By Kelly Skinner

Atlanta has long been a hub for higher learning. Dozens of colleges and universities in the metro area and beyond provide training and degrees with a wide range of programs and teaching styles. But with many bachelor-holding grads unable to obtain a job in the down economy, Atlanta’s continuing education programs have served as an opportunity to improve one’s odds for standing out among a sea of applicants. Even for the workers that are gainfully employed, continuing education programs offer new chances for salary increases. Whether the goal is to improve your standing within a company, or to improve your chances for obtaining a new job after a recent lay-off, Atlanta has a program close to where you live with a flexible plan that will fit into your family and work routines.

Among the country’s most popular options for higher learning is the Executive MBA degree, and Atlantans are no exception. Many companies will help pay for some, if not all, of their employees’ tuition, and with prices far lower than that of a traditional full-time graduate program, the trend has been to move toward this more flexible option.

“In this economy, people are seeking graduate degrees and continuing education in large numbers for several reasons,” says Beth Day, vice president of the Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education. “They may be out of work and making good use of their downtime to change careers or working to become more marketable on the other side of the downturn. They may be seeking to boost their relevance in a current position. Some new college graduates are even choosing to go back to school for a master’s degree rather than to enter a weak job market,” she says.

It’s in the Numbers
According to a profile reported by the Executive Masters of Business Administration Council, average EMBA salaries are up 9 percent since 2009, with wages around $136,000 upon graduation, compared with $115,000 upon entry into the program. Approximately 32 percent of EMBA grads are promoted within their companies and 44 percent receive new job responsibilities. EMBA grads also said that their EMBA programs met or exceeded their expectations 97 percent of the time.
What is an EMBA?

In a nutshell, the Executive MBA is a Master of Business Administration earned by a mid-level professional while he or she is working a full-time job. The typical program length is approximately 18 months. Additional formats include the Flexible MBA, which allows students to take between two and five years to complete their program, and the Professional MBA, which expedites early career professionals through the program in two years.

“Here in the Atlanta area, because we have so many great colleges and universities, you can really find a program that suits the needs of just about anyone,”says Day. “Looking specifically at graduate business degrees, we have a full array of MBA programs: full-time, part-time, evening, executive, global and online. Then you have specialized master’s degrees in business disciplines ranging from accounting to risk management. And you can find these, day or night, full or part-time, in just about any part of town.”

An Advanced Degree Can Be Life-Changing
Cindy Jacoby worked as a school guidance counselor before finding her way into an Executive MBA program at Kennesaw State University (KSU). In 2004, after watching the summer camps she was in charge of multiply in size, she realized she was running a small business. Her boss encouraged her to enter an MBA program and, with its moderate price tag and prime location, Kennesaw State University was an easy choice. “It was one weekend a month, and when you weren’t in class you were doing projects online with your learning team,” says Jacoby. “In my case, the program was absolutely life changing.”

Jacoby’s salary has tripled since completing the program. She advises others to go through the process as well, whether they are currently employed or are hoping to improve their salaries. “I think right now is a great time to go back to school. The downside about going—if you don’t have a job—is that you won’t have anyone to pay for it [Jacoby’s former boss paid the full cost of her studies]. But at the same time, this program will give you the confidence you need to score a job once you’ve been out of work for a while. The confidence you’ll have in knowing that you can do the job is really empowering,” she says.

Jacoby enjoyed her experience with KSU so much that she is currently a mentor or “team coach” for the Executive MBA program at the university. In her volunteer position, she observes the way members of her student team interact with one another and how they deal with problem-solving in a group environment.

“KSU is unique in that it puts its students in small teams that the students will be in for the entire 18 months,” says Jacoby. “There are team projects that you have to do together, but you also learn the aspects of teaming from the very beginning and you discover how to give feedback and make your opinion heard in a group setting. The way this program is set up works on an individuals’ soft skills. You are always going to be who you are, but this situation forces students to change how they view the actions of others and helps them understand the reasoning behind the decisions of others.”

Aside from the team-oriented aspects of her schooling, Jacoby appreciated the convenient proximity to KSU from her workplace. With the variety of schools in the area, you can pick a program that is a short commute from both the office and home. Georgia State University (GSU), for instance, is in close proximity to multiple neighborhoods in the metro area like Downtown, Alpharetta, Buckhead, Henry County and the Perimeter.

GSU offers four different programs to fit the needs of its students in the form of a Flexible MBA, a Professional MBA, a Global Partners MBA and an Executive MBA. “The teaching approach in all of the MBA programs is a mix of lectures, case studies, field experiences, interactive presentations and exercises,” says Jenifer Shockley, public relations specialist for GSU. “Our contemporary, real-world curriculum equips students with the managerial skills and cross-functional knowledge required to lead an enterprise in today’s ever evolving global economy.”

Clayton State University in Morrow, offers a similarly structured MBA program. Students can enroll in a 20-month, fast-track program designed to prepare graduates for the changing global world of business. Clayton State’s MBA program is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

Comparing and contrasting programs can be difficult at times. Before doing anything, Day suggests re-evaluating why you’re interested in entering an EMBA program in the first place. “Think about what you want from the degree, how important the location is, where recent graduates from the program work now, what the student body is like, if the institution is accredited by the AACSB and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and if you want to complete the program full-time, part-time or while you’re still working,” she says.

If individual attention is at the top of your list of priorities, then Mercer University may be a good fit. Mercer offers an Executive MBA program through the Stetson School of Business and Economics, located in Chamblee, and is one of 418 schools of business to have been accredited by the AACSB. According to Mercer’s EMBA/PMBA Director, Dr. Faye Sisk, the Stetson School distinguishes itself on its teaching philosophy. “Students continually comment on our individualized approach and personal concern for our students,” says Sisk. “Students are taught by a full-time academic faculty with a small class size optimized to enhance interactive exchange and learning. Upon graduation, we are in frequent contact with our graduates, who not only continue to seek additional professional assistance and guidance but also provide networking and career enhancing opportunities for new graduates and alumni,” says Sisk.

A special aspect of Stetson’s EMBA program is its emphasis on retreats, which precede each integrated module in the program and include such international residencies as Shanghai, Hong Kong and Vietnam.

Past grads work for Fortune 500 companies like AT&T, Turner Broadcasting, Coca-Cola Enterprises and General Electric among several others.

Nationally Recognized Programs
Aside from GSU, Kennesaw State University and Mercer, Atlanta’s other big-name schools like Emory, the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech are consistently ranked among the country’s top EMBA programs. UGA’s Terry School of Business puts convenience at a premium by offering MBA programs in two prime Atlanta locations, taking away a bit of the headache of commuting to class. EMBA coursework is available in the heart of Buckhead in the Executive Education Center and a Fast Track MBA program is offered in Lawrenceville at the University of Georgia’s Gwinnett facility. Emory continues its tradition of excellence with two program formats based out of the Goizueta Business School in Druid Hills: the Modular EMBA and the Weekend EMBA.

With the modular program lasting 21 months and the weekend program lasting 16, the school puts a strong emphasis on international learning, with a required 10-day Global Business Colloquium Abroad—which in the past has included such cities as Dublin, Geneva, Kieve and Prague, among others. Georgia Tech also offers two EMBA programs at its downtown Georgia Tech College of Management campus: the EMBA in Management of Technology, as well as the Global Executive MBA. Georgia Tech’s programs tied with Georgia State University in this year’s U.S. News & World Report’s list of top evening MBA programs in the 24th ranking.