The University of California, Berkeley’s 14 schools and colleges include the Haas School of Business, which is situated on the eastern side of the campus. Haas offers an Executive MBA program, an Evening and Weekend MBA program, and a full-time MBA program. Berkeley Innovative Leadership Development, a method of business education that places an emphasis on problem-solving and experiential learning in order to help students become innovative leaders, is at the heart of the MBA curriculum at Haas. Haas gives students the opportunity to co-design courses with a faculty member, which further helps students shape their education.
Berkeley Haas EMBA Class Profile
| Class Size (students) | 76 |
| Age | Median: 38 Middle (80% Range): 33-48 |
| Work Experience (years) | Median: 14 Middle (80% Range): 9-21 |
| Companies Represented | 74 |
| Diversity | Women: 41% Underrepresented Minorities: 8% International: 59% |
| Residence | San Francisco Bay Area: 54% Outside of Bay Area: 46% |
| Academic Background | Bachelor’s Only: 42% Master’s: 42% PhD: 11% MD: 4% JD: 1% |
| Industries | High Technology/Electronics: 12% Health Services: 9% Retail: 8% Computer-Related Services: 7% Nonprofit and Government: 7% Energy/Utilities: 7% Consulting: 5% Biotechnology/Pharma: 5% Media/Entertainment: 5% Transportation: 5% |
The data above is a profile of the Berkeley Haas EMBA class entering Fall 2022. Explore the full class profile here: Berkeley Haas EMBA Class Profile
Berkeley Haas EMBA Student Experiences
If you’re considering EMBA programs, you might also be curious about how the coursework is organized and how you can successfully juggle working a full-time job with fulfilling the program’s academic and other requirements. We’ve outlined the structure and other logistics of Haas’s MBA for Executives program below to help allay your concerns as this is one of the most frequently asked questions among prospective EMBA applicants—you are not alone!
Berkeley Haas EMBA Class Format
The duration of the Berkeley Executive MBA program is 19 months. It begins in May and lasts until December of the following year. This is divided into five terms, each of which is divided into three 3-day blocks (Thursday through Saturday) every three weeks.
This schedule has a slight variation when it comes to field-immersion class sessions which occasionally run mid-week. You can look at the program calendar for the class of 2024 here to get an idea of how often these immersions occur and generally what your 19-month EMBA will look like, schedule-wise.
The Berkeley Haas classes enroll together and spend a lot of time together over the course of just over a year and a half, similar to other top EMBA programs. In exchange for its lack of flexibility, it provides solidarity and stronger ties between classes.
Berkeley Executive MBA Fees and Scholarships
The Berkeley Haas MBA for Executives program was expected to cost $196,000 for the class entering in August of 2021. This is more or less in line with the cost of other top-tier EMBA programs including Stern, Booth, and Kellogg. In order to help offset that price, the school offers a number of scholarships including the Dean’s Scholarship and the Beyond Yourself Fellowship—an essay driven award, which is aimed at applicants with experience and results in the non-profit sector. Berkeley Haas also offers loans and accommodates benefits based on Veteran status or Employer Funding.
Berkeley Haas EMBA Curriculum
The Berkeley EMBA follows four pillars when it comes to their Haas EMBA curriculum: leadership, strategy, entrepreneurship, and finance. In the first three terms, Haas EMBA students must take ten core courses, such as “Data Analysis for Management” and “Competitive and Corporate Strategy” among others. In the final two terms, students take elective courses, either in the business school or another UC Berkeley college, or partake in independent study. Just like the full-time MBA, the executive academic program is peppered with opportunities for experiential learning.
Berkeley Haas EMBA Academics
For many of you who have worked for the past few years, applying to business school can be a daunting process. Many of our clients aren’t quite sure where to begin. To get you started, we’ve broken down the Berkeley Haas EMBA application into its two main components: the essays and the interview process. In addition, it’s crucial to keep in mind that the school has separate applications for domestic first-time applicants, repeat applicants, and international applicants. The EMBA program’s essay and interview requirements are listed below.
Berkeley Haas EMBA Essays
You must complete two essays as part of the application process for the Haas MBA for Executives program. These essays are meant to help the admissions committee learn more about you. We’ve listed last year’s EMBA essay prompts for you below:
- Your Personality A person’s identity is shaped by a variety of factors, such as family, culture, personal interests, and the environment in which they are raised. Please discuss a characteristic or event that makes you who you are. (text box, 300 words).
- Unique Skills As a working professional, you have acquired special knowledge, abilities, or experiences over the course of your career. Please summarize your primary area of professional expertise or knowledge. Highlight any characteristics you have that make you stand out from your peers. (text box, 150 words).
- Briefly describe your career objectives for the next three to five years. (text box, 150 words).
- Gaps In Employment Supplemental Information. Please describe any employment gaps you may have had since receiving your undergraduate degree. If you do not have a full-time job, please describe your current employment situation and your plans for finding one. Mark N/A if not applicable. (text box, 350 words).
- Recommender Supplemental Information. Please explain who you chose for your recommendations and why. Please include when you worked with your recommender. The context of your professional relationship. (text box, 350 words).
- Quantitative Abilities Supplemental Information. Please briefly describe how you have proven to have strong quantitative skills or how you intend to improve your quantitative skills. Only those with degrees in quantitative fields (e.g. g. , engineering, math, statistics). (text box, 250 words).
- Academic Discipline History? Supplemental Information. If you have ever been expelled from a college or university, placed on probation, suspended, or subject to academic sanctions, please elaborate. (A positive response to this question does not automatically rule you out of admission. ) Mark N/A if not applicable. (text box, 250 words).
- Significant Extracurricular Activities Supplemental Information. List up to five significant community, professional, and extracurricular organizations that you have participated in during or after your university studies, ranking them in order of importance. Use the following format to include the following details for each: Name of organization or activityNature of organization or activitySize of organizationDates of involvementOffices heldAverage number of hours spent each monthMark N/A if not applicable (text box, 500 words).
- Reapplicant Essay ONLY REAPPLICANTS: Please submit a statement outlining how your career has developed since your previous application as well as any additional ways you have improved your candidacy. Please explain why you are now interested in enrolling in the Berkeley MBA for Executives program if you have previously applied to one of our other Berkeley MBA programs. (text box, 350 words).
Berkeley Haas EMBA Interview
To be admitted to the MBA program, each applicant must successfully complete an interview. The Executive MBA program at Haas conducts 30-minute interviews, the majority of which take place on campus, though accommodations can be made for out-of-town candidates.
Contrary to other programs, Berkeley Haas interviews are not by invitation only, and the university encourages candidates to schedule their interviews whenever it is most convenient, even before submitting their applications. This is an excellent chance to get to know the institution and assess your program fit.
The location of the business school is crucial when evaluating EMBA programs, and Berkeley Haas has unrivaled access to the tech sector of the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley.
Haas is a progressive school with progressive values, as you would anticipate from its integration within the University of California, Berkeley. Essay questions for admissions have encouraged candidates to talk about challenges they’ve faced, and Haas is more open to unusual candidates than its rival schools who may lack some traditional qualifications but have compelling reasons for wanting to pursue an MBA and an uplifting life story.
The Berkeley location of the Haas School of Business makes it easy to network with tech companies across the San Francisco Bay Area, and the school has excellent placement in the tech industry; it has placed more than 30% of its students into the tech industry in recent years
Lastly, a reason to choose Haas for an EMBA would be their four defining principles, which are: question the status quo, confidence without attitude, students always, and beyond yourself. If these principles resonate with you, if you want a school that makes exceptional efforts to recruit a diverse class of students, or if you want to excel in the SF Bay Area tech industry, Haas should be on your list.
*Except where otherwise noted, all information was obtained from the Berkeley Haas EMBA Program websites.
Why I Chose The EWMBA at Berkeley Haas
FAQ
How hard is it to get into Haas MBA?
The acceptance rate for Haas is 13 percent, so it’s not that difficult to get into the MBA program. 2% It is important to consider the acceptance rate in the context of the student profile of those who are admitted For example the average GMAT score is 729.
Is Haas MBA prestigious?
University of California, Berkeley (Haas) is ranked No. 8 (tie) in Best Business Schools and No. 2 in Part-time MBA. Schools are ranked based on how well they perform against a number of generally recognized indicators of excellence.
Does Berkeley EMBA require GMAT?
Each applicant must submit their GMAT, GRE, or EA exam results. Up to two weeks after the posted application deadline for the round in which you are applying, you may take the GMAT, GRE, or EA.
What percentage of Haas applicants get an interview?
The admissions staff thoroughly reviews the application after it is finished. After this review, about 25-30% of candidates are invited to interview Interviews are conducted primarily by our students and alumni.