“Being selected as one of the top programs in our region speaks to the quality of the business education our program provides, as well as the caliber of professionals who choose Auburn to advance their education and careers."”

The Executive MBA (EMBA) at Auburn University’s Harbert College of Business has been selected as a top-15 program in Ivy Exec’s 2020 Best Executive MBA Rankings.

The program rises six spots from 2019 to rank No. 14 in the Southeast this year. In addition to its overall regional ranking, the Auburn EMBA program ranks No. 11 in career advancement and No. 12 in life balance, curriculum, and global experience.

Ivy Exec, a New York-based firm that provides career resources to executives, conducts an annual survey of EMBAs within its member community to rank 141 global programs. More than 55 percent of those EMBAs surveyed have greater than 20 years of work experience, while almost 40 percent have 11-20 years’ experience.

“Being selected as one of the top programs in our region speaks to the quality of the business education our program provides, as well as the caliber of professionals who choose Auburn to advance their education and careers,” said Kim Kuerten, executive director of Graduate Executive Programs at the Harbert College of Business. “We have more than 20 years’ experience delivering an executive MBA program that offers the flexibility of online learning combined with a shared learning experience during our short on-campus residencies.”

Barbara Kneiss (left), a 2013 EMBA graduate and director of National Accounts for Mead Johnson Nutrition, attributes her career projection to her experiences in the program.

“The Auburn Executive MBA Program gave me the knowledge and experience needed to further advance my career – one promotion during the program, two additional promotions after graduation, to my current role of director of National Accounts. The program was everything I needed it to be – nationally-ranked, rigorous, global opportunities, and flexibility,” Kneiss said. “The Auburn Executive MBA Program is a program for all, whatever your needs may be."

Julie Rogers (right), a current EMBA student and human resources director for a Fortune 50 retail company, cites the work-life balance as a key reason for selecting Auburn.

“In evaluating executive MBA programs, what really appealed to me about the Auburn EMBA was the flexibility," she said. "The program format allows me to balance my home priorities, my work priorities, as well as pursue higher education. As I reflect on my time in the program, it has broadened my skillset and given me the confidence I needed. The confidence to interact with business partners, the confidence to lead at a higher level, and the confidence to think more strategically about how we operate.”