FAQs
Below is a list of the frequently asked questions concerning EMBA-Global. If you cannot find the answer to your question here, please feel free to contact us.
Attending an EMBA-Global information event is another great way to find out more about the programme.
EMBA-Global is a unique dual-MBA run jointly by two top ranked business schools. Upon successfully completing the programme, you will receive two full MBA degrees – one from London Business School and another from Columbia University – and be a full member of both institutions. The programme is taught by world renowned expert scholars, practitioners and teachers. It brings together diverse, high calibre, globally-focused leaders from a wide variety of nationalities and industries who learn from each other as well as from faculty, all while continuing with their careers. You are able to immediately apply what you learn in the classroom to your workplace, while also bringing your professional experience into the classroom.
Both schools take advantage of their locations in two global business capitals – London and New York – to draw upon the surrounding business community, attracting dynamic guest speakers and business leaders.
EMBA-Global covers similar material in the first three terms to that covered in the first academic year of a traditional MBA programme. However, since EMBA-Global is designed for people who have or will have significant trans-national responsibilities, all courses reflect a greater proportion of trans-national material.
The elective portfolios of both London Business School and Columbia Business School are available to you, so you will share a class with an even more internationally experienced peer group.
On successfully completing EMBA-Global, you will receive an MBA degree from each school and have full, life-long access to the alumni networks of these two top business schools.
No, you cannot apply for more than one masters programme at London Business School or Columbia Business School at the same time or in the same academic year. You cannot re-apply to the same programme within the same academic year.
We aim for a diverse class in terms of nationality, academic background and work experience. EMBA-Global students typically have 5-14 years of work experience and a global orientation. Many have worked in several countries.
There are no admissions restrictions in terms of geographic location. However, as the majority of EMBA-Global is delivered in London and New York, you must think carefully about how you can combine the travel requirements with your full-time employment.
EMBA-Global is a five-term, 20-month programme. During the first academic year, core courses take place in blocks that alternate between London and New York roughly once per month. During the second academic year, you choose electives from the portfolios of London Business School and Columbia Business School. The electives are offered in modular, block week or weekend formats.
The next intake of the EMBA-Global begins in May 2024. We recommend that you apply early to allow enough time to make arrangements before commencing the programme. See the admissions page for more information.
In the first three terms, you are required to attend eight blocks, typically of seven days’ duration, although some are five or six days, for the core courses. These comprise a total of 51 days at both London Business School and Columbia Business School, 39 days of which are weekdays. Please note that this does not include any travel time you may need to attend the programme.
In the last two terms, you undertake electives and your schedule will vary depending upon which courses you choose and in which format these courses are offered. See the elective portfolio page for details.
You are not able to waive core courses as recognition of prior learning. In addition, we do not accept credits from other educational institutions. Since the experience that each student brings to the classroom is a vital part of the learning achieved on the programme, attendance through every core course is essential.
You will be assigned to a group of approximately six people at the beginning of the programme, and you will work with them throughout the first three terms. We also aim to make each group as diverse as possible in terms of nationality, educational and professional background to ensure the learning experience is as enriching as possible.
Electives offer you the opportunity to focus on areas of special interest and deepen existing knowledge. During the second academic year, you choose electives from the portfolios of either/or both schools. See the elective portfolio page for details.
You can choose from the elective portfolio of both of the two schools in the EMBA-Global partnership. An elective option offered by a given school is taught at that school by that school’s faculty.
International seminars and assignments, which take place in various markets worldwide, aim to enhance your global perspective in a key international business location. See the international seminars and assignments page for details on the range of locations.
Time spent in preparation outside of class will vary according to the course chosen and your background in the subject matter. On average, you can expect to spend approximately 4-5 hours in preparation outside of class for each course undertaken.
Each school offers electives in a variety of formats. These are outlined on the electives page.
The programme also includes professional development workshops that provide you with the information and skills necessary to help you develop your personal career strategy. In addition, you will get full access to the career services programme and coaching from each school.
The time spent studying outside the classroom varies from student to student. However, most students estimate they spend an average of 15-20 hours studying each week in addition to time spent in class. You will get more out of the programme the more you put in, so the more time committed outside classroom hours leads to greater gains in learning and assessment.
Faculty plan the integration of their teaching. When faculty and students are away from campus between sessions, they communicate via a web-based courseware system.
Each EMBA-Global course is assessed using some or all of the following tools: individual projects/essays/reports; group assignments/reports; and class presentations.
In order to successfully complete the degree, you must complete 11 core courses, one Global Business Assignment or International Seminar, and elective credits equal to 110.0 at London Business School or 33.0 at Columbia Business School. Typically, an elective is worth 11.0 credits at London Business School and 3.0 credits at Columbia Business School, but not all electives have the same credit value.
Electives are a key opportunity to broaden your network. Electives are open to the other masters degree students from the schools in the EMBA-Global partnership. Wherever possible, class weeks and events are planned to allow overlap with other courses and faciliate interaction with students from other programmes.
EMBA-Global is a residential programme. You will be provided with accommodation facilities along with other students when you are studying in London or new York during the core teaching blocks in the first three terms, and during the international seminar and assignments. All of the students staying together creates an intense and uninterrupted environment for discussion and debate away from the classroom, as well as opportunity to socialise and build a lifelong network with your fellow students.
While in London, you will stay at a hotel within walking distance of London Business School. While in New York, you will be accommodated at a midtown hotel, currently the Marriott.
You are required to arrange your own accommodation during all elective blocks.
Sponsorship is essentially support from your employer to complete the programme.
There are two types of sponsorship. The first is required by all students: consent from your employer to take time away from the office and your work responsibilities to participate in the programme. You must provide a letter from your employer explicitly giving this permission. See the how to apply page for details on this. If you are self-employed, you must submit a letter stating that you understand the time commitment needed away from work to successfully complete the programme.
You may also be financially sponsored by your employer, either fully or partially. If you are financially sponsored to any extent, you must submit complete information on the terms of that support. See the how to apply page for details.
In the first three terms, you are required to attend eight blocks, typically of seven days’ duration, although some are five or six days, for the core courses. These comprise a total of 51 days at both London Business School and Columbia Business School, 39 days of which are weekdays. Please note that this does not include any travel time you may need to attend the programme.
In the last two terms, you undertake electives and your schedule will vary depending upon which courses you choose and in which format these courses are offered. The freedom to set your own timetable allows you to organise your electives around other commitments. See the elective portfolio page for details.
You must be sponsored by your organisation in terms of time, but you are not required to secure financial support. However, many organisations recognise sponsorship as an important investment in their human capital, and so many EMBA-Global students are also financially sponsored.
EMBA-Global provides immediate payback. You will be able to instantly apply the theory learned in the classroom to your job. An organisation can use sponsorship as a way to recognise and reward exceptional performance and to announce that candidates are being targeted for advancement. By presenting sponsorship as a reward, a firm can enhance loyalty among its best and brightest employees. Companies can also become associated (through the student) with the schools and benefit from the networks and events they offer.
We provide more details on sponsoring companies to help you in your discussions with your employer.
You need to be able to demonstrate experience in the management of projects, budgets, processes or people over a sustained period, which should include some international experience or exposure. Students typically have an average of 12 years’ employment experience.
Generally, EMBA-Global Americas & Europe students have managerial experience in at least one of four areas – people management, project management, process management or budget management. Not everyone leads large teams of people, but they usually manage in one of these key areas. You are required to be in this kind of role so that you can directly apply your classroom learning to your job. This is one of the key benefits of the programme.
You are required to have an undergraduate degree granted by a recognised university.
All applicants are encouraged to take the Executive Assessment, GMAT or GRE. Many candidates will take GMAT or GRE as part of their business school applications. If you have not done so already, we recommend you take the Executive Assessment. This was developed by a consortium of top tier schools to assess your study-readiness. It is designed to be taken with minimal preparation, and reflecting the pressures on busy executives, it is 90 minutes in duration. To find out more and register to take the Executive Assessment please visit the GMAC website.
Remember that your score or scores are just part of the many criteria we use when assessing an applicant’s suitability, since it provides objective information about quantitative and verbal reasoning abilities. It also gives us a useful benchmark to judge applicants across degree subjects, academic institutions and nationalities.
At the same time, we also offer GMAT/EA/GRE waivers to exceptional candidates who are able to demonstrate the skills covered by the test through academic achievements and work experience. If you feel you may be eligible for a waiver please send your CV and your reason for a waiver request to embaglobal@london.edu.
We do not set a minimum required GMAT score. GMAT is a required admissions criterion, but not the only thing we consider when assessing a candidate. A high score does not guarantee admission and, equally, a below-average score does not automatically discount your candidacy.
If your native language is not English, you are encouraged to take the TOEFL unless you have received a degree from an institution where English was the language of instruction or have lived and worked in an English-speaking environment for a minimum of one year. Candidates who apply without TOEFL may be asked to take the test where the Admissions Committee have concerns about English language abilities.
If your application is not successful, please review the admissions criteria against your application and ensure that your experience and objectives are strongly aligned with the admissions criteria. Remember that competition for places is high and consequently we are not able to offer places to a number of entirely suitable candidates. We aim to treat all applications fairly and equally, in accordance with our published application policies and procedures. In a small number of cases we actively encourage applicants to improve their application and reapply (for example, with a higher GMAT score or enhanced work experience). In the great majority of cases we do not give individual detailed feedback however, as the decision is the result of the high degree of competition, not because of any specific weakness in the application.
The School does not have any arrangements for students to transfer between its programmes or to/from a programme at another institution.
There are admissions stage deadlines throughout the year and we encourage you to apply early. The sooner you apply, the sooner we can schedule your interview and the closer you will be to securing your place on the programme. Please see the admissions page for more information or contact the admissions team at the appropriate school.
We will accept applications in advance where the candidate’s personal or work situation requires an early decision.
The application processing fee is USD$250 and can be paid online at the time of submitting your application. Alternatively, cheques can be made payable to London Business School or Columbia University and sent along with your supporting documents.
You can manage your references online as part of your application. Enter your referee’s details and they will receive an automatic email with a link to the site, where they can answer the specific reference questions for EMBA-Global candidates. In exceptional cases, if a referee has difficulties in using the system, we can provide a soft copy.
One of your recommendations (references) should be from your immediate supervisor; the other may come from anyone who can speak directly about your managerial ability and professional promise.
You have two options for providing your letters of recommendation. If your referees have web access and an email address, they may provide their recommendations electronically through the online application site. Alternatively, you may download the online recommendation form and have your recommenders send in their completed forms.
You are required to submit academic transcripts from your undergraduate or graduate educational institutions. If the original transcripts are not in English, please also provide certified translated copies.
A signed letter of support, on your organisation’s letterhead, stating the sponsorship agreement between you and your organisation must be submitted with your application. This may come from your department head, president, CEO or head of human resources. You may be self-sponsored; however, we still require a letter of support from your employer indicating their support in terms of time.
If you are self-employed, you must submit a letter, normally from your company, stating that you understand the time commitment needed away from the office to successfully complete the programme.
Applications are completed online. See the how to apply page for details.
Once you have submitted your complete online application and have provided supporting documentation, it will be processed by the admissions team responsible for your geographic region. An Admissions Committee comprised of representatives from both schools will evaluate the application. See the how to apply page for more details.
If you successfully pass this evaluation, you will be invited to attend a personal interview to explore your fit with, and contribution to, the programme.
Your interview will take place at the school responsible for your region of the world (i.e. London Business School if you are based in Europe, the Middle East or Africa, and Columbia Business School if you are based in the Americas or Asia). Following your interview, the Admissions Committees of both schools will make a joint admissions decision.
Please see the fees page for current information.
The fees include tuition, course materials including all required textbooks and teaching cases, accommodation and meals (not including dinners) for all teaching blocks through the first three terms, and accommodation and most meals on the required International Seminar or Assignment. See the fees page for more details.
You and your sponsoring organisations (if appropriate) will be billed in two equal instalments, with one due before the start of the programme and one in year two. Self-funded candidates have the additional option of paying in termly instalments over the 20 months of the programme.
You must fund your own transportation to attend classes, including the international seminars and assignments. During the elective blocks, accommodation and meals are the responsibility of the student. On class days, catering is usually provided at the school.
Scholarships for EMBA-Global are not yet available, but many students find other sources of financing to supplement any support they receive from their employers. See the fees page for more details and assistance.
Many students access government-subsidised student loans, home equity loans or other types of personal loans. See the fees page for more details and assistance.
We can have a telephone conversation with you. Either call us at a convenient time on +44 (0)20 7000 7486, or email us at embaglobal@london.edu with the number you would like us to call you on.
We can put you in touch with current students or alumni. If you would like to speak directly with students or alumni, send your CV to embaglobal@london.edu so that we can match you with a suitable contact.
We are unable to put you in touch without viewing your CV.
Watch our webinars and gain in depth information into the embaglobal@london.edu programme, the application process, and visa requirements.
Any other questions? Email us at embaglobal@london.edu