Back to school: with executive MBA costs running as high as $100,000 , what makes this degree so valuable, especially for high-level executives whose careers are already on the fast track? - although $30,000 is more typical for a local program - Executive Education

South Florida CEO, August, 2003 by Rochelle Broder-Singer

Another debate is whether MBA courses should focus on specialized subjects or on generic applications. Nozewnik expects that new specializations will be one of the strongest trends in executive MBAs, as does UF's Gordon. "I think as businesses become more specialized, MBA programs will become more specialized," Gordon says. "Businesses are going to be more insistent on having a larger portion of the curriculum aimed at them."

Others see a return to the basics, at least in today's economy. "We're really focused on strategy courses, because [executives] believe it will help them think their way out of a recession," says Robert Mittelstaedt, vice dean of executive education at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. "Our course called finance and accounting for non-financial managers just goes on and on, as does our course on negotiation." At Duke, says associate dean Nagy, the movement is towards teaching leadership instead of management.

Unfortunately for those executives looking for an employer-sponsored MBA, the trend in that area has fewer employers paying. That's leading many schools to customize executive education, creating short programs that cover topics specifically relevant to a particular business, often presented on-site.

At Nova, where the Huizenga school will soon move into a new 261,000-square-foot building, there will be a variety of high-tech classrooms set up with just that purpose in mind, including two classrooms ready for simultaneous translation services. "We want to be available for business education, not just classroom education on a traditional basis," says Pohlman. Students, too, are looking for more than a traditional classroom experience. As Cury says, "I was not really looking for a degree just to get a degree. I was looking for experience, to understand what was happening all over the world."

THE PROGRAMS There are plenty of options to choose from for the executive interested in furthering her or his education. When choosing a program, educators recommend that you sit in on a class and observe the quality of discussion. Talk with current students and see if they are people you can learn from. And, find out if the faculty teaching at the business school are part of the full-time faculty. You're going to be very intimately involved with the school you choose and the people going there, so make an educated choice.

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School of Business Administration, University of Miami, Coral Gables

* "The core of our program is, in fact, the faculty," says Harold W. Berkman, vice dean of graduate business programs. Largely full-time and tenured, the faculty are heavily involved with research and consulting. Berkman also says that UM is South Florida's only private university whose business school is fully accredited by AACSB International (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business). UM offers three executive MBA programs, all in classroom. The Executive MBA with a Specialization in Management meets 40 Saturdays annually for just under two years. About 60 percent of students are managers and executives; the rest are transitioning from roles as engineers, supervisors and administrators. The Executive MBA with a Specialization in International Business offers a general business curriculum, with class discussions and projects focused on Latin America. The Executive MBA with a Specialization in Health Administration and Policy is targeted to physicians (about half the class), pharmaceutical representatives, hospital administrators and nurses. It meets one weekend a month for 23 months. www.bus.miami.edu Executive MBAs: $51,552 (based on credit hours)