Booth Executive MBA vs. Haas Executive MBA

Congrats on your admits!

Booth is great but... I feel the Haas EMBA program is quite well known, esp in the Bay Area. The discussion alone has generated probably more posts than any others. I would argue that for an executive program, Hass get some more visibility.

Executive programs are usually not very well suited for recruiting on campus but people still are able to land jobs by networking at recruiting events or with their classmates. If changing your employment after graduation or in the near future is some think you were interested in, I feel the chance of those encounters would be greater in Haas. But all opportunities would be in CA.

So... I think short term and logistically Hass would be a win in my book. If you are considering moving from California then booth is one of those opportunities it makes it easier at the cost of annoying travel and sacrificing a local network. Long-term, it’s not really about the program but the network establish during your time there - other EMBA students. So in the next 20 or 30 years where would you see your network? West Coast or Midwest and East Coast?


PS. At the same time I don’t really use my MBA network a whole lot. I’ve had the same job for quite a while now and I’m happy with my career but rather it was the first two jobs that I landed through my immediate network.

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Thank you so much for the detailed reply. I appreciate your perspective and points you brought up for me to consider. I don't know the answer to the long-term geography question, but if I had to bet, it would be midwest and east coast. (Making the life I want for myself and my family in northern CA is proving to be quite difficult!) The admittedly crude way I was calculating was that is the (slightly) higher global reputation of Booth and the global nature of its program better for me than what Haas will offer in terms of a more expanded regional network and ease of commute? (I know there's no right answer.) Many more factors to consider, I am well aware. Thanks again!

Would love to hear from others.

One more bump for votes / thoughts. Thanks in advance, all!

Sorry about the delay - I started replying to your post but never finished and the reply got lost in the windows.
If you are willing to commute (and you won't be the only one really) then it makes Booth more palatable. Just to note that Booth has a stronger reputation in the US only, not as much in Asia or Europe, though it is an amazing school Haas has even less reputation but Berkely is better known than U of Chicago. No idea why.

Haas is very California and Bay Area in terms of its network. You will be in a minority elsewhere and if you are not a Tech focus exec.
I know Haas is a bit tricky and limiting with access to their events and classes for non FT students. I think they had the nerve to publish a policy about it.


Let me check with kmwantstogoschool about Booth EMBA - perhaps they can weigh in?
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Hi OP!

I’m a current FT MBA candidate at Booth and I’ll take a stab at sharing what I know about the Booth EMBA. Unfortunately I know little to nothing about the Haas EMBA so I will refrain from making a comparative evaluation, given my lack of knowledge! Here goes:
The Booth EMBA actually comes close to the FT MBA on two fronts: recruiting and academics. All the classes offered are the same as FT MBA ones and by the same profs! Similarly I have seen great recruiting outcomes for EMBA in consulting and banking. I’m not sure what you will be recruiting for but I am pretty certain Haas recruiting will be better for Tech. PE/VC again lots of internship and networking opportunities available. We even have a course that’s basically a PE internship. So it really depends on what you’re looking for. Finally the travel, it is worth thinking about how you will manage time. Booth academics are challenging and you can expect to spend 10-15 hours a week on homework if you want to get good grades and about 5 hours just to coast along. This is compounded by air travel in and out of Chicago. O’Hare is notorious for delays and the Chicago winter (Oct-May) makes flight delays, cancellations and re-routings fairly routine. This would all be stuff to think about as you decide! Good Luck!

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Thank you so much for the detailed reply!

I have found that exact same conundrum - reputation wise domestically, Booth > Haas, but internationally, Berkeley > Chicago. Thanks for coming back to this post to pen some more thoughts; quite helpful!