Executive Education: Predicting Student Success in Executive MBA Programs

Applicants to executive education programs have increased over recent years. Previous researchers had not thoroughly examined admission procedures related to the selection of applicants. In this study, the author examined common admission requirements that researchers and educators have used to predict success in 22 unique executive education programs. The results revealed a mean correlation of .64 between (a) program grades and (b) Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) quantitative and verbal scores and undergraduate grade point average (UGPA), a value meaningfully higher than that for full-time and part-time programs. Researchers and educators could effectively use UGPA and GMAT scores in combination to select students who would perform well in an executive program.