MBA vs Executive Master's: Which is the best choice?

Let's start with the similarities: Both an MBA and an executive master's degree foresee a significant financial and time investment, and usually have a duration of 12 months. However, the choice between one program and the other depends solely on your goals.

The MBA, or Master's Degree in Business Administration, was designed to complement areas of specialization with management knowledge, with a strong economic and financial component. In general, the investment in this program is made in the first years of professional activity, to leverage the careers of the participants.

This program still requires a large investment of time and dedication, since they usually last one year, in full-time, or two years, in part-time. However, there are mixed MBAs, which combine face-to-face and distance learning or 100% online, but the course load tends to be more demanding compared to a master's degree.

Executive master's programs are more focused on other areas of knowledge, with a higher degree of specialization, and are more compatible with the professional life. Generally, these programs are done on a part-time basis, with a flexible teaching component and on an after-school basis. In addition, they have the advantage of awarding the Master's degree in just 12 months.

Executive master's programs are usually designed for professionals with more than five years of work experience, combining more active learning methodologies and allowing for peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and networking essential to their roles. There is a teaching component and a final paper, which must be completed to secure the Master's degree.

Executive Master's at Nova SBE

Nova SBE has created a portfolio of executive master's programs, with five different areas of specialization:

-Marketing & Strategy

-Finance & Financial Markets

-Innovation & Entrepreneurship

-Leadership

-Advanced in Management

The first four are specialist master's degrees aimed at the acquisition of new skills in these areas undergoing profound change. The Advanced Executive Master's in Management is more systemic and is aimed at more senior managers, with more than ten years of professional activity, allowing them to update their skills in this area.

Students can also choose a set of elective courses, selecting the skills in the area in question that they need to upgrade.

In addition, there is the possibility of completing the master's degree in one year or in two different stages. You can start the first stage with a postgraduate mirror degree (which lasts one academic year), and then transition the credits to the executive master's, which then requires only the delivery of the work project. This option allows you to dilute the time and intensity of learning and may make sense at certain stages of professional or personal life.