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THE STUDY ALSO SHOWED THAT EMBA STUDENTS HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR THEIR CAREERS. STUDENTS EXPECT THAT THEIR SALARIES AT THE END OF THE PROGRAM WILL BE 23 PERCENT HIGHER THAN WHEN THEY STARTED. How Students Select an EMBA Program Quality of faculty School reputation Program format Quality of classmates Location/geographic setting of campus Curriculum/class offerings Rankings Global content Strength of alumni network Integration of technology Strength in a particular functional area Class size Total cost (tuition and fees) Admissions process 9.11 8.88 8.65 8.61 8.45 8.31 8.07 7.58 7.12 7.02 6.61 6.48 6.39 6.26 Strength of elective offerings 6.09 Career services 5.87 All factors rated on a ten-point scale. ing to the results of the first Execu- tive MBA Council Student Entry Benchmarking Survey. The council launched the survey in late 2006 to discover what students consider when looking at programs, their expectations of programs, their information-gathering processes and their perceptions of the admissions process. Approximately 1,379 new students from 36 member programs responded to the survey. Results showed that 35 percent of students in EMBA programs considered applying one to six months before they wanted to start classes. The top six factors students weighed when considering a pro- gram were the same top factors that influenced their decision to apply: colleague/friend; alumni/current student; school Web site; school information session; rankings; and employer. The influence of both rankings and the school Web site decreased by 8 percent as students moved from considering a program to applying. The study also showed that EMBA students have high expecta- tions for their careers. Seventy-five percent expect to take on new responsibilities at their offices while enrolled in an EMBA program. Forty percent expect to be promot- ed while enrolled, and 59 percent expect to be promoted after they complete the program. Students expect that their salaries at the end of the program will be 23 percent higher than when they started. These figures can be compared to those derived from the 2006 Executive MBA Council Student Exit Benchmarking Survey. In that survey, about 43 percent of stu- dents were promoted, and salaries increased by 20 percent. While EMBA programs can be expensive, 66 percent of students entering programs expect to be partially or fully reim- bursed or sponsored by their employers. Students predict that it will take 52 months to recoup their per- sonal investments, while employers sponsoring students expect payback to take 28 months. By comparison, partici- pants in the Student Exit Benchmarking Survey reported that the average payback period was 47 months for students and 23 months for employers. Competing for Sustainability Business plan competitions that focus on everything from technology to entrepreneurship are common on campuses around the world. A new theme, sustainable international business, has recently emerged and was the focus of three com- petitions held in the U.S. in the spring. Two were won by interna- tional competitors. A team from Peking University in China took home the inaugural Sustainable Technology Award at the international McGinnis Ven- ture Competition. The event was hosted by the Donald H. Jones Center for Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business in Pittsburgh, Penn- sylvania. The team's business, Dr. Seed LLC, aims to help impov- erished farmers in China with a technology that improves seeds by increasing crop yield, improving the crop's resistance to drought, and reducing the incidence of seed-borne diseases. Other awards Students from Instituto de Empresa show off the crowns that proclaim them 2007 Global Champions of Sustainable Innovation. BizEd JULY/AUGUST 2007 9