FAQs

Each of our Executive MBA programs are designed for working professionals who want to pursue their MBA without sacrificing earnings and career progression. The major difference between the different programs are the location, schedule, and structure of class meetings.

Our Evening Executive MBA and Charlotte Executive MBA programs are perfect for professionals with at least two years of work experience (with at least five years preferred) who can commute to Chapel Hill or Charlotte once a week and want to continue working while getting their MBA. Like our other MBA programs for working professionals, Executive MBA students in these formats quickly accelerate their careers, develop deeper business acumen and leadership skills, and instantly expand their professional network. If you live in North Carolina and value regular in-person interaction with your cohort and faculty members to develop your leadership skills, define your priorities and maintain your focus, these programs offers unparalleled value and convenience. You’ll also participate in two Impact Weekends with students from our other Executive MBA programs to expand and deepen your networking experience.

The Weekend Executive MBA meets approximately once per month in a hybrid model that combines in-person class residencies with virtual class weekends. This schedule offers working professionals from around the country flexibility while maximizing the personal transformation and skills development gained through an immersive, residential learning experience. A minimum of five years of work experience is required for the Weekend Executive MBA program, and students enter with an average of 12 years of experience.

Yes. The UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School offers a portfolio of programs that enable students with a range of backgrounds, objectives and scheduling requirements to access UNC Kenan-Flagler’s top-ranked MBA. Whichever program you choose to take, you’ll receive the same degree.

Our Executive MBA programs allow working professionals with at least two years of work experience to earn an MBA while working full-time, without sacrificing salary or career progression. Though core coursework is similar across our MBA programs, professors in our Executive MBA programs adapt their approach to take advantage of the professional experience their students bring to the classroom, often asking students to bring in real-world work challenges to study and problem-solve. As an Executive MBA, you’ll be able to turn to your cohort to seek solutions for challenges you currently face at work and you’ll be able to apply the knowledge and skills you acquire immediately in your career.

After graduation, you can take additional elective courses for a nominal fee. This allows you to update your skills and knowledge throughout your career.

Yes. The innovative online MBA@UNC makes the UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA accessible to working professionals who are unable to make regular visits to the Chapel Hill campus for in-person coursework.

Yes. All UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA programs are fully accredited by AACSB International (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), the premier accrediting agency for business schools.

Good business is built on meaningful relationships. Your classmates will represent a valuable professional network with ties to a variety of industries and sectors. The cohort model ensures that you have the time to build the kind of lasting connections that you can rely on for the rest of your career—for advice, guidance, resources and talent.

We offer several different MBA formats, with different schedules, for exactly this reason. Many of our students regularly travel for work and find that our working professionals MBA programs provide plenty of flexibility to pursue their MBA without impacting those work-based travel demands.

No. In fact, it’s just the opposite: our full-time faculty teach across our MBA program formats and opportunities to teach in our Executive MBA programs are coveted. Faculty members enjoy the caliber and expertise of working professional MBA students and love engaging with the real-world, current workplace challenges they bring to the classroom.

Students communicate through email, video and conference calls, face-to-face meetings, and a variety of apps and collaboration tools between classes.

Our Executive MBA programs are designed so that busy, driven professionals can pursue their MBA while balancing their career and family commitments. Classes are scheduled so that you will have the flexibility for work travel and other personal commitments between class meetings.

Our cohort model also means you can find support during particularly busy times. While the program is rigorous, our students are quick to tell others that it can be done and that time flies!

Yes. Executive MBA students receive an individualized career coaching session that focuses on identifying your leadership style, along with your strengths and areas for improvement. The session is built around the results of a 360 assessment and is designed to give you the self-awareness and perspective to expand your long-term leadership potential and set you up to prepare your Professional Development Plan.

You’ll also have ample opportunity to work with our dedicated career and leadership team who will get to know you and your vision for career success, and work with you one-on-one (unlimited sessions) to create, execute, and assess your personalized action plan.

One of the things that sets our Executive MBA programs apart from competitors is the broad selection of electives and concentrations offered. During your second year in the program, you will take 12 to 13 electives from several dozen course options, including experiential opportunities such as the Global Entrepreneurship Lab (GEL), Global Immersion Electives (GIEs) and STAR consulting projects.

Executive MBA electives are offered in a variety of scheduling options, including some virtual spaces and online course options. This flexibility allows you to choose courses that align with your career interests while expanding your network through shared classes with peers from our Executive MBA and Online MBA programs.

An important element of the Orientation experience is the opportunity to develop connections with other members of your cohort and faculty, and to focus on coursework. While we highly encourage you to stay in Chapel Hill for Orientation and both Impact Weekends, a hotel stay is optional. This is an excellent opportunity for networking with your cohort at meals and social activities.

Your meals during Orientation and Impact Weekends will be provided, and hotel costs are not included in your tuition.

Impact Weekend is an opportunity to come together with peers from all three of our Executive MBA formats. These required courses are held over a three-day weekend, and are offered alternately between Chapel Hill (March) and Charlotte, NC (September).

During Impact Weekends, you’ll participate in lectures and workshops focused on special leadership topics, hear from area executives, engage with local employers, and network with peers and UNC Kenan-Flagler alumni. You’ll also have time for social activities to deepen your connections with classmates.

No, we do not accept transfer credits. All students in your class begin the program at the same time and complete the coursework as a cohort.

Yes. The interview gives us an opportunity to learn more about you and your qualifications and gives you a chance to learn more about the Evening Executive MBA. We encourage you to schedule your interview at a time when you can visit a class and meet our students and faculty.

Applicants who have five or more years of professional full-time work experience at the time of application are exempt from the GMAT/GRE requirement and do not need to fill out a waiver.

An official GMAT or GRE score is required of applicants with less than five years of full-time work experience. Some Evening MBA applicants with less than five years of full-time work experience at the time of application may still be eligible for a waiver of this requirement. If you have less than five years of experience, we encourage you to submit a GMAT / GRE waiver request as one of the first steps you take in the process (although you can do it any time—regardless of how far along you are in the application process).

Yes! In fact, we encourage anyone who’s interested in applying to the Evening MBA program to sit in on a class and attend breaks with current students. Class visits offer the best way to experience the environment at UNC Kenan-Flagler, see how immediately relevant the curriculum is, witness the caliber of students you’ll be in class with and understand the strength of our cohorts and faculty.

Additionally, we hold various webinars each month that allow you to learn more about our programs, including special career topics and student and alumni panel discussions. To register for a class visit or see our webinar schedule, visit our Admissions Events Calendar.

The Evening Executive MBA program is designed for driven, seasoned professionals, so most applicants have been away from school for many years. If you are concerned about the currency of certain skills (such as statistics, economics, or accounting), you may want to take continuing education courses to refresh those areas before applying.

You will also need to be proficient in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel, including financial and statistical functions. Your academic background, work experience and standardized test scores (GMAT, GRE or Executive Assessment) are all things we assess to determine whether you will be academically successful.

The first step in the federal aid process is to file the FAFSA. Once received, and after you have been admitted, the application will be reviewed, and a loan offer will be posted to the student portal called ConnectCarolina.  More information about Federal Student Loans for Graduate students is available on the Federal Student Aid Website and the UNC Office of Scholarships and Student Aid website.

All billing is handled through the Office of the University Cashier. Student loan funds are sent directly to the student billing account. Any loan amount left over after charges have been paid is issued to you in a refund.The FAFSA becomes available each year on October 1st and can be completed on FAFSA’s website. Resubmit the FAFSA each academic year you wish to borrow Federal Student Loans.

The FAFSA becomes available each year on October 1 and can be completed on FAFSA’s website. Resubmit the FAFSA each academic year you wish to borrow Federal Student Loans.

Please review eligibility requirements for Federal Student Aid on studentaid.gov and the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid website. In addition, as a graduate student,  you must be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible to borrow loan. You are considered enrolled half-time at UNC-Chapel Hill when you are taking 4.5 hours per fall or spring semester.

Some student loan lenders offer private loans to international students that may or may not require a U.S. co-signer. Additional information for this loan is available under Full-Time MBA Private Education Loan (may or may not require a co-signer).

No, you are not required to borrow any amount. Students may determine the amount they would like to borrow, and/or the amount they would need to borrow to cover the charges. Our financial aid staff is available to help you determine the loan amount you may need to cover the charges based on your personal financial situation.

Yes. Financial aid budgets include cost of living estimates for each student. Students can choose to increase their overall indebtedness to include these estimated living expenses, if they would like.

Some student loan lenders offer private loans to international students that may or may not require a U.S. co-signer. Additional information for this loan is available under Full-Time MBA Private Education Loan (may or may not require a co-signer).

Most lenders will defer repayment of student loans for borrowers who enroll at least half-time at an accredited college or University. As a graduate student, you are considered enrolled half-time at UNC-Chapel Hill when you are taking 4.5 hours per fall or spring semester.

You must be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible to borrow loans, as well. Be sure to continue making your student loan payments until you have been notified that your outstanding loans have been deferred.

IRS Publication 970 covers tax benefits for education. This publication typically addresses most general questions that students have and the IRS website is user friendly for searching on other topics. Keep in mind that Financial Aid Officers are not trained accountants and, therefore, are unable to answer tax questions.

Yes. The Evening Executive MBA program is designed around dynamic, in-person weekly meetings on campus in Chapel Hill.

This format allows you to expand your local network through regular face-to-face contact with faculty and your cohort, and to stay motivated and on task as you work toward the degree. It also gives you the flexibility to manage family and work obligations—including business travel—for the rest of the week.

Professionals who live in proximity to the Chapel Hill campus can benefit from either the Evening Executive MBA or Weekend Executive MBA program. Generally, it comes down to the demands of your schedule and the way you like to learn. The Evening Executive MBA program is a good fit for students who learn best with short but regular contact with faculty and classmates. The Evening MBA program’s weekly class meetings extend into late evening hours, which works better for some students than others, depending on work and family obligations.

The Weekend Executive MBA Program is best suited to students who thrive in an immersive setting. With less frequent class meetings, Weekend Executive MBA students need to be self-directed enough to keep up with coursework between classes.

Most students spend 12 to 20 hours per week in individual study or team meetings, in addition to class time.

No. The Weekend Executive MBA program is designed to be effective wherever you live in the country. Immersive residency weekends—where you’ll convene in Chapel Hill for several days of intensive coursework and relationship building—are held twice per term, and in the middle, you’ll participate in one virtual class weekend, which means less travel and more schedule flexibility. Between monthly classes, you will progress through the program through a combination of independent and collaborative group study and via asynchronous online learning.

UNC Rizzo Center, home of the Weekend MBA program, is conveniently located just 20 minutes from the RDU airport.

We believe that one of the primary advantages of an Executive MBA is the wealth of knowledge, experience and leadership perspective our students bring to the classroom. It’s important to us that each cohort includes a diversity of backgrounds across a range of industries. That said, we also know from experience that the connections and relationships students make while in the program are meaningful and valuable well beyond graduation.

We set the cohort size at 50 because this seems to be a sweet spot—sizable enough to include a rich diversity of voices and expertise and intimate enough to facilitate strong and lasting relationships among students and faculty. The size also allows the Weekend MBA program team to get to know each student, which not only helps us support the program but also puts us in a position where we can facilitate serendipitous connections between students on the fly.

Not necessarily. The Evening Executive MBA program and Charlotte Executive MBA program are best suited for students with at least two years of work experience (five preferred) who learn best with short but regular contact with faculty and classmates. These programs’ weekly class meetings extend into late evening hours, which works better for some students than others, depending on work and family obligations.

The Weekend Executive MBA program is best suited to students with at least five years of work experience who thrive in an immersive setting. The residential class weekends in Chapel Hill (two per term) mean you can really concentrate on the work and engage deeply with peers and faculty; you’ll have the added flexibility of one virtual class weekend each term. This schedule also means you need to be self-directed enough to keep up with coursework between your sessions.

Most students spend 12 to 20 hours per week in individual study or team meetings, in addition to class time.

Yes. An important element of the weekend immersion experience is the opportunity to focus on your coursework and on making connections with faculty and the other members of your cohort.

While in residence, you will stay at our executive conference facility, the Rizzo Center, where you’ll find hotel-style accommodations, superb culinary offerings, and a fitness center. The Rizzo Center is located just a few minutes from main campus and Franklin St. in Chapel Hill.

Yes. The Charlotte Executive MBA program is designed around dynamic, in-person weekly meetings on campus in Charlotte.

This format allows you to expand your local network through regular face-to-face contact with faculty and your cohort, and to stay motivated and on task as you work toward the degree. It also gives you the flexibility to manage family and work obligations—including business travel—for the rest of the week.

Professionals who live in proximity to the Charlotte campus can benefit from either the Charlotte Executive MBA or Weekend Executive MBA program. Generally, it comes down to the demands of your schedule and the way you like to learn. The Charlotte Executive MBA program is a good fit for students who learn best with short but regular contact with faculty and classmates. The Charlotte MBA program’s weekly class meetings extend into late evening hours, which works better for some students than others, depending on work and family obligations.

The Weekend Executive MBA Program is best suited to students who thrive in an immersive setting. With less frequent class meetings, Weekend Executive MBA students need to be self-directed enough to keep up with coursework between classes.

Most students spend 12 to 20 hours per week in individual study or team meetings, in addition to class time.

Executive Fridays are dedicated opportunities for Charlotte Executive MBA students to hear from executive speakers, business leaders and local accomplished professionals. Along with learning from experienced business professionals, you’ll be able to network one-on-one with these local leaders. Executive Fridays are required for all Charlotte Executive MBA students as part of the program experience.