What are the Highlights of an Executive Education Program?

An executive education program is meant to be a wholesome experience. While some professionals participate for professional growth, others participate for the networking, and yet others for the possibility of a promotion or new job. But considering the expectations they go in with, what are their experiences like? Do the programs live up to the participants’ needs?

Everyone that has participated in an executive education program has come away with a different aspect of the program that made them really appreciate their experience. Everyone’s highlight of their program has been different. But every highlight has been a hugely beneficial factor in the program experience.

Also read: Executive Education Trends 2023

Executive education program highlights

Here are a few;

Learning experience

Executive education programs are structured and designed in a way that it suits the schedules and priorities of working professionals. It also employs methods and techniques to ensure every participant can get as much value as possible from the program. The most engaging programs are those that combine a number of teaching and learning techniques in order for the participant to grasp the concepts and topics without any issues.

Eduardo Santos is partner and the head of sales planning at Stone Pagamentos and his expertise lies in strategic planning and OEE. He attended Chicago Booth ADP in 2018-19 and expresses his appreciation for the structure of the program. He illustrates how he really enjoyed the part-time structure of the program that alternated between in-class and online modules. He explains how the in-class modules allow him to be completely immersed in what he is learning, while the online modules allow him to continue learning but also allow for time to apply what he has learned so that he can go back and discuss it with his peers and faculty as well. You can hear more about his experience here.

Distinguished faculty

Executive education programs from well-known universities and institutions are often taught by a faculty of a very high caliber. These professors are industry leaders and are usually leading from the front. They are also regularly celebrated and facilitated for their most recent accomplishments. So learning from them means that you will be getting the most current and insightful information possible. The high quality of their tutelage in the subject matter of their expertise is invaluable and not something you can experience easily. As a participant of an executive education program, not only will you be able to learn from them but you will also be able to interact, discuss, and have discourses on topics that will personally affect your career.

Katherine Todd is currently the director of strategy for AMP Capital, head of strategy and operations, funds management at Challenger Ltd. She has extensive experience in managing and overseeing the origination and execution of mergers and acquisitions transactions, complex strategies, projects, and operational initiatives. She has a deep knowledge of financial services across funds management, investment banking, insurance, and institutional banking. She attended Chicago Booth ADP in 2018-19 and immensely appreciated her experience with the faculty.

“The Booth faculty have been absolutely amazing. Not only have they provided an incredible learning experience in terms of academics, but the knowledge they have imparted has been so real-world. I expected an incredibly high level of academic knowledge, but not such relevance to the real-world. And combined they have been so beneficial to my career and career prospects.” Hear what she has to say about other aspects of the program here.

Peer group experience

When you enroll into an executive education program you share your learning experience with a group of like-minded individuals who are just as ambitious and successful as yourself. This makes for an extremely exciting journey because you learn as much from them as you do from the professors. Through executive education programs you will have the opportunity to learn from the professional experiences of your peer group or cohort as they will from yours. This exchange of ideas and experiences of similar kinds of professionals from various different backgrounds allows you to grow horizontally as well as vertically. Programs that are global and have a global cohort allow you to learn from your peers’ experiences from across the world, from different cultures, different businesses, different styles of working, etc. This allows for you to have a more enriched learning experience and also gain a circle of accomplished professional friends.

Neha Mathur is currently Co-Founder at Personifwy and WishYogi India Pvt Ltd. Before she attended Berkeley EPM in 2016-17, she had over 16 years of experience in the hospitality industry around managing large scale operations and corporate strategy. After the program she, along with her peers from the program, started their own company.

She says, “The entire cohort has been our biggest support system through this entire journey. As students learning together, the best part was that we were not competing with each other, nor were we judging each other. There was a different kind of bonding with this incredible team of people from various facets of the industry. And every time we needed any help from any one of them, we were able to get it. Even after the program ended the interaction and support continued. I think the best part about the entire program is the cohort that you become a part of.”

Find out more about her experience here.

The school’s unique advantage

Executive While it might not always seem like the most important factor, the school of an executive education program can make a difference. A school that has been around for a very long time and has maintained a certain level and quality of education, research, rigor, faculty, and other activities, is preferred over those that don’t hold the same principles and consistency. Participants learning under a school that resounds trust and quality will also most likely be met with trust and respect. Leveraging the school often automatically brings its own advantages and recognition.

Himanshu Shah is the director, clinical research for Asia Pacific at MSD Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd. He also involves himself in pro bono consulting and volunteering. His specialties lie in phase I, II, III clinical trials, procurement, IT in clinical trials, and virtual learning. He attended UCLA PGP PRO in 2018-19 and shares his views about his experience during the program.

He explains that the UCLA Anderson School of Management would prove beneficial to him because he worked at a US-based company and his managers and seniors recognize the quality of that school. This gives him the recognition he needs at his company. He also stresses that the well-known nature of the school has given him visibility locally among his peers and co-workers within his country, India, as well. Find out more about his experience here.

Study while working

Executive One of the advantages of doing an executive education program over a full-time MBA or other similar courses, is that executive education programs are usually structured for working professionals. This means they are part-time or generally planned around weekends. This allows you to continue working and fulfilling any professional commitments while also continuing to learn.

Pritha Mukherjee handles manager relocations at Crown Worldwide Group. She attended UCLA PGP PRO in 2018-19. Before she joined the program she had around 8 years of experience in varied service industries. Her expertise lies in international business development, relationship management, and sales.

She expresses why she picked this program and explains that it allowed her to have the best of both worlds. She wanted to study further and yet not leave job. She also wanted to upgrade her knowledge and enhance her skills. Listen to her experience here.

Executive education programs can be instrumental in changing the way you work, and your quality of output. It can also change the way you are perceived at work. Being such enriching experiences, participants come back from them with more than a few aspects that they think has helped them grow into being a better professional. While there might be others, these are a few prominent ones.