The EMBA program follows essentially the same curriculum as the M.B.A. program (see M.B.A. Curriculum in the chapter Full-Time M.B.A. Degree Program). In the first year, students primarily focus on core courses. In the second year, students will take core advanced management courses and also have the opportunity to tailor their education by choosing from a variety of elective courses. The selected elective courses can fulfill a focus area designation in asset management, healthcare, or sustainability.

In addition, the curriculum includes a colloquium speaker series and the EMBA Global Network Week. Students may choose to take optional electives such as SNOCs and independent study projects outside of the EMBA curriculum.

The Colloquium

The colloquium is a year-long, credited course per academic year where students can listen to and learn from leaders’ experiences. Grades are determined by attendance, participation, and assignments given by the faculty directors. 

EMBA Global Network Week

All EMBA students must participate in the EMBA Global Network Week at the end of their first year. Each June, students attend a week of programming at another Global Network for Advanced Management school that is participating in Global Network Week. Students are responsible for airfare, visa costs, required vaccinations (if applicable), and ground transportation. The cost of hotels and some meals is included in the EMBA program tuition and fees. Please note that EMBA students cannot satisfy this requirement with an M.B.A. Global Network Week or International Experience.

Optional Electives

Upon successful completion of the first semester, students may also enroll in Yale SOM and Yale University electives, small-network online courses (SNOCs) offered through the Global Network for Advanced Management, and in independent projects. Students wishing to enroll in more than 24 units of courses per term must obtain approval from the assistant dean of the EMBA program.

Yale SOM will not accept credits from any institution outside of Yale University while the student is enrolled in the program.

Yale SOM and Yale University Electives EMBA students may enroll in elective courses at SOM, Yale College, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and any professional school of Yale University on a space-available basis, often requiring faculty permission.

Students interested in enrolling in a course offered by another school at Yale University must comply with the enrollment procedures of the school offering the course. In addition, the student must file the appropriate forms with the School of Management, as described below. Students will not be granted permission to take a course that conflicts with the EMBA class schedule, and it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that there is no scheduling conflict among their selected courses. Students wishing to enroll in a course in Yale College, the graduate school, or one of the other professional schools at Yale must receive permission from the course instructor. Enrollment in a Yale Law School course also requires subsequent authorization from the registrar of the Law School.

In some schools, students may be offered the individual option of taking a course on a Pass/Fail or Credit/D/Fail basis. Yale SOM students are not permitted to elect such an option.

The credit to be awarded for courses offered by Yale College, the graduate school, or one of the other professional schools at Yale will be determined by the registrar. Credits earned for Yale courses outside of the EMBA curriculum will not count toward fulfilling EMBA program requirements.

Add/Drop Policy for Yale SOM and Yale University Electives Students are responsible for adhering to all add and drop deadlines set by the registrar. After the add/drop period, students may not change their course schedule except by completing a Late Add/Drop Form, which requires the approval of the registrar; adding a course after the add/drop period also requires permission of the instructor. In addition, a late fee of $25 per transaction will be charged to the student making approved schedule changes after the deadline, including audits. No course may be dropped after half the class sessions for a course have been held. If extenuating circumstances arise after half of the course has passed, students can petition to drop a course. The circumstances and petition are reviewed by the registrar’s office and M.B.A. for Executives program. If approved, the late fee increases to $50 per transaction.

If a student is enrolled in a course and does not complete the work of the course and does not receive the appropriate permission either to drop the course or to receive an Incomplete (see Incomplete Course Work), a grade of Fail will be recorded. No student may receive credit for a course that the student has previously audited.

Small-Network Online Courses (SNOCs) SNOCs, or small-network online courses, are electives delivered virtually by a Global Network for Advanced Management member school. Students must apply to and be accepted by the instructor of the SNOC. Details for the application process will be posted to the EMBA Canvas Class site. SNOCs are open to students from across the Global Network. Students log in through an online platform and participate in video conferencing for synchronous lectures and discussions. Students collaborate on team projects, developing virtual teamwork skills, and benefit from cross-cultural perspectives in lectures and discussions.

Independent Study Course Students can undertake a research project under the supervision of a full-time Yale or SOM professor starting in the spring term of year one. The self-driven project is meant to allow students the opportunity to expand and develop their understanding of a particular challenge or question or pursue an academic question in a discipline.

Students must submit a Petition for Independent Study form that includes the project proposal, number of credits, and written approval from the proposed faculty sponsor. The proposal must indicate the means by which the student’s performance is to be evaluated (e.g., a final paper), the scope of the project, and a timeline. Projects can carry up to four units of credit, commensurate with the breadth and depth of the research undertaken. The assistant dean of EMBA must approve independent studies proposed by students in the EMBA program. Forms are due within the first weeks of the term in which the project will take place. Late add or drop fees will apply for changes made after this date.