Modular Executive MBA programmes remain one of the best ways for working senior managers to earn a globally respected MBA without pausing their careers. Instead of attending class every week, students fly in for intensive multi-day "modules", often on more than one continent, then return to their jobs between sessions. Since this format was first popularized in the 2000s, it has only grown: nearly every major EMBA brand now runs some version of a modular, multi-campus programme, and several have expanded their global footprints considerably over the past decade.

This article walks through how the modular model works today, using seven leading programmes as examples, with current durations, campuses, formats, and costs verified against each school's own 2026 programme pages.

Why choose a modular EMBA

Modular formats let students become on-campus residents for anywhere from four days to a full week at a stretch, spread across roughly 14 to 22 months depending on the school. Very few schools run a purely modular calendar with no weekend classes at all, INSEAD's GEMBA is one of the closest examples, but most leading programmes now blend weekday, weekend, and week-long residential modules, often layered with online or "blended" components that didn't exist in earlier generations of these programmes.

The core appeal hasn't changed: students build a genuinely international peer network by studying alongside classmates from different regions and industries, while structuring travel around a day job.

Kellogg-WHU: a joint transatlantic network

The Kellogg-WHU Executive MBA, a partnership between Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management (US) and WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management (Germany), is still one of the best-known modular joint-degree programmes, but its rhythm has shifted since the "weekend residency" model of 15 years ago.

Today it runs as a two-year, part-time modular programme with study blocks roughly every six to eight weeks, mostly across Thursday-to-Tuesday sessions, requiring about 57–63 days out of the office in total. Core programme tuition is in the region of €95,000–€105,000. In the second year, students take global electives at partner locations across the Kellogg Global Network - destinations cited by the school include Chicago, Hong Kong, Lisbon, Miami, Shanghai/Beijing, Tel Aviv, Toronto and London, giving students exposure across North America, Asia and the Middle East as well as Europe.

ESSEC & Mannheim: multiple tracks for different lifestyles

The ESSEC & Mannheim Executive MBA, delivered jointly by ESSEC Business School (France) and Mannheim Business School (Germany), still offers the flexibility that made it popular with candidates juggling demanding travel schedules, but it has since split into distinct tracks to serve different regions and preferences: a European Track, an Asia-Pacific (Singapore) Track, plus separate Weekend, Hybrid, and fully Online Executive MBA options.

The core European Track runs 18 months, with modules of 4 to 5 days roughly every 6 weeks. As of the most recent Financial Times and QS rankings, the programme sits in the FT EMBA top 20 and is highlighted for its career-outcomes and diversity scores.

One school, three continents: Chicago Booth's Sokolov EMBA

The Chicago Booth (University of Chicago) Executive MBA, now formally named the Sokolov Executive MBA Programme, is still built around the idea that students anywhere in the world graduate with the identical degree, taught by the same faculty. But its map has changed: Booth's third campus is now Hong Kong, not Singapore. The programme relocated its Asia campus from Singapore back to a permanent home at the University of Chicago's Francis and Rose Yuen Campus in Hong Kong in 2023, after a pandemic-era interruption.

Students still apply to a home campus - Chicago, London, or Hong Kong - and attend classes at each of the three during joint "International Weeks." The programme runs about 21 months, with London and Hong Kong classes held in week-long sessions roughly every three to six weeks, plus around five weeks of joint international residency bringing all three cohorts together. Total programme cost for the 2026 Hong Kong-based cohort is roughly US$188,800, including tuition and programme fees.

London Business School: Dubai is now a full campus, not a detour

The old "Dubai-London" model, where Middle East students took ten of eleven modules in Dubai and only travelled to London once, has been retired. London Business School's Executive MBA is now offered as two genuinely parallel tracks, London and Dubai, each running 17–22 months, in either fully in-person or blended (in-person plus live online) formats. Dubai gained its own standalone blended intake as recently as January 2026, when the school welcomed its first blended-learning Dubai cohort - 47 students out of a combined 99 admitted that term, with women making up 40% of the Dubai class, a record for the programme.

Fees for the September 2026 intake are £134,950 for the London track and US$163,995 for the Dubai track (plus applicable UAE VAT).

The pure modular approach: INSEAD's GEMBA adds a third full campus

INSEAD's Global Executive MBA (GEMBA) remains the clearest example of a purely modular format with no recurring weekend classes. What has changed substantially since 2010 is the campus structure: INSEAD's Middle East presence has grown from a single visiting module into a full third campus in Abu Dhabi, alongside the long-standing Europe campus in Fontainebleau, France, and the Asia campus in Singapore.

Students now start on whichever of the three campuses is closest to home, but all students study across all three campuses and come together for the second half of the programme, graduating together in Singapore. The programme runs 14 to 17 months, requiring roughly 60–65 working days out of the office. INSEAD has also introduced GEMBA Flex, which blends live virtual and online learning with in-person modules for those who need even more flexibility. GEMBA Asia tuition for the August 2026 intake is €142,150.

Modules with local flavour: IESE's expanded global map

IESE Business School's global modular offering has been reshaped considerably. The old Barcelona/Madrid/New York/Bangalore rotation described in earlier programme guides is gone; IESE's current five-campus network is Barcelona, Madrid, Munich, New York, and São Paulo, and its flagship Global Executive MBA (GEMBA), for senior professionals with 10+ years' experience, now runs a 16-month, part-time, modular and blended format, combining distance learning with six intensive in-person modules held across Barcelona, Madrid, Munich, and New York, plus elective and exchange weeks that can extend to Singapore, Silicon Valley, Shanghai, Tokyo, or Accra depending on the year.

IESE also runs a separate 18-month Executive MBA (EMBA) for professionals with 5+ years' experience, offered from the Barcelona, Madrid, Munich, or São Paulo campuses, combining weekly, biweekly, or triweekly class formats (depending on location) with six intensive residential weeks.

Value for money: ESCP adds a sixth campus and a new name

ESCP Europe rebranded to ESCP Business School, and its modular Executive MBA network has grown from five European cities to six: Paris, London, Berlin, Madrid, Turin, and now Warsaw, plus a branch campus in Dubai. The Executive MBA is a part-time programme lasting 18 to 34 months depending on the intake and pace chosen (an 18- or 30-month track for the January intake; 22- or 34-month tracks for September), built around 520 contact hours and 120 ECTS credits.

The programme's positioning has strengthened too: ESCP's Executive MBA was ranked in the top three worldwide by the Financial Times' most recent rankings, alongside a #1 ranking for career progression.

How the modular landscape compares in 2026

Programme

Campuses (current)

Typical Duration

Days Out of Office

Kellogg-WHU EMBA

Germany, US, plus global electives (Chicago, Hong Kong, Lisbon, Miami, Shanghai/Beijing, Tel Aviv, Toronto, London)

~24 months

57–63 days

ESSEC & Mannheim EMBA (European Track)

France, Germany

18 months

Modules every ~6 weeks

Chicago Booth Sokolov EMBA

Chicago, London, Hong Kong

~21 months

Weekly sessions every 3–6 weeks + 5-week joint residency

London Business School EMBA

London or Dubai

17–22 months

Varies by track

INSEAD GEMBA

Fontainebleau, Singapore, Abu Dhabi

14–17 months

~60–65 days

IESE GEMBA

Barcelona, Madrid, Munich, New York + electives

16 months

Six 1-week modules

ESCP Executive MBA

Paris, London, Berlin, Madrid, Turin, Warsaw, Dubai (branch)

18–34 months

520 contact hours

(Figures sourced from each school's own programme pages as of 2026; always confirm current details directly with the school before applying, since intakes, fees, and formats are updated regularly.)

Choosing the right modular EMBA for you

The fundamentals from a decade ago still hold: if you want a campus environment with minimal distraction and dedicated time between sessions to write papers, complete group work, and prepare for the next module, a purely modular programme (INSEAD, IESE's GEMBA) may suit you best. If you want maximum flexibility to stay close to home for most of the programme while still gaining occasional international exposure, a hybrid weekend-plus-modular structure (Kellogg-WHU, ESCP, ESSEC & Mannheim) may be a better fit. And if brand strength and a genuinely tri-continental cohort matter most, Chicago Booth's Sokolov EMBA or London Business School's London/Dubai tracks are worth a close look.

Whichever direction you choose, verify current admissions rounds, fees, and campus assignments directly on the school's website before applying — as this guide shows, even long-standing "flagship" modular structures can change substantially within a few years.

 

Originally published: 16 March 2010

Updated: 10 August 2026