The 25 best executive MBA programs in the world to help you reach the C-suite

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The 25 best executive MBA programs in the world to help you reach the C-suite

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Stuart Ramson/Associated Press

Take your executive career to the next level.

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  • Education specialists QS Quacquarelli Symonds recently released a ranking of the top executive MBA programs.
  • EMBA programs are generally geared toward older and more experienced candidates than MBA programs.
  • The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania took the top spot.
  • Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

Seeking a career in the C-suite? An executive master's in business administration (EMBA) program might be for you.

An EMBA program differs from an MBA program in a few key ways.

For example, according to TopMBA, applicants to EMBA programs typically have about 10 to 15 years of work experience. And many EMBA students continue to work full time during the program. That means your employer might cover the cost of tuition; it also means you'll have less frequent interactions with classmates.

Education specialists QS Quacquarelli Symonds annually rank the best EMBA programs in the world, based on surveys of employers and academics.

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For their ranking, they focused on factors including (but not limited to) how many employers recently recruited from the program, the program's strength of thought leadership, and how much of a salary bump or promotion graduates receive.

Here are the 25 best EMBA programs in the world, according to QS, as well as the programs' scores from 0 to 100 overall and on employer reputation.

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25. Copenhagen Business School

25. Copenhagen Business School

Location: Copenhagen, Denmark

Overall score: 76.3

Employer reputation: 84.9

Thought leadership: 82

Career outcomes: 80

Read more about Copenhagen Business School at TopMBA»

24. CUHK Business School

24. CUHK Business School

Location: Hong Kong

Overall score: 76.6

Employer reputation: 67.6

Thought leadership: 81.2

Career outcomes: 100

Read more about CUHK Business School at TopMBA»

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23. Ross School of Business (University of Michigan)

23. Ross School of Business (University of Michigan)

Locations: Ann Arbor, MI; and Los Angeles, CA

Overall score: 77.5

Employer reputation: 88.2

Thought leadership: 95.8

Career outcomes: 60

Read more about Ross School of Business at TopMBA»

22. Rotman School of Management (University of Toronto)

22. Rotman School of Management (University of Toronto)

Location: Toronto, Canada

Overall score: 78

Employer reputation: 78.3

Thought leadership: 89.2

Career outcomes: 90

Read more about Rotman School of Management at TopMBA»

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21. Fuqua School of Business (Duke University)

21. Fuqua School of Business (Duke University)

Locations: Durham, NC; Santiago, Chile; Shanghai, China; Berlin, Germany; and New Delhi, India

Overall score: 78.9

Employer reputation: 92.1

Thought leadership: 84.4

Career outcomes: 80

Read more about Fuqua School of Business at TopMBA»

20. IE Business School

20. IE Business School

Locations: Madrid, Spain; São Paulo, Brazil; Singapore; and Los Angeles, CA

Overall score: 80.9

Employer reputation: 95.4

Thought leadership: 68.2

Career outcomes: 100

Read more about IE Business School at TopMBA»

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19. IMD

19. IMD

Locations: Lausanne, Switzerland; Palo Alto, CA; and Beijing, China

Overall score: 81.3

Employer reputation: 91.6

Thought leadership: 68.8

Career outcomes: 100

Read more about IMD at TopMBA»

18. National University of Singapore Business School

18. National University of Singapore Business School

Location: Singapore

Overall score: 81.4

Employer reputation: 75.9

Thought leadership: 90.4

Career outcomes: 90

Read more about National University of Singapore Business School at TopMBA»

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17. ESADE

17. ESADE

Locations: Barcelona and Madrid, Spain

Overall score: 82.5

Employer reputation: 91.9

Thought leadership: 81.4

Career outcomes: 90

Read more about ESADE at TopMBA»

16. SDA Bocconi

16. SDA Bocconi

Locations: Milan, Italy; Mumbai, India; Copenhagen, Denmark; Ann Arbor, MI; and Shanghai, China

Overall score: 84.9

Employer reputation: 91.4

Thought leadership: 90.4

Career outcomes: 90

Read more about SDA Bocconi at TopMBA»

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15. New York University Stern School of Business

15. New York University Stern School of Business

Location: New York, NY

Overall score: 85.7

Employer reputation: 92.1

Thought leadership: 96.4

Career outcomes: 80

Read more about NYU Stern at TopMBA»

14. Columbia Business School

14. Columbia Business School

Location: New York, NY

Overall score: 86.5

Employer reputation: 98.5

Thought leadership: 98.2

Career outcomes: 70

Read more about Columbia Business School at TopMBA»

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13. Cambridge Judge Business School

13. Cambridge Judge Business School

Location: Cambridge, the UK

Overall score: 88

Employer reputation: 89.1

Thought leadership: 98.2

Career outcomes: 90

Read more about Cambridge Judge Business School at TopMBA»

11. (Tie) Saïd Business School (University of Oxford)

11. (Tie) Saïd Business School (University of Oxford)

Location: Oxford, the UK

Overall score: 88.3

Employer reputation: 89.8

Thought leadership: 98.2

Career outcomes: 90

Read more about Saïd Business School at TopMBA»

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11. (Tie) Yale School of Management

11. (Tie) Yale School of Management

Location: New Haven, CT

Overall score: 88.3

Employer reputation: 89.7

Thought leadership: 95.8

Career outcomes: 100

Read more about Yale School of Management at TopMBA»

9. (Tie) INSEAD

9. (Tie) INSEAD

Locations: Fontainebleau, France; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; and Singapore

Overall score: 88.5

Employer reputation: 99.9

Thought leadership: 98.8

Career outcomes: 80

Read more about INSEAD at TopMBA»

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9. (Tie) University of California, Los Angeles, Anderson School of Management

9. (Tie) University of California, Los Angeles, Anderson School of Management

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Overall score: 88.5

Employer reputation: 94.7

Thought leadership: 97.6

Career outcomes: 90

Read more about Anderson School of Management at TopMBA»

8. Haas School of Business (University of California, Berkeley)

8. Haas School of Business (University of California, Berkeley)

Location: Berkeley, CA

Overall score: 88.7

Employer reputation: 95.3

Thought leadership: 100

Career outcomes: 80

Read more about Haas School of Business at TopMBA»

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7. Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University)

7. Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University)

Locations: Evanston, IL; and Miami, FL

Overall score: 89.3

Employer reputation: 99.4

Thought leadership: 96.4

Career outcomes: 90

Read more about Kellogg School of Management at TopMBA»

5. (Tie) The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

5. (Tie) The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Locations: Chicago, IL; London, UK; and Hong Kong

Overall score: 91.6

Employer reputation: 97.6

Thought leadership: 99.4

Career outcomes: 90

Read more about Booth School of Business at TopMBA»

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5. (Tie) HEC Paris

5. (Tie) HEC Paris

Locations: Paris, France; and Doha, Qatar

Overall score: 91.6

Employer reputation: 97.9

Thought leadership: 94

Career outcomes: 100

Read more about HEC Paris at TopMBA»

4. IESE Business School

4. IESE Business School

Locations: Barcelona, Spain; New York, NY; and Silicon Valley

Overall score: 92.1

Employer reputation: 95.3

Thought leadership: 91

Career outcomes: 100

Read more about IESE Business School at TopMBA»

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3. London Business School

3. London Business School

Locations: London, UK; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Overall score: 94.3

Employer reputation: 98.9

Thought leadership: 94.6

Career outcomes: 100

Read more about London Business School at TopMBA»

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management

Location: Cambridge, MA

Overall score: 94.6

Employer reputation: 99.2

Thought leadership: 100

Career outcomes: 90

Read more about Sloan School of Management at TopMBA»

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1. Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

1. Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

Locations: Philadelphia, PA; and San Francisco, CA

Overall score: 95.9

Employer reputation: 99.9

Thought leadership: 100

Career outcomes: 100

Read more about Wharton School at TopMBA»