Top Universities to Study an EMBA in New York City

New York City, home to the New York Stock Exchange, the United Nations, the Federal Reserve and top media and financial companies, has been dubbed the ‘capital of the world’. It is a center for global finance, fashion, communications, law and business – making it a hub of activity and opportunity for EMBA programs and students.

An EMBA in New York is inextricably tied to the city; an environment where students can enjoy nearly unparalleled access to masterclasses, speaking engagements and conferences in addition to proximity to the global corridors of power.

Here’s a selection of the some of the best EMBA programs in the city.

New York University Stern School of Business

The Stern School of Business is located on NYU's Greenwich Village campus, often referred to by locals as ‘the Village’, a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan. The Village may not be as bohemian as it was in its 1960s heyday, but it's still home to some of the city's best old-time jazz clubs, bars, restaurants and delis.

NYU Stern states that its vision is to “develop people and ideas that transform 21st century problems into opportunities” and to “create value for business and society”. It is one of the oldest business schools in the world, founded in 1900, and it remains a leading research institution for anyone wanting to pursue and EMBA in New York.

The EMBA program is designed to have a strong global focus and students are required to undertake two ‘Global Study Tours’ to expand their multinational connections and immerse themselves in dynamic contemporary markets. Stern EMBA students can customize their curriculum to include a broad range of electives and specialisms – not always common on EMBA programs. 

The school requires students to have a minimum of six years’ work experience and the price of the program is a relatively high US$163,000. There is an average of 60 students per class with the percentage of international students being 40%, and women being 30%.

Stern also works with LSE and HEC Paris to deliver the TRIUM Global Executive MBA – considered to be one of the world’s best programs and certainly the best EMBA in New York.

Columbia Business School

Columbia Business School is one of six Ivy League business schools, and among the most selective business schools in the US. International community is at the heart of Columbia’s EMBA in New York, with admitted students assigned to clusters of students made up from all around the world in order to share their diverse expertise. All EMBA students also participate in an international seminar.

Columbia EMBA students come from a variety of backgrounds including from banking and healthcare to law, media, and non-profit work.

The school offers a variety of executive MBA programs with the most popular being the 20-month Friday/Saturday program, taught on campus at Columbia University by full-time MBA faculty. The first year of classes consists of the same core curriculum as the full-time MBA program, while electives can be taken in the second year.

Another popular option is the executive MBA Saturday program. It is a 24-month graduate degree and is similar to the Friday/Saturday program, with the exception that classes only meet on Saturdays, meaning the course runs for longer. The school has also introduced the modular EMBA-Americas. The curriculum is, again, the same, but it is delivered in one-week modules that take place once a month for the course of 20 months.

Those interested in a more immersive global experience can also apply to the EMBA-Global program which is offered in partnership with London Business School and the University of Hong Kong.

Cornell Johnson School of Management

Cornell University’s Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management is located in Ithaca in upstate New York. However, its EMBA program is delivered just outside New York City. The course is taught on weekends and lasts 22 months. Alternatively, the Cornell Executive MBA America (run in conjunction with Queens University in Kingston, Canada) lasts 17 months, and is delivered by video conference to selected boardrooms across the US and Canada, with three residential weeks on campus.

Cornell is the largest Ivy League university in the US; however the EMBA intake at Johnson Business School is small and selective, so students and faculty can work closely together; by design an intense, collaborative community.

For the past seven years, the Healthcare Association of New York has been offering the Academy for Healthcare Leadership Advancement Program to EMBA students who aspire to become leaders in the hospital sector. The EMBA in New York is very popular at Cornell and fills to capacity every year.

Lubin School of Business

The Lubin School of Business has close ties with industry employers such as MTV, Universal and Sony Music. It is one of the largest private AACSB-accredited schools in the US, and also ranks in the top 15% of best return of investment colleges in the United States according to PayScale.

The program is designed for professionals who require more flexibility in their study, combining online instruction with weekend residencies held in New York City every 10 weeks, over the course of 20 months. In total, an EMBA student’s time on campus will only equate up to 34 days – ideal for candidates who are managing a busy schedule.

Zicklin School of Business

Zicklin is the business school of Baruch College which was the first public institution of higher education in the United States when it was founded in 1847. It is located in the center of New York and offers a 22-month EMBA program.

The school houses the Wasserman Trading Floor, the only full-featured simulated trading environment in New York and one of only a few in the United States. The Center introduces students to professional market data systems and analytic software.

Classes meet one day per week and a typical academic year will have 42 class days. Lessons are taught in Manhattan on Fridays or Saturdays so that students get continuous exposure to the nearby Wall Street and New York’s company headquarters.

The school places emphases on global study and students are required to participate on an international trip to business and finance capitals of the world during their second year of study to broaden their international business experience. Recent trips have included China, Hong Kong and the Czech Republic.