Executive MBA Academics

Expand Your Professional Competencies

In just five semesters, or 18 months, you'll receive the benefits of an executive education through William & Mary's Executive MBA program. Our curriculum allows you to go-to-market with your degree and land the C-suite level position with the requisite skills and knowledge needed for successful leadership in a business setting.

The Executive MBA program delicately balances a blend of on-campus and remote residencies, two global immersion experiences, and rigorous coursework taught by our highly-ranked faculty. You'll focus on the critical challenges facing business today in the areas of Business Basics, Decision-Making, Functional Expertise, and Strategy & Change.

Additionally, you'll take part in a comprehensive leadership development program during which you'll develop personalized action plans and set professional goals all while acquiring the tools, strategies, and behaviors designed to elevate your career. You'll work one-on-one with an executive coach through our Executive Partner program, an exclusive opportunity to William & Mary students in which active, semi-retired, and retired C-suite professionals offer invaluable mentorship and advice.

Executive MBA curriculum highlights

  • 18 Month Program

    Our streamlined, 18-month curriculum allows for a quicker route to graduation without sacrificing a world class, transformative executive experience.

  • Alternating Weekends on Campus

    Regular classes are about every other weekend--all day Friday and all day Saturday.

  • Customized Leadership Development

    Enhanced leadership focus that combines leadership-enhanced curriculum and full-scale executive coaching.

  • Two Global Immersions

    Distinct global business immersions that are seamlessly woven into the program to give you real-world international experience.

  • Two Domestic Residencies

    Domestic residencies in Williamsburg and the Washington, D.C. area deliver immersion into coursework and special topics.

  • Student-Centered Inventive Schedule

    Technology enhanced curriculum provides more work/life/school balance than ever before.

Core Curriculum

Core Curriculum

January Kick-Off Residency - Williamsburg, VA

curriculum snapshot
1st Semester 2nd Semester 3rd Semester 4th Semester 5th Semester
Business Foundations Decision Making Functional Expertise & Global Immersion I Strategy & Change Customized Electives & Global Immersion II
Accounting - Reporting & Analysis Accounting for Decision Making & Control Global Environment of Business Leading Change in Organizations Ethical Accountability
Analytical Tools for Business Decisions Data Analysis Marketing Strategy Corporate Financial Policy Leadership Development Program 2
Marketing Management Managerial Economics & Public Policy Financial Management Strategic Management Required Global Immersion
Leadership in an Uncertain Era Communication for Executives Operations & Supply Chain Management Managing Information Systems
Leadership Development Program 1 Leadership Development Workshops Leadership Development Workshops
Required Global Immersion - China
courses
Course Descriptions

course descriptions
Accounting - Reporting & Analysis

BUAD 5105 | 2.5 credits

This course introduces the basic concepts of financial accounting necessary to generate financial statements and reports. It examines strategies used to master the economic subtleties of business, and provides the managerial skills needed to analyze and interpret financial statements for internal and external use. This course focuses on data analysis and how managers use data to make better business decisions. We will examine the role and application of statistics in the analysis of business problems including estimation, statistical measures, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, and regression models.

Analytical Tools for Business Decisions

BUAD 5735 | 1.5 credits

This course provides students with advanced skills in the computer technologies of the modern workplace - namely spreadsheets and visualization tools. When applied creatively, these technologies enable more efficient execution, enhance decision making, and support the design of more effective business processes, all of which are essential for success in an increasingly competitive business environment.

Marketing Management

BUAD 5405 | 2.5 credits

This course focuses on the problems of building an integrated marketing program in light of external forces, such as the consumer, the trade, the competition and the regulatory environment. Specific emphasis is placed on the marketing concept, the marketing mix, market definition and dynamics, segmentation and positioning, and product/market evolution.

Leadership in an Uncertain Era

BUAD 5505 | 2.5 credits

This course is designed to improve your effectiveness as a manager by deepening your understanding of how organizations work. To succeed in the business world, you must (a) analyze organizational events and processes and (b) design and implement actions to increase organizational effectiveness. These critical leadership skills are even more important today, as organizations enter a period of enormous upheaval and change. The course begins with an intensive two-day leadership forum that focuses on heightening your awareness of leadership challenges and enhancing your ability to address them. As the semester continues, we build upon that seminal experience by exploring how the structure, power relations, and culture of organizations shape and constrain the behavior of individuals within them. The course culminates in a project in which you apply both conceptual tools and leadership skills to events in your current organization.

Leadership Development Program 1

BUAD 5525 | 1 credit

In this course, Executive MBA students will put into practice leadership and communication tools, strategies and behaviors needed to advance to the next level in their careers. Students will develop personalized action plans and goals that they will advance with the help of an executive coach.

Accounting for Decision Making & Control

BUAD 5115 | 2.5 credits

This course continues the accounting series with cost accounting, activities analysis, profit planning and budgetary systems, cost allocations, transfer pricing, and performance evaluation.

Data Analysis

BUAD 5715 | 2.5 credits

This course is designed to introduce students to basic modeling, analysis and simulation techniques. Emphasis will be placed on problem identification and formulation, sensitivity analysis and model construction. Spreadsheet tools will be used to solve business problems across various business functional areas.

Managerial Economics & Public Policy

BUAD 5725 | 2.5 credits

This introductory applied economics class examines the basic concepts and applications of demand and supply analysis. The course also explores topics of production and pricing in both domestic and international markets. Furthering the understanding of different market structures, this course focuses on the causes and consequences of market failures, the application of game theory to corporate decision-making, and the impact of technological change, international competition and government regulation.

Communication for Executives

BUAD 5015 | 1.5 credits

This course is designed specifically for the communication needs of executives. Building on skills and knowledge essential for successful communication, the course will focus on the value of effective managerial communication, provide an understanding of strategic organizational communication, and enhance speaking, writing, and other communication abilities.

Global Environment of Business

BUAD 5945 | 2.5 credits

This course focuses on how domestic and international product and financial markets operate. Students will develop expertise in applying models to generate qualitative forecasts of economic growth, interest rates, exchange rates and inflation. Through the analysis of case studies, the students will develop an understanding of policy decisions at the Federal Reserve and the effect that these policies have in the money and exchange rate markets.

Marketing Strategy

BUAD 5425 | 2.5 credits

This course focuses on the formulation of marketing strategy, including balancing market opportunities and threats with available resources and alternative responses, as well as analysis of markets, product and pricing strategies.

Financial Management

BUAD 5305 | 2.5 credits

This course is structured on the concepts and tools of valuation. It covers financial and project analysis, financial forecasting, risk and return, cost of capital, mergers and acquisitions, and valuation.

Operations & Supply Chain Management

BUAD 5605 | 2.5 credits

To achieve competitive advantage, managers must understand how to design and control products and services, as well as the systems for their delivery. To reach that understanding, this course focuses on issues of planning and control of complex products and services, managing quality and continuous improvement, and control of the supply chain.

Global Business Immersion - China

BUAD 5835 | 0 credits

Leadership Development Workshops

BUAD 5535 | 0 credits

In this course, Executive MBA students will put into practice leadership and communication tools, strategies and behaviors needed to advance to the next level in their careers. Students will develop personalized action plans and goals that they will advance with the help of an executive coach.

Leading Change in Organizations

BUAD 5515 | 2.5 credits

Building on the concepts from Leadership in an Uncertain Era, this course examines the leader's role in diagnosing, anticipating, planning, implementing, and evaluating change within organizations. Case studies and group projects focus on organizational analysis, barriers to change, overcoming resistance to change, change intervention strategies and methods, and change evaluation.

Corporate Financial Policy

BUAD 5325 | 2.5 credits

Building on the topics in Financial Management, Corporate Financial Policy covers advanced topics in financial markets and strategy, including debt and equity management policy, financing, derivatives and risk management, and international finance.

Managing Information Systems

BUAD 5215 | 2.5 credits

The course focuses upon strategic influence of informational technology (IT) within organizations. Designed primarily for non-IT executives, the course will prepare for understanding of technological vocabulary, emerging technologies and how they enhance core business functions, and demonstrating the business value of IT investment. Practice based exercises will augment the learning experience through modeling IT choices and information utilization.

Strategic Management

BUAD 5905 | 2.5 credits

This course is the study of the management of organizations with special focus on the roles and tasks of individual managers. The course deals with analyzing external and internal environmental forces; formulating organizational objectives; understanding the often conflicting needs and expectations of customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders; defining and appraising alternative courses of action; formulating and executing action plans; and establishing systems for monitoring and measuring results.

Global Business Immersion

BUAD 5845 | 3.5 credits

Ethical Accountability

BUAD 5855 | 2.5 credits

In a world of increased global trade and commerce, this course focuses on understanding and managing the differing standards for everything from earnings to ethics. The course serves to help us better understand values, our accountabilities, and the impact of our decisions and actions in the workplace. To reach this understanding, issues of business ethics, business strategy and emerging technologies, and managing conflicting interests in a global economy will be discussed.

Leadership Development Program 2

BUAD 5545 | 3 credits

In this course, the Executive MBA student will study and practice audience analysis and audience transformation; executive presentation strategy and delivery; developing and delivering the big idea; the story/visual/delivery model of leadership communication; storytelling & leadership; building empathy and creating emotional appeal all while learning and experiencing the latest and most effective communication tools (video, podcasts, social media, etc.) needed to influence and inform important audiences.

Andrey Dean

Andrey Dean '17

"The EMBA program is designed to make you get comfortable with being uncomfortable. I was challenged in ways that required me to evolve and expand my thinking to allow me to grow in unexpected ways."