shadowsjc wrote:
the 1 year MBA (usually called executive MBA) and 2-year MBA are largely different beasts. the 1 year MBA is mostly for people who don't intend to switch career paths (or even companies) post MBA. it also applies to people who have a family business or something similar, and are looking to head back to the same place after they're done.
by and large, the 2 year MBA is for people looking to switch either function, industry, specialization or any combination of these. there is a formal recruiting process for students in the 2 year program; i'm not sure there is the same thing for a 1 year MBA program (since the schools expect you to already have your post MBA goals set out).
i do not believe that the GMAT is required for 1 year MBAs. I don't know the firm numbers, but if i had to guess, I would say that the 2 year MBA is more selective since they draw from a much larger applicant pool.
keep in mind that you would normally need a significant amount of work experience to be eligible for the 1 year program at most schools. for kellogg, i believe you need 8 years of full time work experience.
Don't confuse executive MBA with 1-Y MBA programs that are just shorter and skip the internship (Insead, Babson, Kellogg 1Y, Emory, and whatever Columbia has...the Jan start?...are the ones I know). These programs are competitive and absolutely require the GMAT. Most executive MBA's are called executive MBA programs, not 1 year MBA programs. My impression is that they are primarily weekend programs, though I have not researched them extensively.
Kellogg's 1Y (different than the Kellogg EMBA) does not require 8 years work experience. In fact, if you've been out 8 years, you are NOT eligible, according to their website. At that point you would look at the Kellogg EMBA, I assume.
https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/adm ... ligibilityHe's right that the lack of internship makes career switching more challenging in a one year program. (Columbia positions their accelerated program as something that is not as good for career switchers...)