Ottobre 14, 2025 | NEWS, OPEN DAY
The application period for EMBA14 is drawing to a close. With the program commencing in November 2025, this final Open Day represents your last opportunity to explore how the USI EMBA can advance your executive career.
Program Structure and Highlights
The USI EMBA offers a comprehensive 18-month curriculum designed for today’s business leaders. The program features 12 intensive core courses plus 1 specialized elective, providing both breadth and depth in contemporary management practices. A signature Boston Study Tour offers direct exposure to global innovation ecosystems and leading business practices.
Program Format:
- One asynchronous learning day per month for flexible engagement
- Weekend intensive sessions for deep immersion in course material
- Two-month capstone projects with real-world business applications
Academic Leadership
Prof. Paulo Gonçalves, Ph.D. MIT Sloan
Academic Director
Professor Gonçalves brings distinguished expertise from MIT Sloan, specializing in behavioral science, strategic decision-making, and system dynamics. His research in humanitarian operations and complex business systems informs a rigorous, practice-oriented pedagogical approach that bridges analytical excellence with leadership development.
Conscious Leadership Framework
The USI EMBA integrates ethical leadership and stakeholder value creation throughout its curriculum. In an environment increasingly defined by ESG considerations and diverse stakeholder expectations, our program prepares leaders to navigate complexity while maintaining strategic clarity and organizational integrity.
Our Vision:
To develop global leaders capable of driving ethical transformation across industries and sectors.
Our Mission:
To deliver excellence in executive education through practical innovation, strategic rigor, and unwavering commitment to professional integrity.
October 22, 6 PM – In-Person Open Day
This concluding information session provides prospective candidates with comprehensive program insights and direct access to key stakeholders on campus:
Attendee Benefits:
- Access to scholarship opportunities totaling in financial aid
- Priority consideration in the admissions process
- In-person networking with faculty, alumni, and fellow candidates
- Campus tour and facilities experience
The intimate, on-campus format facilitates substantive dialogue about program fit, career objectives, and the distinctive value proposition of the USI EMBA.
Applications close following this final session.
📧 Registration Required: emba@usi.ch
Strategic leadership development begins with informed decision-making.
Ottobre 14, 2025 | NEWS
Choosing between an Executive MBA (EMBA) and a full-time MBA is one of the most significant decisions in your professional development journey. While both credentials can accelerate your career, they’re designed for different professionals at distinct career stages. However, for established professionals seeking growth without career disruption, the EMBA path offers compelling advantages.
Experience Requirements: Where You Stand Matters
The most fundamental distinction between these programs lies in the experience prerequisites. Full-time MBA programs typically accept candidates with 2-5 years of professional experience, welcoming young professionals ready to pivot or accelerate their careers. In contrast, EMBA programs require substantial leadership experience, usually 7-15 years, targeting mid-to-senior level executives already established in their fields.
This experience gap shapes everything from classroom discussions to career outcomes. EMBA cohorts bring real-world leadership challenges to the table, creating richer, more nuanced discussions based on actual executive decision-making rather than theoretical scenarios.
Program Format: The Weekend Advantage
Full-time MBA programs demand your complete attention. Students typically leave their jobs for two years, immersing themselves in academic life, internships, and career exploration. This format requires significant opportunity cost—lost salary, foregone promotions, and career momentum.
EMBA programs offer a superior alternative for working professionals. Classes typically meet on weekends or during intensive modules, allowing you to maintain your current position and income. Weekend formats—such as Friday evenings and Saturdays, or alternating weekends—let you apply concepts immediately in your workplace on Monday morning. This creates a dynamic learning loop where theory meets practice in real-time.
You’re not just learning about change management—you’re implementing it. You’re not studying financial strategy in isolation—you’re applying it to actual business challenges. This immediate application reinforces learning and demonstrates ROI to both you and your employer.
Learning Methodology: Applied Practice Over Theory
While both programs cover core business fundamentals, the EMBA pedagogical approach delivers more immediate value. Full-time MBAs emphasize foundational business theory and case studies from companies you’ve never worked at, solving problems you haven’t faced yet.
EMBA programs leverage your existing expertise, focusing on strategic decision-making, executive leadership, and advanced topics that matter at your level. Discussions draw heavily from participants’ current organizational challenges—actual problems requiring real solutions. The curriculum assumes business fluency and builds sophisticated frameworks on top of your practical knowledge.
Rather than spending months on basic accounting or marketing principles you may already understand, EMBAs accelerate into strategic-level thinking: how to lead transformations, navigate board dynamics, optimize capital structure, or drive innovation at scale.
Networking: Executive-Level Connections
Networking dynamics vary considerably between programs, and here the EMBA advantage becomes clear. Full-time MBA students build relationships with other early-career professionals—valuable peers, certainly, but with limited decision-making authority or resources.
EMBA networking connects you with established executives and decision-makers. Your classmates are CTOs, VPs, directors, and entrepreneurs who can become strategic partners, clients, board members, or valuable advisors. These aren’t future leaders—they’re current leaders with budgets, hiring authority, and influence.
Weekend cohorts often develop particularly strong bonds. Spending intensive time together outside normal work hours, away from daily pressures, creates authentic relationships. These connections frequently lead to business partnerships, career opportunities, and advisory relationships that wouldn’t exist through traditional networking.
Financial and Career Momentum
The EMBA model protects your financial stability and career trajectory. You continue earning your salary, potentially receiving tuition support from your employer, and remain eligible for promotions and bonuses. Many companies sponsor EMBA candidates precisely because they value retaining and developing their talent.
Stepping away for two years in a full-time program means sacrificing 24 months of salary, missing promotion cycles, and potentially losing momentum in your current organization. For established professionals, this trade-off rarely makes sense.
The Strategic Choice for Experienced Professionals
The EMBA path is ideal when you:
- Have established your career foundation and seek senior leadership roles
- Want to enhance your credentials without career interruption
- Value immediate application of learning to real business challenges
- Prefer networking with fellow executives and decision-makers
- Need to maintain income and career momentum
- Can leverage weekend or modular formats to balance life commitments
The weekend EMBA format, in particular, represents the optimal blend of flexibility and rigor. You invest your weekends in transformative education while maintaining your professional identity and income throughout the week. By Monday morning, you’re implementing what you learned on Saturday—a level of practical integration that full-time programs simply cannot match.
The Bottom Line
For professionals with significant experience, the Executive MBA—particularly weekend formats—offers superior value. You gain advanced business education, executive-level networking, and career acceleration without the disruption and opportunity cost of leaving the workforce. The immediate application of learning, combined with peer connections at your professional level, creates ROI that begins immediately rather than after a two-year pause.
The right choice depends on your career stage. If you’re early in your journey, a full-time MBA might make sense. But if you’re an established professional seeking the next level of leadership capability, the EMBA path—especially with weekend classes—delivers education that enhances your career without interrupting it.
Settembre 16, 2025 | NEWS, OPEN DAY
This is your final opportunity to experience the transformative power of the USI EMBA14 program before applications close.
Don’t miss this last chance to secure your place in executive education excellence, launching November 2025 through May 2027.
What Awaits You
- 12 transformative core courses + 2 specialized electives
- Boston Study Tour – immerse yourself in the epicenter of innovation
- Monthly intensive format: One asynchronous day + weekend deep-dive sessions
- Real-world project work spanning two months
Alumni Voices: Success Stories Hear firsthand from our accomplished graduates who’ve leveraged their EMBA to reshape their careers and industries.
Prof. Paulo Gonçalves, Ph.D. MIT Sloan Academic Director & Systems Thinking Pioneer
Professor Gonçalves brings MIT-caliber expertise to USI, specializing in the intersection of behavioral science and strategic decision-making. His groundbreaking research in humanitarian operations and system dynamics will reshape how you view complex business ecosystems.
Experience his unique teaching philosophy that transforms analytical minds into conscious leaders.
The Conscious Leadership Difference In an era where stakeholder capitalism defines success, our curriculum weaves ethics and conscious leadership throughout every module. You’ll graduate not just as a business leader, but as a force for positive change – equipped to navigate ESG challenges, lead diverse teams, and create sustainable value.
Our Vision: Shaping global leaders who drive ethical transformation across industries.
Our Mission: Excellence in education through practical innovation, strategic thinking, and unwavering integrity.
Online Open Day on September 30th, on Zoom.
- 5% tuition reduction secured on the spot
- Up to 15% total financial aid through scholarships and incentives
- Priority consideration for program admission
- Networking reception with faculty, alumni, and fellow prospects
This intimate setting offers your final chance to ask detailed questions, connect with like-minded professionals, and envision your leadership evolution before applications close.
RSVP Essential: emba@usi.ch . Your transformation awaits – seize this last opportunity.
