Rochester Institute of Technology - Saunders College of Business

The prestigious Rochester Institute of Technology's Online Executive MBA Program, within its Saunders College of Business, is specifically designed for professionals with at least six years of work experience. Its students see it as a "well-known" and "rigorous" "accelerated program" that delivers 47 credit hours in 17 month of study. The program blends foundational courses with current developments in technology management, innovation, and product commercialization, and students appreciate the "the deep coverage of each functional area instead of one concentration, e.g. [in] finance, accounting, or technology." Though the coursework is entirely available online, the program offers an orientation weekend, which "sets you off in the right direction with the program" as well as an international immersion trip. The "international immersion and consulting engagement in Dubai was outstanding," raves a current student. "I believe immersion is a huge benefit to attending RIT. There is significant bonding and networking with staff and classmates." In terms of completing a remote EMBA, students call RIT's technology "simple and engaging." "The recordings and live sessions added great value and were highly interactive. You felt part of the lecture like an in-person classroom." Another student feels that it is "obvious the programs administration [is] focused on providing the best technological solutions for online learning." The "challenging" workload of the accelerated EMBA program is "manageable," but "it forces you to become a master of time management." Luckily, "the professors and administrators have a holistic view and are motivational." Students hold their classmates in high regard, calling their peers "intelligent," "highly collaborative" and "innovative" "people with a forward-thinking mindset." The "many engineers" who comprise the program along with students with "marketing, finance, [and] technology" backgrounds, have "tons of work experience"—15.8 years on average—and are "leaders of their fields." "The environment was challenging and engaging which led to increased learning from peers." Overall, students name the "rigor of the program" as RIT's greatest strength.