Overview

The Executive MBA program was the first to be offered in Lebanon and the Middle East. It started in February 2000. Since then dozens of executives graduated from the program and hold top management positions at several institutions.

The Executive MBA program at LAU allows professionals to earn top executive training and education while holding senior positions at their respective organizations. The program is developed to enhance students’ managerial as well as leadership skills. The program offers courses and seminars in all areas of business at flexible times to suit students’ busy life style. All courses are offered during the weekend.

The program is rich in its diversity of the student body. Executive MBA students join the program with different backgrounds. They hold degrees in engineering, pharmacy, law, business, and other areas. This diversity will cultivate students’ exposure and allow them to share their experience with their colleagues.

Joining the Executive MBA at LAU will give you the privilege of enrolling in a rewarding endeavor. You will be taught and trained by a team of highly experienced faculty and professionals with a significant experience. The faculty will teach and expose you to the latest theoretical and practical managerial techniques to be applied on the job managerial situations.

Program Objectives and Philosophy

Executive training at the Lebanese American University is built on the philosophy that learning is a continuous process throughout individuals’ careers. The purpose of the Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) is to allow experienced professionals in Lebanon and the Middle East to combine a full-time career with an executive educational program, culminating in an academic degree. A wide range of course offerings allows students to develop expertise in several areas of business, namely accounting, banking and finance, economics and statistics, management, and marketing. Such diversity aims at providing students from various business and academic backgrounds with the ability to comprehend the latest techniques and applications in all aspects of business and corporate settings, by applying various course materials to on-the-job managerial situations.

Program Goals: 

• The graduate will utilize appropriate techniques to effectively solve business problems. 
• The graduate will possess leadership capabilities. 
• The graduate will possess an understanding of the ethical and social dimensions of decision making process. 
• The graduate will possess professional communication skills. 

Program Outcomes:

• The graduate will be able to select and analyze relevant data and propose an effective solution to a business problem. 
• The graduate will demonstrate effective leadership skills. 
• The graduate will be able to evaluate the social and ethical issues involved in a business case. 
• The graduate will be able to demonstrate effective written communication skills.
• The graduate will be able to demonstrate effective oral communication skills. 

Admission Requirements

Applicants to the EMBA program are expected to have professional preparation and accomplishments with sound academic background. Applicants who hold executive positions will have priority in admission. Prospective applicants must have completed a bachelor’s degree in business studies or equivalent from a recognized university. Admission is granted on a selective and competitive basis to those who have demonstrated aptitude for distinct leadership and career enhancement, and possess managerial skills, increased workplace responsibilities, high ethical standards, perseverance, intellectual curiosity and academic ability and motivation by meeting at least the minimum requirements described below.

With regard to the admission criterion for EMBA, the applicant is expected to have:

1. A BS degree from a recognized university.
2. The applicant should have a minimum of six years of working experience with a Middle Management or higher supervisory position.
3. Proficiency in English. Applicants from a non-English Universities have to demonstrate proficiency in English through:
   • A University EEE administered exam (minimum score of 550)
   • A paper based TOEFL(minimum score of 575)
   • An international based TOEFL (minimum score of 90)
   • A computer based TOEFL (minimum score of 233)
4. All applicants will be interviewed for assessment by the admissions committee.

Meeting these requirements, however, does not guarantee admission to the Program. The admissions committee has the final decision.

Applicants who are short of meeting the above requirements might be considered for “probationary” admission provided they have “significant supervisory work experience.” Students admitted on probation will earn regular status upon the completion of 6 EMBA credits with at least 3.0 average and no more than one “C” grade.

To be considered to the EMBA program at LAU, applicants must submit the following:

1. A completed application form.
2. A copy of most updated CV.
3. Official transcript(s) from the undergraduate degree program(s) completed. Transcripts need to be sent directly to the Admissions Office. Failure to declare enrollment at other institutions could result in an invalidation of admission, and any credits or degrees earned.
4. Certified copies of all educational or professional degrees/certificates that the applicant has earned.
5. Recommendations from two professionals who are familiar with the applicant’s work performance.
6. A certificate of current and previous employment.
7. Applicants who are graduates of non-English universities must submit official scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or the English Entrance Exam (EEE) administered by LAU. Students may submit a minimum score of 90 on the Internet-based international TOEFL in lieu of taking the EEE. To register for the internet-based TOEFL, visit www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/about. Note: Applicants taking the TOEFL should sit for the international test. Institutional TOEFL is not accepted at LAU. The code for LAU is 2595.
8. A photocopy of the Identity Card or Passport (should be the same as the nationality used in the registration process).
9. One recent passport-size colored photograph.
10. An interview.
11. A non-refundable fee of $50 (L.L. 75,000) payable to LAU either in cash or by a check drawn on a Lebanese or US bank.
12. Letter of endorsement, if available.

Director of Executive Education Programs

• Armache, Jalal, Ph.D., Management

Staff

• Hashash, Hisham Khodor, Academic Assistant-Beirut

Contact Information

Beirut:

• Extension 1169
• Business Building 1401
• Web page: http://sb.lau.edu.lb/programs/graduate/emba/

EMBA Program and Course Design

EMBA students must complete a total of 36 courses, 1.5 credits each. The program is conducted on Friday evenings and Saturdays from mid-October to mid-September. On average, 21 courses are offered annually. A student attending all courses offered during the year needs less than 1.5 years to graduate. Each course carries 1.5 credit hours, equivalent to 22.5 hours of classroom contact. Students can enroll in one course every two weekends, according to the following schedule:

• Courses are offered on Friday evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. every two weekends.
• Up to 12 credits offered by the institutes in the School of Business can be granted credit toward the E.M.B.A. program, subject to meeting the standards set by the program’s administration.

All candidates of the Executive Master of Business Administration degree must take 36 of the following courses to graduate. Each course is worth 1.5 credits.

Core Requirements (12 courses consisting of 18  credits)

• ACC711  / Accounting for Executives (1.5 cr.)
• ECO710  / Applied Economics for Executives (1.5 cr.)
• FIN712 / Executive Business Finance (1.5 cr.)
• FIN721 / Corporate Financial Strategy (1.5 cr.)
• HRM754 / Global Human Resource Management (1.5 cr.)
• MGT711 / Strategic Management (1.5 cr.)
• MGT727 / Managerial Negotiations (1.5 cr.)
• MGT734 / Business Legal Environment, Ethics and Social Responsibility (1.5 cr.)
• MGT751 / Executive Leadership & Communication Skills (1.5 cr.)
• MKT711 / Marketing Management for Executives (1.5 cr.)
• MKT735 / Marketing Communications (1.5 cr.)
• QBA730 / Business Analytics for Executives (1.5 cr.)

Elective Courses

Students may choose any 12 courses of the following courses:

Accounting

• ACC741 / Financial Analysis  (1.5 cr.)
• ACC781 / Selected Topics in Accounting1  (1.5 cr.)

Economics

• ECO716 / Monetary Theory and Policy  (1.5 cr.)
• ECO717 / Fiscal Theory and Policy  (1.5 cr.)
• ECO726 / Econometrics and Forecasting  (1.5 cr.)
• ECO781 / Selected Topics in Economics1  (1.5 cr.)

Finance

• FIN723 / Bank Capital Management  (1.5 cr.)
• FIN724 / Bank Liquidity and Credit Management  (1.5 cr.)
• FIN740 / Investment Analysis  (1.5 cr.)
• FIN747 / Financial Risk Management (1.5 cr.)
• FIN781 / Selected Topics in Finance1  (1.5 cr.)

Hospitality & Tourism

• HOM741 Issues in Hospitality and Tourism  [1.5cr.]
• HOM781 Selected  Topics  in  Hospitality  and Tourism  [1.5cr.]

ITM

• ITM711 / ITM for Executives (1.5 cr.)
• ITM781 / Selected Topics in ITM1 (1.5 cr.)

Management

• MGT718 / Executive Organizational Behavior (1.5 cr.)
• MGT720 / Global Management (1.5 cr.)
• MGT721 / Corporate Governance (1.5 cr.)
• MGT731 / Leading Organizational Change  (1.5 cr.)
• MGT756 / Project Management and Planning (1.5 cr.)
• MGT777 / Leadership Boot camp (1.5 cr.)
• MGT781 / Selected Topics in Management (1.5 cr.)

Marketing

• MKT714 / Advanced Consumer Behavior (1.5 cr.)
• MKT725 / Strategic Marketing Research (1.5 cr.)
• MKT731 / Advertising Strategy (1.5 cr.)
• MKT781 / Selected Topics in Marketing (1.5 cr.)
• Operations Management
• OPM711 / Executive Operations Management (1.5 cr.)

NOTE: ACC781/ ECO781/ FIN781/ HOM781/ ITM781/ MGT781/ MKT781 can be taken more than once for credit when topics differ.