11 best executive MBA programmes in the USA with no GMAT 2025
The USA is often called the "Land of Opportunities." The reason behind this is that it provides tonnes of opportunities for people from every background. All you have to do is aim for it.
Countless people go to the USA every year to get a better life or a better education, and when it comes to education, an executive MBA or EMBA happens to be one of the most popular programmes among professionals.
One thing that never stops for ambitious professionals is learning, and an executive MBA is perfect for ambitious and experienced people as they want to achieve great success and desire to hit the C-suite level.
So, without any more chit-chat, let’s check out the best executive MBA programmes in the USA in an extensive manner.
What is an executive MBA or EMBA?
An executive MBA/EMBA is a master’s programme that best fits professionals who want to extend their academic careers. It offers part-time study where they can study while working and requires work experience of 5 to 15 years.
It provides a high-level education in business management, strategy, and leadership; for that, it could be a bit more expensive than a regular MBA and usually takes 18 months to 2 years to complete.
Best Executive MBA programmes in the USA with no GMAT
GMAT is one of the requirements that top business schools in the USA ask for their executive MBA programmes. However, there are some top universities where GMAT is not necessary while enrolling in their EMBA programmes.
According to the QS World University Rankings 2025, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is the best university in the world. Even at the No. 1 university in the world, GMAT is not required to pursue an executive MBA or EMBA programme.
A piece of advice would be to check out the university’s official website with enough time, as the universities often offer many scholarships for executive MBA or EMBA programmes. You shouldn't miss one.
Given below is a table of the top 11 universities in the USA for EMBA programmes with no GMAT, including QS ranking, length of study, work experience requirement, and tuition fees.
| University Name | QS Ranking (2025) | Length of Study | Work experience (Average) | Tuition fees (All included) |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan) | 1 | 20 months | 10 years | $208,300 |
| Northwestern University (Kellogg) | 50 | 24 months | 15 years | $195,934 |
| UCLA (Anderson) | 42 | 22 months | 15 years | $192,720 |
| Columbia University | 34 | 20 months | 10 years | $248,280 |
| New York University (Stern) | 43 | 22 months | 6 years | $226,100 |
| University of Southern California (Marshall) | 125 | 22 months | 14 years | $180,000 |
| University of Michigan (Ross) | 44 | 21 months | 15 Years | $191,000 |
| Cornell University (Johnson) | 16 | 17 months | 12 years | $186,510 |
| University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler) | 155 | 21 months | 8 years | $125,589 |
| Georgetown University (McDonough) | 301 | 21 months | 13 years | $158,382 |
| Georgia Institute of Technology (Scheller) | 114 | 17 months | 10 years | $84,563 |
(A note: The work experience mentioned in both these tables is not the minimum work experience requirement. It’s the average; the minimum requirement is much lower than average.)
Best Executive MBA programmes in the USA with GMAT
Despite the high tuition fees of the EMBA programme, thousands of professionals still pursue it because, eventually, it pays off. The prime reasons are the huge network that they can create and the high salary that they can get after this.
Given below is the list of the top 6 USA universities for executive MBA programmes that require GMAT to pursue.
| University Name | QS Ranking (2025) | Length of Study | Work experience (Average) | Tuition fees (All included) |
| University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) | 11 | 24 months | 13 years | $230,100 |
| Yale University | 23 | 22 months | 7 years | $216,840 |
| University of California, Berkeley | 12 | 22 months | 15 years | $212,000 |
| University of Chicago (Booth) | 21 | 21 months | 13 years | $210,500 |
| Duke University (Fuqua) | 61 | 22 months | 11 years | $170,700 |
| University of Texas (McCombs) | 66 | 20 months | 11 years | $162,000 |
(A note: The tuition fees mostly include tuition, meals during class weekends, parking during class weekends, accommodations, project expenses, and course materials.)
Final note
Well, it looks like we have hit the edge. We hope that this blog about the best executive MBA programmes in the USA was of immense help to you. An executive MBA could be the pathway for senior managers to reach the company's top management position, and that’s why these programmes cater to their students of these types of positions.
That about sums it up, and we hope that you achieve great things in life. Good luck!
FAQs
Which Executive MBA is best in the USA?
The best executive MBA programmes in the USA are given below:
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan) (#1)
- University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) (#2)
- Northwestern University (Kellogg) (#3)
- Yale University (#4)
- University of California, Berkeley (#5)
Is Executive MBA worth it in the USA?
Of course, it’s worth it, as after obtaining an EMBA degree, people see a salary increase of a minimum of $10,000 to $15,000 per year.
Which are the best MBA schools for Executive MBA?
The best MBA schools for Executive MBAs in the world are given below:
- Oxford (Said)
- IESE Business School
- HEC Paris
- MIT (Sloan)
- London Business School