CEIBS Global Executive MBA | China's Top Ranked Program
Ranked #2 worldwide in the Financial Times Executive MBA Ranking 2025 (after holding the #1 position in 2024), CEIBS' Global Executive MBA (GEMBA) has been recognized among the Top 20 globally for 14 consecutive years (2010–2023).
The consistent performance reflects its academic strength and the incredibly strong link between business education and real leadership outcomes.
Global Executive MBA at CEIBS
The CEIBS Global Executive MBA is created for experienced executives and entrepreneurs who are prepared to expand their scope of influence. This program provides graduates with a respected academic credential as well as shifts the way they think, lead, and make a difference inside your organization and beyond it.
GEMBA is designed to challenge established ways of thinking by helping leaders step away from daily routines and view decisions through a broader, international lens. What they learn is applied in real time, strengthening both judgment and organizational impact. Graduates leave with a sharper strategic focus and the adaptability to lead in unfamiliar or fast-changing environments.
Program Benefits
The CEIBS Global EMBA is built for people who are already leading but want to do so more effectively and across more complex business landscapes. It's designed to provide students with the following benefits:
Leadership today requires the ability to interpret business trends across multiple markets. At CEIBS, participants develop this agility through exposure to both mature and emerging economies.
Each module encourages comparison between regional business environments, helping students refine judgment and apply global best practices to local contexts. By engaging directly with international faculty and peers, participants gain the situational awareness and confidence required to make decisions that hold up across borders.
Studying in China gives direct access to the world's most dynamic business environment. Rather than observing from afar, students immerse themselves in the marketplace, meet business leaders operating on the ground, and see firsthand how innovation and policy interact in one of the fastest-moving economies on earth.
This deep familiarity with China's business reality, its pace, challenges, and opportunities, becomes a lasting advantage for any leader managing Asia-related growth or global strategy.
Every GEMBA class represents a cross-section of the global economy. Executives join from a wide range of industries, company sizes, and functions, creating a learning atmosphere where ideas are tested against real examples and multiple perspectives.
The result is a professional exchange at a senior level, where classmates become sounding boards and trusted collaborators long after graduation
The program also equips participants to move toward senior or board-level responsibility through targeted career resources, executive conversations, and applied projects. Each component is designed to translate learning into measurable results, whether that means leading organizational change, taking on regional management, or launching a new venture.
Graduates leave with both a global network and a clear understanding of how to turn vision into sustained performance.
Program Details
The CEIBS Global EMBA format supports intense learning, regular reflection, and immediate application. This way, the program helps participants build momentum in their current roles while preparing for what's next
The CEIBS Global Executive MBA spans 24 months and follows a part-time structure that fits around demanding professional schedules. Participants continue to work full-time while completing the program, applying insights in real time and returning to class with new experiences to share.
The two-year duration provides enough space for meaningful learning and reflection without taking participants away from their careers.
Courses are organized into intensive eight-day modules held every two months, totaling roughly 50 days away from the office across the entire program. This rhythm allows executives to balance study with professional and personal commitments.
Between sessions, participants stay connected through online work, team projects, and leadership coaching, ensuring continuity between what happens in the classroom and what happens at work.
The curriculum is divided into core courses, integration modules, a leadership stream, and specialized learning tracks.
- Core curriculum: Students complete 13 courses across business fundamentals such as economics, accounting, data analytics, organizational behavior, and strategic leadership. Together, these form a practical framework for understanding how decisions affect performance across an organization.
- Integration modules: These bridge the gap between disciplines. Each one brings together what's been learned in multiple courses and applies it to real-world leadership challenges. The final capstone project asks participants to connect strategy, finance, and operations in a focused, results-driven plan.
- Leadership development: This thread runs throughout the program. Through executive coaching, leadership labs, and experiential modules—including Women in Leadership and team performance workshops—participants strengthen self-awareness, interpersonal influence, and organizational impact.
- Specialized tracks: Students can customize their experience by selecting one or more focus areas:
- The China Depth track offers direct engagement with the Chinese economy and includes access to domestic EMBA electives.
- The Global Breadth track enables study in over ten international locations and includes exchange modules with partner schools.
- The ESG track focuses on sustainability, social enterprise, and governance, preparing leaders to manage business transformation in an era of environmental and stakeholder pressure.
Each class includes around 100 students. The cohort is small enough to support thoughtful exchange, yet large enough to reflect a wide spectrum of leadership perspectives. Small-group work is built into every module, ensuring space for meaningful interaction with peers and faculty.
All modules, discussions, assignments, and materials are delivered in English. This provides a shared language for the international classroom and supports strong collaboration across regions.
The typical CEIBS GEMBA participant has at least eight years of work experience, including a minimum of five years in a managerial role. The class average stands at 17 years of professional experience and 10 years of management experience.
Students represent more than 20 industries and 27 countries and regions, with around 45% women and 30–35% international students. Roughly 30% fly in for modules, reflecting the program's global reach, while the overall cohort brings together professionals working across 40+ international locations.
This diversity of background ensures that every discussion reflects multiple business realities rather than a single regional perspective
Student and Alumni Stories
The strength of a program often shows in what its people do with it. CEIBS GEMBA has graduated many senior leaders, founders, and innovators who continue to reshape industries across regions.
Today's participants are just as driven, already leading complex initiatives, expanding into new markets, or navigating organizational transformation while still in the program. Their stories reflect the depth of learning, the diversity of perspectives, and the practical value GEMBA delivers.
Cynthia Huang, Executive Director & CSO, UDN Packaging | CEIBS GEMBA 2023
Cynthia Huang joined CEIBS to ground her instincts in strategic frameworks and test ESG principles in practice. During the program, she acquired the Shenzhen franchise of Dialogue in the Dark and made it the focus of her capstone project.
She explains:
After being introduced to the concept via a business case in my CEIBS Global EMBA studies, I instantly recognised its value both socially and economically, leading me to the acquisition decision of the Shenzhen franchise later.
As for what brought her to GEMBA:
I wanted to test my instincts and back them with the right knowledge and real-world information so that I can embrace my next challenge in work and in life.
Marco Kiefer, Senior Manager, Carline Controlling, Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service | CEIBS GEMBA 2022
After nearly ten years in procurement, Marco Kiefer used CEIBS GEMBA to shift into a senior finance role at the heart of China's luxury automotive market. The program helped him reflect on his leadership approach and adapt to a fast-paced, cross-cultural environment.
As he recalls:
2022 was the right time for me to start my Global EMBA. I felt settled in China, settled in my career, but I wanted to push myself to discover more about my own leadership capabilities and more about business in general.
Through class discussions and diverse peer insights, he redefined how he leads his team:
That is one of the most important learnings GEMBA gave me. Germany's business culture values hierarchy quite highly, as does China's—but from my classmates and professors I've learned not to be overly constrained by it.
Iryna Huryn, General Manager for International Operations, Aurora Multimarket | CEIBS GEMBA 2022
Leading a retail group across Ukraine, Romania, and China during a pandemic and armed conflict, Iryna Huryn applied GEMBA tools in real time to navigate crisis, expansion, and long-term growth.
She explains how course content shaped her approach:
There are courses and moments from the programme that directly inform what I do in my daily work. The strategic simulation courses are among my favourites, and I've already employed a lot of their techniques in our current round of strategic thinking around Aurora's expansion.
Her impact extended beyond business:
I've learned so much from my classmates and friends; we've achieved so much together, and their experiences have shown me just what is possible when you have the motivation, knowledge, and support to pursue something that matters to you.
How to Apply
A strong application reflects careful preparation, a clear understanding of the program, and genuine readiness to take the next step. CEIBS values candidates who approach the process with focus and intention. Each stage is clearly outlined, making it easy to plan and stay on track.
Applications are reviewed in four rounds: January, March, June, and September. The program begins in November. This timeline gives applicants flexibility to prepare and plan around work and personal obligations.
Create your profile and log in, choose the appropriate intake, and verify your email to access the portal. If you're unsure about your fit, a consultation can help you clarify before submitting anything.
All materials must be in English or include certified translations. You'll need:
- A résumé or CV
- Degree certificates and official transcripts
- Passport photo page
- Two professional recommendations (submitted through the online form)
- Essay responses to the provided prompts
- Executive Assessment (EA) score
- Proof of English proficiency
- Company support letter confirming awareness of the ~50-day time commitment over two years
You can also upload optional documents such as awards, certifications, publications, or a scholarship statement
The application fee is USD 250 or RMB 1,800.
Fee waived for applicants who complete the Executive Assessment
Interviews are held monthly and last around 45 minutes. You'll meet with two evaluators—typically a CEIBS professor and a GEMBA alumnus. They assess both your professional experience and your leadership potential
The EA, developed by GMAC, is tailored for senior professionals and evaluates your readiness for graduate-level business study.
- Offered at 600+ test centers worldwide
- In-person testing is recommended (results are usually available within 24 hours)
Once your application is complete, your EA scores are in, and the interview is done, the Admissions Committee begins its review.
Most applicants receive a decision within two weeks
Ready to Lead Globally?
The Global Executive MBA at CEIBS prepares you to lead with clarity in a global context. You'll build knowledge that translates into action, form meaningful relationships, and learn from a cohort that reflects business realities across Asia, Europe, and Africa.
Next Application Deadline: January 2026
