One of the common mid-career mistakes is not investing in an advanced degree. With more seniority comes more responsibility, and taking time off to return to school for an MBA program can seem daunting. Even an online MBA stands to disrupt the career you cannot put on hold. However, the hybrid Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) degree at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business is an investment in your future that is both flexible with your work-life balance and can pay for itself in a few short years. An EMBA is a great way to expand your career trajectory and increase your earning potential at the upper levels of management.
Benefits of the Executive MBA for Global Supply Chain from the Haslam College of Business
After years in the working world, your expectations for school are different than for a typical undergraduate or graduate student. You will want to do a cost-benefit analysis and understand the return on investment before you embark on a new educational adventure. Since you have an affinity for supply chain management, and you already work in operations management or logistics and supply chain, you understand, undoubtedly, the importance of organization and scheduling. You need to know how taking courses will impact your job and your life.
How much classroom time can you expect to have per week when enrolled in Haslam’s Executive MBA for Global Supply Chain?
When you enroll in the Executive MBA for Global Supply Chain, you’ll start your academic year with a nine-day residence period at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The academic year for this program begins in January and follows the calendar year, unlike most university degree programs. There are three more residency periods of ten days each: China in May, Europe in September, and back in Knoxville in December.
Between the residence periods, students complete online courses, known as “distance learning sessions”. A typical distance learning session might include a student discussion facilitated by a faculty member, a guest speaker, or a lecturer. Online students use these sessions to build on supply chain management proficiencies they have developed during their careers and focused on during the residence periods.
How does Haslam’s EMBA program allow working professionals to finish their degrees?
EMBA students usually take courses while remaining in their full-time jobs. Students don’t have to move to complete their EMBA degree. If you have at least five years of experience in the supply chain industry, Haslam does not require GMAT scores as part of the admission process. Your years of work experience are your proof that you have the talents and skills needed to successfully achieve an EMBA degree. EMBA programs are primarily for students who are already immersed in their careers—most people pursue an EMBA after 15 or 20 years of work experience.
In an online MBA, the workload is 20 hours per week. But the University of Tennessee, Knoxville has restructured its online courses to a format that delivers the information you need to further your supply chain management career in a more focused presentation. The EMBA can be completed in just one year. You will miss fewer than 30 days of work and spend, on average, less than an hour a week in online classes. This allows you to meet your obligations at work while you take courses.
Online students in the EMBA degree program complete assignments and share questions and insights with faculty and other members of their class. One way that Haslam supports online students in the Executive MBA for Global Supply Chain degree program is by helping you to manage the demands of courses, work, and family life. The college faculty is committed to assisting online students so they can meet the requirements of the program.
At Haslam, students focus on pragmatic education in our program’s style of applied learning. More than theory, the curriculum affords professionals the opportunity to address real-world problems. Students make on-site visits to corporations, governments, and operating facilities. In addition to the residencies abroad that will provide experience in conducting business internationally, all students complete an independent Organizational Action Project where they can focus on an issue of specific importance to their own institution.
Haslam EMBA students will benefit from their degree long after they graduate. Our alumni network stretches around the world. In fact, 40% of our students are from outside the United States. You can expand your network to include international contacts. This is an asset in the field of supply chain management, which requires operations management on a global scale. And as part of the Global Supply Chain Institute, a hub for supply chain research, the EMBA program shares in vibrant recruitment opportunities from over 100 companies every year. The college has formal relationships with more than 60 leading companies working in the global supply chain.
Why the Executive MBA for Global Supply Chain from Haslam?
Even with a flexible program and the support of your company, an EMBA represents a significant investment of time and effort. As you evaluate a program, you will want to keep the following areas in mind.
- Faculty credentials and quality. Your career is important and so is your education. If an EMBA degree program is able to attract and keep top academic talent, you know you’ll get high-quality instruction and guidance. Research the backgrounds of the professors you’ll take courses with. Haslam’s distinguished EMBA faculty combine vigorous research with real-world experience in government and private sectors.
- University rankings. Search for EMBAs in supply chain management to find a high-ranked school that offers degree programs in your area of interest. Haslam has been ranked the most relevant EMBA program in the world and second in quality of students according to The Economist. And Haslam is ranked in the top five business schools in the country for supply chain logistics according to U.S. News and World Report.
- Timing and flexibility. Do you want to finish your advanced degree as quickly as possible, so you can focus on your supply chain management career path? You’ll want to know if the programs you’re considering offer flexibility in how much time you take to complete your course of study. The Executive MBA for Global Supply Chain is designed with senior professionals in mind. The part-time program structure allows you to balance a heavy workload with meaningful coursework.
- Courses, specializations, and structure. You don’t want just any degree in supply chain management. You need an EMBA program that offers courses that speak to the challenges you face in your career. This could mean courses that address areas that are of special interest to you, such as the EPIC framework for supply chain decision-making. Developed by a team including Haslam faculty members Ted Stank and Mandyam Srinivasan, this model assesses economy, politics, infrastructure, and competence when making decisions about operations management, logistics and supply chain. At Haslam, the EMBA curriculum has been designed with business value in mind, benefiting from the input of industry leaders from over 40 major corporations. The college’s commitment to developing leaders is strengthened by core courses in ethical practices and market strategy. But unlike traditional MBA programs, students interact with a cohort of accomplished peers with many years of experience, all working together through the program.
- Employer support. There are two ways your current employer can affect your choice of an EMBA in supply chain management. First, if your employer offers tuition assistance or a full scholarship, find out if there is any limitation on which programs qualify for this aid. Second, make sure that the class schedule and the timing of in-person sessions works with your employer’s business cycle. Before you enroll, make sure that you can take the days away from work that you’ll need in order to complete your EMBA degree. Haslam’s program is designed to provide minimum disruption and maximum impact.
ROI of an Executive MBA for Global Supply Chain
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business found that, two years after receiving an Executive MBA for Global Supply Chain degree, 70% of students received a promotion at work. A 2018 survey by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that median weekly earnings were almost 20% higher for people with master’s degrees than for those with only bachelor’s degrees. An EMBA in supply chain management produces candidates qualified for senior and C-level supply chain management positions that command salaries in the upper end of the salary range.
The culminating Organizational Action Project accounts for a large part of the $6.5 million in returns that organizations see from their graduates in the EMBA. Fewer than three percent of EMBA alumni have left their organizations. By promoting the relationship between the student’s education and the business’s long-term goals, the program encourages a meaningful bond between you and your employing organization.
Career paths for after your Executive MBA for Global Supply Chain
An EMBA in global supply chain is a great way to move forward in your supply chain management career while remaining in your current position. If you work in logistics and supply chain or operations management, an EMBA could help you take your career all the way to top management. As companies recognize the central role that supply chain managers play in running their businesses profitably, many have added a chief supply chain officer (CSCO) to their C-suite. Supply chain managers can also rise to be the CFO in an organization that recognizes that operations management is key to the financial health of the company.
How can you pay for your Executive MBA for Global Supply Chain?
EMBA students can find scholarships or pay for their tuition through their own funds or loans. However, EMBA degree programs for working adults are often paid for by employers who want to grow their executive workforce from within. Haslam’s program is designed for employer buy-in. Many employers offer tuition assistance programs. If your online EMBA in supply chain management will increase your value to your current employer, you may be able to pursue your degree while your employer pays some or all of your tuition.
If you’re a veteran, you can get scholarships through the GI Bill. The Yellow Ribbon Program offers assistance that can include full tuition reimbursement for business programs at some collegiate schools. The Haslam College of Business offers support for veterans to help you use your VA benefits to pay for your education.
Applying to the EMBA for Global Supply Chain at Haslam
If you’ve been out of the classroom for a few years, you want to be sure that it will be worth your time. But you are likely to find that taking courses again is stimulating and exciting. The EMBA for Global Supply Chain is an investment in yourself. It will give you the knowledge, skills, and confidence to carry you through the rest of your career and help you meet or exceed your career and earning goals.
If you want to take your career in logistics and supply chain to a higher level, your next step is to fill out an application for the Executive MBA for Global Supply Chain degree program at the Haslam College of Business. Admissions are ongoing on a rolling basis, so the earlier you submit your application packet, the sooner you’ll know if you’ve been accepted. You have the best chance of acceptance if you enroll by October 30 for the next calendar year. For international students, it’s best to apply before September 30, because international applications take more time to process.
To apply to the UT Haslam Executive MBA for Global Supply Chain degree program, you need to provide transcripts from your bachelor’s degree, your resume or CV, an essay stating your life goals that drive your interest in this degree, and a small application fee. International students may have additional requirements, including proof of English language fluency and evaluation of your bachelor’s degree transcripts, to certify that your education was comparable to that from a U.S. university.
If you’re ready to invest in your future, the EMBA for Global Supply Chain program is a great way to challenge yourself to grow. The next step is up to you.