Before we turn to our regularly scheduled content, I want to respond to a question asked of me on Twitter by @agarwalgaurav04: He asked me if we can do a show on U.S. one-year MBA programs. We might in the future, and while today’s show is not devoted to that topic, you can get a lot of information from the podcast with Columbia Business School’s Emily French (episode #171). Similarly, while INSEAD is NOT a US school, the interview with Virginie Fougea, INSEAD’s admissions director, also provides a lot of insight into what that top international one-year program is looking for.

One of the key differences between a 1Y and a 2Y program is lack of internship. So most one-year programs want to admit students who A) don’t need an internship, and B) have crystal clear goals so that they can hit the job search trail running -- without hesitation or delay. Applicants who are returning to a previous employer are particularly appealing, but you don’t need to have a job offer in hand to apply or to get accepted. If you want to change function and industry after you earn your MBA, maybe attempt to do one shift with your first post-MBA job and the other in a second post-MBA position. In a nutshell, if you prefer a one-year program, keep your goals realistic and achievable.

Also, make sure you meet the school’s criteria for the one-year program. Kellogg for example, admits applicants to its 1Y program who have at least a strong academic foundation in business if not an undergrad business degree. Cornell Johnson in contrast, wants applicants with advanced degrees or certifications for its Accelerated program and lists programs that satisfy its requirements, but they don’t have to be in business. Know what the programs require before you apply and make sure you can give them what they seek.

In a nutshell, here’s what you need to remember if you are interested in a one-year program:

1. Keep your goals realistic and achievable. There’s no time for soul-searching or an internship.

2. Know what the programs require before you apply and make sure you meet the requirements.

Thanks Gaurav for the question.

Today’s interview focuses on a different type of non-traditional MBA program: the Executive MBA. I thought it would be great to learn about one of the newer EMBA programs, specifically Yale School of Management’s EMBA. Yale SOM’s Executive MBA program will graduate its 10th class this year. However, for the most of its existence, it was exclusively a healthcare-focused EMBA program. That focus was expanded a couple of years ago, and today Yale EMBA provides a general management education with three areas of concentration for its students. We’ll learn more about those later.

For now it gives me great pleasure to introduce today’s guest, Vani Nadarajah, Director of Admissions, Executive MBA and Global Programs at Yale School of Management.

Can you give us an overview of Yale’s EMBA program? [4:30]

It’s a full MBA: we have one degree that we deliver to our students in two formats – the fulltime MBA and the Executive MBA. It’s very rigorous. It’s 75% general management, and then in the second year, students divide between asset management, healthcare, and sustainability.