What is an Executive Master’s Degree?

Many professionals find themselves stalling out in their jobs after a certain amount of time. They achieve certain benchmarks, like raises or promotions. Then, before they know it, business is not going as usual: their staff is flailing, their influence with clients or customers wanes, upper leadership makes a big mistake that reflects badly upon their team, or they, personally, feel disengaged.

Stalling out is not always within your own control, such as failure to meet expectations, or leaving goals unmet. But it’s not always a bad thing, either. According to coauthors John Hillen and Mark Nevins of the book, What Happens Now? Reinvent Yourself as a Leader Before Your Business Outruns You (SelectBooks, 2018) a career stall is actually a sign of success! Most often, business grows faster than leadership is able to achieve scalability. Hillen and Nevins’ suggestion? The secret is to become more sophisticated. It’s not necessarily about working harder – it’s working smarter, and being flexible.

So, if you’re feeling “stalled out,” whether you’re working reception, you’re an aspiring manager, or you’re a specialist working your way towards a Director or Chief seat, consider how you can face change with sophistication. Now might be the right time to consider how you can enhance your own personal portfolio with an executive master’s degree.

What is an executive master’s degree?

An executive master’s degree is a graduate business degree that is designed for the modern, working professional. It offers more flexibility and convenience than a traditional master’s program, particularly in terms of enrollment and scheduling options. Usually, executive master’s degrees also cover a specialized area of study, versus more general MBA programs which cover a variety of topics.

An executive master’s degree is a great option for those who wish to accelerate their career, expand their role, and take on more leadership opportunities. By pursuing a leadership degree at the master’s level, you will tackle strategic topics and take courses that will prepare you for real-life experience as a chief or manager.

Is an executive master’s degree right for you?

Executive master’s degree programs are for people like you, who want to set themselves up for the next best rank at a current company, or find something new and different with freshly marketable skills. These degrees are also right for people who are interested in becoming a business leader, but who need a flexible program to attain that goal.

People who are interested in learning about leadership are also the type of people who need to keep working while they study. They already have several years work experience, and want (if not need) to continue working and saving money. This makes flexibility a must-have in a master’s program.

Flexibility is arguably the make-or-break component of an executive leadership degree program. This is why so many people choose a flexible program that allows them to get their master’s entirely online. Some online programs, like Goodwin College, grant you that degree within as few as 20 months, as you study part-time! In addition, you can apply at any time, and choose to start classes in the Spring, or the Fall, and study year-round.

Does a master’s in executive leadership offer the professional coursework you need?

The Goodwin College curriculum includes advanced leadership courses that you will need to excel in a leadership position. It is one hundred percent built with your professional success in mind! With classes like Data-Driven Decision-Making for Executives, Sustainability of Innovation and Strategic Advantage, Talent and Performance Management, and Leading Organizational Change, you’ll learn how to help businesses work through some of the biggest challenges, from day-to-day operations, to momentous merger and acquisition moments. These are also the courses that hiring managers and HR leaders are hunting for as they cruise through your resume and cover letter, so you’ll want to be sure to highlight all of these skills.

What does the price tag look like on an executive master’s degree?

We don’t believe in smoke and mirrors at Goodwin College, just like you don’t at your current business or organization. The Harvard Business Review reports on the utmost importance of transparency, as a value generator, even for industries that prize privacy, such as healthcare! Operational transparency improves trust and satisfaction. Find everything that you need to know about Goodwin College MSOL tuition here.

Due to the flexibility of a master’s in executive leadership, such as Goodwin’s online MSOL program, students can continue working while taking classes. This affords you the opportunity to earn your master’s degree, advance your career, and continue making a steady income through it all.

Stalling in your current career? Now what?

In the case of a stalled career, natural instincts might send you in three very different directions.

Build, buy, or bail.

Build, is the noble choice. Utilize those original skillsets that got you to this position in the first place. Reinvent your mission, reconsider the strategy, address the changing stakes! Building is a positive way to tackle the issue at hand. Leadership training through an executive master’s degree, or for instance, a Master’s in Organizational Leadership, is a great way to build. You don’t have to stay in the hole that you’ve found yourself in. Learn how to build a ladder!

Buy  means hiring talent, initiating new programs, purchasing software, upgrading management systems, and other methods of financial investment. This might be a good plan, but only as an integrated component to the well-orchestrated work of building. Without a plan for what to do with newly bought resources, you’ll be in a vulnerable position.

Bail. Abort, abort! Jump ship! Mission incomplete! Bailing means giving up. Though it could be skewed as an alternate interpretation to the saying, “When times get tough, the tough get going,” we’re pretty sure that “get going” means that the tough tighten their bootstraps and get to work. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employee tenure has remained at 4.2 years for both 2016 and 2018 surveys. You might have heard of this notion of job-hopping, or heard anecdotally that millennials are flighty when it comes to their professional choices, or that workers today don’t care about building a career with one organization. Well, Forbes is here to tell you that, based on BLS statistics, workers today actually stay at their jobs longer than they did in 1983! (3.5 years was that year’s average, for the record.) Career shifting aside, there may be more out there for you at your current job if you build, or, if you’re truly unhappy and there is no room for growth, you can take those built skills, empowered to set off in a new direction. An executive master’s degree in leadership, such as the MSOL program at Goodwin College.

An executive master’s degree is designed for those who choose to take the “build” route! Improve your leadership skills, earn more, and build your career. For even more information, give us a call: we’re an open book. Dial 800-889-3282 or contact us online.