But how do our students customize their program to address their own interests and goals in a fast-changing global business environment?
Chicago Booth is known for going deeper into the fundamentals of business to understand how organizations function, markets work, capital is allocated, and how people make decisions. It is a timeless approach that’s applicable to practically any situation. But how can students customize their program experience to address their own interests and needs in a fast-changing, global business environment? One of the ways is through the EMBA Electives Weeks. Read on for more information about what Electives Weeks are and the value they bring to students in the Sokolov Executive MBA Program.
During your second August in the Sokolov Executive MBA Program, you’ll join alumni and classmates from the Chicago, London, and Hong Kong campuses for two weeks of elective courses at our Chicago location. During those two weeks, you’ll have the opportunity to choose from over 30 courses in different discipline areas. These innovative courses are designed to enhance your core knowledge with more specialized, in-depth learning around areas of business that are considered advanced or cutting edge in the current business landscape.
Take the example of artificial intelligence and big data. There is a lot of interest in learning how AI and big data affects industry and business. The use and understanding of the power of data is not new to Booth; we have always taken a very data-driven approach to business problems in our research and teaching. Our elective courses in Managerial Decision Modelling and Machine Learning give students a deep dive into how data and AI are fundamentally changing the practice of business and disrupting often-entrenched practices. These have become popular elective choices, and are increasingly in demand by students as a complement to the very solid underpinning of the fundamentals they have already acquired in the program.
The same is true with courses at Chicago Booth like The Fintech Revolution, Data Driven Marketing, and Technology Strategy. All great examples of courses that build on the fundamentals of business to address the ways business is changing today. Electives also offer ample options for would-be entrepreneurs with classes like Entrepreneurial Finance, Entrepreneurial Selling, and New Venture Strategy.
"Elective Weeks turned into a real accelerator for my new cybersecurity venture. Professor Scott Meadow's Entrepreneurial Finance prepared me for my fundraising round through real deals and real numbers, and in Professor Samir Mayekar's Building New Ventures I worked on my own venture with a group of talented, experienced Booth EMBA students. I even pitched in front of real VCs and walked away with introductions to others. It's exactly why I chose the Chicago Booth EMBA: talented classmates and experienced, practical faculty."
— Yoav Shechter, Class of 2027 (EXP-32)
Electives Weeks in Chicago not only bring all of our global cohorts together, but are a great touchpoint for interacting with alumni. This year, alumni from all over the world returned to the classroom to learn alongside current students. They too value the opportunity to come back to Booth to expand their skill-set in a particular area or discipline and reconnect with faculty from their earlier study. Working professionals increasingly demand more from their careers as people are living and working longer and making more career changes along the way. At Chicago Booth, we want to make sure we are meeting the demands of our alumni by allowing them to come back and brush up on new and old skills over a lifetime.
“I really enjoyed my Elective Week experience because I had the chance to reconnect with friends across continents and relive the spirit of late night studying, grabbing dinners together, and catching up on each other's lives. Also, the ability to take a week to really think and debate about current topics and how they might play out in the future was such a luxury!”
— Henk van Vliet, MBA ’24 (EXP-29)
Electives Weeks is also a time for everyone to network and reconnect with one another after meeting earlier in the program. Many students rave about their experience during Electives Weeks year over year. It continues to be seen as a great opportunity to build upon foundational knowledge, network with fellow Boothies, and enjoy Chicago during the summertime!
“Coming back to Booth for Elective Weeks was a reminder of why Booth’s EMBA program is special: opportunity to learn from extraordinary professors in courses like Deal Structuring with Professor Sapra, which spoke directly to what I do today between privatization work in Argentina and fractional CFO engagements. Just as valuable was the classroom environment itself—full of practitioners from every industry and continent, the kind of people you only meet at Booth.
It also served as a great time for me to bring my partner to Chicago and share with her a place that means a lot to me. Class in the morning, the city in the afternoon: hard to beat."
— Matías Micheloni, MBA ’23 (EXP-28)
To learn more about the Executive MBA Program experience and program structure at Chicago Booth, click here.
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