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Executive MBA Our History

chicago booth in the 1940s

The University of Chicago launched the world’s first executive MBA program in 1943.

Here’s a look at our history of innovation.

From Chicago to the World

The world’s first executive MBA program began at the University of Chicago in 1943, with a group of 52 dedicated students. Then, as now, they sought a transformative education that would propel them to lead in a rapidly changing world, while balancing school with their careers and families. Today, we bring The Chicago Approach to more than 240 students enrolled in the Sokolov Executive MBA Program at our campuses in Chicago, London, and Hong Kong.

75 Years at the Forefront of Change

Trace our history through more than seven decades of pathbreaking education and discover how the Sokolov EMBA Program accelerated the value of the MBA.

A Milestone Anniversary

Over the course of 2018, we celebrated the 75th anniversary of the program and its unique impact on the industry. Notable highlights can be found below.

$850,000+
Raised for Executive MBA Scholarships (in USD)

98
Candidates Referred to the program by Alumni

6,777,439
Social Media Impressions

Executive MBA through the Years

Our History, by the Numbers

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70%

Percentage that the program grew in its first five years

70%
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22

Industries represented among our students, who represent 48 nationalities

22
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1st

First and only US business school with permanent campuses on three continents

1st

In the News: Our 75th Anniversary

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“One of the impacts of the Executive MBA Program is that it fast-forwarded the study of business to a larger audience, who were able to make use of the techniques in more serious managerial and leadership roles. I think, in fact, it accelerated the value of the MBA.”

—Harry L. Davis, Roger L. and Rachel M. Goetz Distinguished Service Professor of Creative Management