Journal ranks Mays program highly, focus on experience

By: Amlan Nanda

Posted: 11/28/07

In rankings released by the Financial Times, the Executive MBA program offered by the Mays Business School has been ranked No. 1 in the nation among public schools, and No. 5 in the world in participants' work experience.

Work experience is defined as the measure of the previous experience of the EMBA participants by examining seniority of positions held, number of years in each position, size of the company and any international work experience prior to starting the EMBA by the Financial Times.

Mays' EMBA program has been tied at 66th in the world among the top 90 schools surveyed in the 2007 rankings.

Julie Orzabal, director of the EMBA program said, "We are thrilled to be recognized by the Financial Times. The Mays Executive MBA Program requires candidates to have significant work experience, ensuring that each participant brings a rich background of expertise to the classroom. This enhances the learning environment of our program by providing our participants the opportunity to learn from peers with deep knowledge of different industries and diverse functional backgrounds."

Based in The Woodlands, located north of Houston, the program is just in its ninth year of and provides professionals the opportunity to work towards the MBA degree program at Texas A&M.

Associate Dean of Graduate Programs Bala Shetty said, "The Mays Executive MBA Program has been successful because of the commitment of our outstanding faculty, excellent staff and the continuous support of our participants."

The typical class profile is an average of 17 years professional work experience with 11 years managerial responsibilities, Orzabal said. Class size is 50 participants. Currently, 27 faculty teach in the Executive MBA Program.

"The majority of the faculty are from Mays Business School, but we also have faculty members from the South Texas College of Law, the Bush School of Government the Bush School of Government and Public Service and the Southern Illinois University School of Law," she said.

The Mays EMBA program is ranked No. 28 in the world for its research, which is measured by the number of faculty publications in 40 international academic and practitioner journals. The Financial Times also reports that Mays' EMBA students experience an average salary increase of 47 percent over their pre-EMBA salary. To put a figure to it, the average salary is $137,774.

Gail Rogers, EMBA Class of 2005, said, "The Mays EMBA program fit my needs perfectly: reputable program, convenient location, class schedule that would accommodate my travel, 'value chain' program content and design, were very similar to my company's business model."

John Pace, EMBA Class of 2008, said, "The program has enabled me to approach problems from a much different perspective. The financial, statistical, operational, accounting and management tools that I've learned - to name but a few - elevate my thinking to a large-scale outlook that, quite honestly, I didn't know was missing before starting the Mays program. The improvement is exhilarating."

Being a part of the Aggie tradition, even in a campus in Houston and a world class, goal orientated EMBA program, is a major drawing factor for Mays' EMBA students.

"The experience of working in teams through the entire program, while gaining valuable insight from the experience of my classmates during each interactive class session, provides a robust and multifaceted experience that I take with me wherever I go," Pace said. "I have formed friendships with classmates that will last a lifetime. The program, and being part of the Aggie network, is a life-changing experience."

In the future, the program plans to focus on providing an exceptional educational experience for the participants while extending its reach in the Houston market.