules over up to three and a half years. “We also plan to cover parts of the course online, to reduce attendance time and enable more flexibility,” says Bettina Kosiel, director of EMBAs. 

And in the case of severe issues, EMBAs can take a break for up to one year. In that instance they will continue the course in the following year’s cohort, Kosiel says. 

Given the difficulties involved, why do people do EMBAs? Brown says the Carey school degree has been well worth the considerable effort. “It is a huge investment of money and time,” he says. “But I have developed the skills that will help me move into a more senior position with more responsibility.” 

These include how to manage subordinates, departmental finances, and how to assign priorities, he adds. “The EMBA has made me a bigger contributor — I get brought into meetings with my manager now.”