When discussing top business school programs, University of California Berkeley’s Haas School of Business is often on the list. This business school offers both a full-time MBA program and an MBA program for Executives.
Often, when you fall into the “Executive” category, it may have been a while since you’ve experienced a collegiate environment or thought about an application process. Especially with a full workload, it can be difficult to begin your research into deciding which programs to apply to. Congratulations on starting that process by coming here! This page is designed to give you everything you need to know in order to decide whether or not Berkeley Haas’s EMBA is right for you.
| Class Size (students) | 75 |
| Age | Median: 40 Middle (80% Range): 34-50 |
| Work Experience (years) | Median: 16 Middle (80% Range): 10-23 |
| Companies Represented | 71 |
| Diversity | Women: 37% Underrepresented Minorities: 9% International: 53% |
| Residence | San Francisco Bay Area: 49% Outside of Bay Area: 51%% |
| Academic Background | Bachelor’s Only: 53% Master’s: 28% PhD: 5% MD: 11% JD: 3% |
| Industries | Software: 15% Healthcare Services: 11% Hardware: 7% Consulting & Professional Services: 5% Semiconductors: 5% Automotive: 4% Finance: 4% Military: 4% Real Estate: 4% Retail / Wholesome / E-Commerce: 4% |
If you’re looking into EMBA programs, you may also be wondering how the coursework is structured, and how you can realistically balance working full-time with completing coursework and other program requirements. This is one of the most frequently asked questions among potential EMBA applicants—you are not alone! To help alleviate those concerns, we’ve outlined the structure and other logistics of Haas’s MBA for Executives program below.
The Berkeley Executive MBA program is a total of 19 months. It has a May intake date and runs to December of the following year. This is broken down in five separate terms which, in turn, are broken down into 3-day blocks (Thursday through Saturday) every three weeks.
This schedule has a slight variation when it comes to field-immersion class sessions which occasionally run mid-week. You can look at the program calendar for the class of 2025 here to get an idea of how often these immersions occur and generally what your 19-month EMBA will look like, schedule-wise.
Like other top EMBA programs, the Berkeley Haas classes enter as one and spend a lot of time together over the course of just over a year and a half. It is not as flexible as some programs, but offers solidarity and closer class connections as a trade-off.
The Berkeley Haas MBA for Executives program was expected to cost $205,897 for the class entering in July of 2023. This is more or less in line with the cost of other top-tier EMBA programs including Stern, Booth, and Kellogg. In order to help offset that price, the school offers a number of scholarships including the Dean’s Scholarship and the Beyond Yourself Fellowship—an essay driven award, which is aimed at applicants with experience and results in the non-profit sector. Berkeley Haas also offers loans and accommodates benefits based on Veteran status or Employer Funding.
The Berkeley EMBA follows four pillars when it comes to their Haas EMBA curriculum: leadership, strategy, entrepreneurship, and finance. In the first three terms, Haas EMBA students must take ten core courses, such as “Data Analysis for Management” and “Competitive and Corporate Strategy” among others. In the final two terms, students take elective courses, either in the business school or another UC Berkeley college, or partake in independent study. Just like the full-time MBA, the executive academic program is peppered with opportunities for experiential learning.
Applying to business school can be a daunting process for many of you who have spent the last few years in the workforce. Many of our clients aren’t quite sure where to begin. Below, we outline the two main parts of the Berkeley Haas EMBA application to get you started: the essays and the interview process. As a side note, it is important to recall that the school has discrete applications for first-time domestic students, reapplicants, and international students. Below, we list the essay and interview requirements for the EMBA program.
As part of the application process to Haas’s MBA for Executives program, you will have to complete two essays. These essays are intended for the admissions committee to get to know you better. We’ve listed the most recent EMBA essay prompts for you below:
Every MBA applicant must successfully go through an interview in order to be granted admission into the program. Interviews to the Executive MBA program at Haas are about 30 minutes long and mostly held on campus, though accommodations can be made for out-of-town applicants.
Unlike other programs, Berkeley Haas interviews are not by invitation only, and the school encourages applicants to schedule their interviews at their convenience, including before the application is submitted. This is a great opportunity to connect with the school and determine your fit with the program.
An important factor when considering EMBA programs is the location of the business school, and Berkeley Haas has unparalleled access to the tech sector of the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley.
Additionally, as you would expect from its integration within the University of California, Berkeley, Haas is a progressive school with progressive values. Admissions essays have invited applicants to discuss the hardships faced in their lives, and Haas is more willing than its peer schools to consider unusual applicants who may lack a few traditional qualifications but show sound reasoning for pursuing an MBA and have an inspiring story of what they’ve done in their lives.
The Berkeley location of the Haas School of Business makes it easy to network with tech companies across the San Francisco Bay Area, and the school has excellent placement in the tech industry; it has placed more than 30% of its students into the tech industry in recent years.
Lastly, a reason to choose Haas for an EMBA would be their four defining principles, which are: question the status quo, confidence without attitude, students always, and beyond yourself. If these principles resonate with you, if you want a school that makes exceptional efforts to recruit a diverse class of students, or if you want to excel in the SF Bay Area tech industry, Haas should be on your list.
*All data retrieved from the Berkeley Haas EMBA Program webpages, unless otherwise stated.
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