Executive MBA (EMBA) Application Requirements

Applicants to the Executive MBA Metro NY program are required to submit an organizational chart. The chart is optional for applicants to the Executive MBA Americas program and EMBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership program.

Your organizational chart should provide an overview of your organization’s structure and where your position fits within it. Please include your position and your direct reporting structure. If you work in a large organization, a chart that represents your division or department is sufficient.

Personal statement (400 words): In a concise statement, tell us why you are seeking an MBA. Specifically, what are your short- and long-term career goals? And, how will an MBA earned through an Executive MBA program at Cornell University help you achieve your goals?

Leadership (400 words): Leadership is an important theme of the EMBA experience. Describe your current leadership style and how it has evolved during your career. Consider using specific examples to demonstrate your growth as a leader.

Open-ended (400 words): What else would you like us to know? Please use this statement to address potential concerns such as gaps in employment or prior academic difficulties. You can also use this statement to highlight any achievements or significant life events that are not included elsewhere in the application.

Personal statement: In a concise statement, tell us why you are seeking an MBA. Specifically, what are your short- and long-term career goals? And, how will an MBA earned through an Executive MBA program at Cornell University help you achieve your goals?

Leadership: Describe your first experience as a leader in a professional setting and your current leadership role. Explain how your first experience in a leadership position influenced your style and how you act as a leader today.

Open-ended: What else would you like us to know? Please use this statement to address potential concerns such as gaps in employment or prior academic difficulties. You can also use this statement to highlight any achievements or significant life events that are not included elsewhere in the application.

Personal statement: In a concise statement, tell us why you are seeking an MBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership. Specifically, what are your short- and long-term career goals? And, how will an MBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership earned through an executive program at Cornell University help you achieve your goals?

Leadership: Describe your first experience as a leader in a professional setting and your current leadership role. Explain how your first experience in a leadership position influenced your style and how you act as a leader today.

Open-ended: What else would you like us to know? Please use this statement to address potential concerns such as gaps in employment or prior academic difficulties. You can also use this statement to highlight any achievements or significant life events that are not included elsewhere in the application.

One of your letters should be submitted by your immediate supervisor. Your second letter of recommendation should be written by someone who can best attest to your professional skill set. This might include a colleague, client, or former supervisor. We suggest that you choose recommenders who know you well and can provide detailed insights.

The best letters of recommendation will assess your intellectual strength and creativity, ability to work well in teams, potential for assuming greater management responsibility, and outstanding characteristics.

Yes, you may submit your application before we receive your letters. We will add your reference letters to your application when they arrive. However, you will not be contacted for an interview until we receive your letters.

Executive MBA Americas Admissions Office
Breazzano Family Center for Business Education
209 Dryden Road, Suite 327
Ithaca, NY 14850

Executive MBA Admissions Office
Tata Innovation Center
2 West Loop Road
New York, NY 10044

Yes, we must have official documentation on record for all credits earned, including those transferred from institutions from which you did not graduate. You may submit unofficial documentation at the time of your application, but we must receive your official documentation to fully review your application and extend an offer of admission.

If you are a candidate applying to the EMBA Metro NY or EMBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership program, you may move forward conditionally and complete your interview before official transcripts reach the admissions office.

Candidates for the EMBA Americas program will not be contacted for an interview until official transcripts have been received.

Yes. Transcripts from institutions outside of the U.S. must be translated, if not in English, and evaluated by a credentialing evaluation service. If you have specific questions about requirements for the country where you earned your degrees, please contact the admissions office for the program to which you are applying. We accept international credential evaluations from agencies listed on the NACES website. Please note that the process may require a significant amount of time. To ensure a timely evaluation, applicants are encouraged to submit their credentials to one of these recognized agencies well in advance of the term for which they are applying. We encourage applicants to request electronic evaluations when possible.

No, we do not accept transfer credits or courses. Students enrolled in Cornell’s Executive MBA programs must complete all coursework required as part of their degree program. Credits that have been earned to fulfill an academic requirement for a graduate degree, bachelor’s degree, advanced degree, or certificate of advanced studies at another institution are not transferable.

The GMAT is not required for the application. In some cases, though, the admissions committee will ask a candidate to take the GMAT or complete prerequisite coursework to provide additional evidence of academic readiness.

If you have taken the GMAT or another assessment, we can consider your results as part of your application. We encourage you to send your score(s), along with your application, if you believe the information will help the admissions committee better understand your academic readiness for the program.