A Global EMBA for Experienced Working Professionals

Earn an Ivy League MBA from Cornell close to home. 

Cornell’s Executive MBA Americas program was designed for experienced working professionals who are serious about personal and organizational growth and career advancement to the highest levels of leadership. As you continue to work full-time, you’ll spend alternate weekends learning with classmates across the Americas via live, interactive instruction.


An Ivy League EMBA That’s Local to You

With an Ivy League executive MBA program accessible from across the Americas, our ambitious students can pursue their MBA from a boardroom location in North America or online from home.

Students in the EMBA Americas program have several years of professional experience in business functions and industries of all kinds, and they work for organizations such as Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Deloitte, and the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Degrees Awarded

An MBA from Cornell University and an MBA from Queen’s University

Program Format

Classes every other Saturday and Sunday with four residential sessions

Program Schedule

17 months of classes starting in late June, followed by a capstone project


Cornell for Your EMBA: An Ivy League Education That Comes to You

You don’t have to choose between working full-time and furthering your business education. With the Cornell EMBA Americas program, you can remain focused on your current career—and immediately implement what you’re learning, as you’re learning through our part-time program. There is also no need to relocate thanks to the program’s innovative distributed classrooms with online instruction.

Offered in partnership with the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, the Johnson School’s most flexible MBA program combines the rigor of an Ivy League education with a schedule and location that fit your needs:

Students sit at a u-shaped table with their laptops watching live instruction on large TVs.

Convenient, Alternating Weekend Courses

Our international, team-based model featuring boardrooms is the only program of its kind in the Ivy League. This state-of-the-art interactive learning technology allows you to connect with teammates in person or online from home while connecting virtually to the rest of your cohort from across the Americas and with faculty from our Ithaca and Queen’s campuses.

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In-Person Learning and Networking

Come together to learn and network with classmates from your boardroom (and other cohorts) for four focused residential sessions at Cornell University’s Ithaca and New York City campuses and Queen’s University campuses in Toronto and Kingston, Ontario.

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Project-Based Curriculum

Gain a foundation in management, international business, leadership, and other fundamentals through your Cornell EMBA Americas coursework, electives, and two major projects.

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Industry-Leading Faculty Expertise

Learn from an international, award-winning faculty with extensive teaching, research, and industry experience. Our Cornell Executive MBA Americas program boasts renowned business school faculty from Cornell and Queen’s universities.

Broader Perspectives. Broader Opportunity.

One unique benefit you will get as a member of a global executive MBA program is the opportunity to meet classmates with diverse cultural, professional, and educational backgrounds. As you engage in real-time discussions, you’ll learn from each other’s lived personal and professional experiences.


Learn in a Dynamic, Team-Based Environment

Over the course of your 17 months in the Cornell Executive MBA Americas program, you will interact with your peers in many ways. You’ll connect with your team in person from your local boardroom or online from home every other weekend. During four residential sessions, you’ll have a chance to deepen your relationships.

A professor stands at a desk in a TV studio broadcasting him teaching to boardrooms across the Americas.

Cornell EMBA Courses: Every Other Weekend, Wherever You Are

Earning an Ivy League MBA doesn’t mean putting your career on hold or relocating to another city, state, or country. No matter where you call home, you can pursue Cornell’s part-time EMBA Americas program.

Attend classes every other weekend from a city near you or online from home as you connect to classmates and instructors from across the Americas.

SEE SAMPLE SCHEDULE

Our Locations: Find Your Boardroom

With boardroom locations across North Americas, and the option to attend weekend classes online through synchronous instruction, a Cornell MBA is well within your reach.

United States

  • Dallas, TX
  • Houston, TX
  • Ithaca, NY
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • New York, NY
  • San Francisco, CA
  • San Jose, CA
  • Seattle, WA
  • Washington, D.C.

Mexico

  • Mexico City
  • Monterrey

Canada*

  • Calgary, Alberta
  • Toronto, Ontario

*Applicants in Canada apply through Queen’s University.

Online

Participate online via live, synchronous instruction, if you do not live in close proximity to an in-person boardroom city.

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Residencies: Bringing It All Together

The Cornell EMBA Americas program includes four in-person residential sessions, which bring together teams from across the Americas for intensive learning. Held on the campuses of Cornell and Queen’s universities, these sessions feature classes, small-group simulations, networking opportunities, and plenty of face-to-face time with your classmates and instructors.

A highlight of the final residency is the Cornell Management Simulation in which you’ll work—and compete—in small groups to lead a fictitious manufacturing company through key business decisions. This hands-on course gives you a chance to incorporate everything you’ve learned about analysis, leadership, collaboration, and decision-making.

Residencies also offer plenty of chances for off-campus exploring. In Ithaca, that might mean taking in the natural beauty of the Finger Lakes region, including breathtaking waterfalls and gorges; in Toronto, that might mean taking in panoramic views from atop the famed CN Tower and exploring museums and galleries.

EXPLORE RESIDENCY DETAILS


A Curriculum Designed for Immediate Impact

The Cornell EMBA Americas program has a robust, practical curriculum that includes foundational courses (delivered during the weekend and residential sessions), electives, and two major projects:

Foundational Courses

Build business knowledge and strengthen your leadership skills through a sequence of EMBA courses, including:

  • Managing and Leading Organizations
  • Negotiations
  • Role of the General Manager
  • New Venture Management
  • Corporate Financial Policy

EMBA Electives

Round out your coursework by choosing electives that align with your professional interests and career goals. Options include:

  • Big Data & Analytics
  • The Social Impact of AI
  • Coaching for High Performance
  • Management Presentations
  • Executive Strategy in a Digital World

Individual Project

Apply what you’ve learned through either a Consulting or New Venture project; you may even use your organization as the client.

You’ll work under the guidance of a project advisor to develop a proposal, work plan, consulting report, or business plan, followed by a final pitch.

Global Business Team Project

With guidance from a project advisor, you and your learning team will work with a partner organization to address a real-world business problem or opportunity.

The project includes an international field study to complete on-the-ground work and research.


The Cornell EMBA Americas Experience: Meet Our Students

From being in awe of the talent, energy, and expertise found among their classmates to learning about their varying histories and geographies, Nick from Mexico City, Mexico, and Michael from Los Angeles, California, United States, share what they valued most about their Cornell EMBA Americas experience.


News and Updates: Cornell EMBA Americas BusinessFeed

Our BusinessFeed features program updates, research news, profiles, and the latest accomplishments of Cornell EMBA Americas students and faculty.

Illustration of people of various ages and ethnicities sitting at a large round table in an office with a floor to ceiling window and a cityscape beyond.
December 5, 2024

So You Want to Join a Board … Are You Ready?

Career Corner: Assessing your readiness means asking if you have the right qualifications and whether you’re prepared to make a sustained commitment.

a woman dressed in hiking boots and pants and a fleece standing in a mountainous area surrounded by grean meadows, shrubs, and jagged mountains in the background.
August 16, 2023

Helen Lee ’03, MBA ’20: Behind Operations at Cornell Wildlife Health Center

Dyson and Johnson alumna Helen Lee helps manage the strategies, programs, and operations for the Cornell Wildlife Health Center.

6 men and women sitting around or leaning over a table, looking at a laptop screen, and interacting. Clear floor to ceiling windows behind them look out on the Queensboro Bridge and Manhattan.
January 9, 2023

EMBA Spotlight: How Cornell Johnson’s Program Is Uniquely Suited To The Moment

Cornell's pioneering distributed classrooms defined distance learning years before Zoom became part of the business school lexicon.


Cornell EMBA Americas: Admissions Requirements and Application Details

Our admissions process is personal and holistic; the Cornell EMBA Americas admissions committee looks at each candidate and application individually. In reviewing your materials, including your admissions essays, we consider academic readiness, professional experience, future goals, and a commitment to balancing work, life, and school.

EXPLORE ADMISSIONS DETAILS

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Assess Your Fit: Start the Conversation

Before you apply to the Cornell EMBA Americas program, we invite you to submit a pre-assessment. This brief form asks about your educational and professional background, as well as your goals for the executive MBA program. Your answers will help us get to know you better and help you determine if the Cornell program is a good fit for your background and goals.

Start Your Pre-Assessment

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Connect with Admissions

The Cornell Executive MBA admissions team is available to answer your questions about program format and requirements, selection criteria, application deadlines, and the admissions process. Start the conversation by requesting more information.

Our EMBA admissions events, which happen online and at locations across the United States and Mexico, are also a great way to connect with our team and get answers to your questions in real time.

Request Information

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Cost of the EMBA Americas Degree

Investing in yourself with a Cornell EMBA Americas degree can take your career to the next level. Learn more about the estimated cost of the program, including tuition totals and deposits. Plus, find details about financial aid options.

Explore Tuition & Financing

Important Cornell EMBA Americas Application Dates and Deadlines

Applications for the Executive MBA Americas program are accepted on a rolling basis. Contact the admissions office with any questions related to the application or the deadlines.

Applications for June 2025 program start are now being accepted. The next application deadline is January 15, 2025.

Apply Now

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Admissions Events: Online and In Person Near You

If you want to learn more about the Cornell EMBA Americas program, consider attending an admissions event online or in your city. We offer a variety of options, including virtual information sessions, in-person coffee chats, and networking receptions.

VIEW UPCOMING EVENTS


FAQs: More about the Cornell Executive MBA Americas Program

Choosing an MBA program is a big decision, and we know you likely have a lot of questions about the differences between program types; hybrid MBA and residential MBA programs. We’ve put together answers to some of the most commonly asked questions we receive, including details about GMAT requirements (we don’t require test scores).

Next Steps: Applying to Johnson

You’ve researched executive MBA programs in North America and beyond, and you’ve determined that the Cornell EMBA Americas program is a fit. What next? We encourage you to start the application process! You’ll begin by starting an account at the Johnson School’s admissions portal.

Additional Cornell EMBA Options

In addition to the Executive MBA Americas program, the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management offers two other EMBA programs—one for executives based in the New York City metro area and a dual degree program geared toward healthcare leaders.

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Cornell EMBA Metro NY

Ideal for executives based in the tri-state area, Cornell’s EMBA Metro NY program is immersive and convenient. Earn an Ivy League EMBA on alternating weekends at our Roosevelt Island campus in Manhattan while continuing to work full-time, all while implementing what you’re learning along the way.

VIEW PROGRAM DETAILS

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Cornell EMBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership

The only Ivy League program of its kind, Cornell’s dual EMBA/MS prepares you to lead change and drive innovation in healthcare organizations. Offered in conjunction with the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, classes take place every other weekend on our Roosevelt Island campus in Manhattan.

EXPLORE THE PROGRAM