quantic emba capstone project

Quantic Executive MBA

Last Updated on September 15, 2022

I recently completed the Quantic Executive MBA program. Here’s all my thoughts in a mini review as well as supplemental resources which make the program even better.

About MBAs in general

There’s a bit of hating out there of the MBA these days. I’ve heard it suggested that an MBA kills your creativity. I don’t think this is true.

For a while I was doing the read your way to an MBA autodidactic approach. (This is just what it sounds like, you simply read a tonne of business books ).

Also I read The Personal MBA a while back and it was a great overview of principles.

On top of that I’ve started businesses in both Australia and the USA, which has been quite educational!

Even so, after all that, I’ve still gone on to do a more formal Executive MBA.

About the Quantic Executive MBA (EMBA)

You can find out general information about The Quantic Executive MBA program here .

I was drawn to Quantic predominately for practical reasons. The online, mobile first, asynchronous delivery convenience was very appealing to me because of a bit of pandemic displacement, not to mention life with a newborn.

However as I have progressed through the program, I’ve noticed other benefits. One thing I really like about the Quantic EMBA program is that it focuses on one subject at a time, which allows you to deep dive into an area — instead of running a few subjects in parallel like some programs do.

The lesson content is for the most part excellent in its simplicity and accessibility — if you are new to any of the subject areas it breaks down concepts really well. However, I’ve found it really useful to supplement the coursework with some additional book and video content. This helps to consolidate the ideas, but also to get out of the shallows and go a bit deeper.

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Quantic Companion Resource List

All the extra stuff that i consumed to enhance my quantic executive mba.

I thought I’d pull together all the extra resources I used in this one place, and update it over time. Enjoy! And get in touch if you have something I should add. (J ulia Clavien on LinkedIn is a good place.)

Markets & Economies

This subject matter wasn’t entirely new, so it was a good chance to consolidate and deepen my understanding.

🎥 For a nice summary of concepts,  How the Economic Machine Works is a short and enjoyable must-watch during this module. You could also watch History of Ideas – Capitalism .

🎥 Capital in the 21st Century . I’ve been trying to read this book for years… It’s been a bit of a struggle for me. I generally prefer to read the book before watching the movie — but in this case it was the reverse, the lighter format of the documentary paved the way! Watch the Capital in the 21st Century documentary on Netflix first if you’re like me , nope it’s not on Netflix anymore, but you can find it on Amazon Prime video here .

📖 And then revisit the  Capital in the 21st Century book on (I did it on Audible ).

📖 Also if you’re ever going to read The Wealth of Nations , now’s a great time.

I’ve studied accounting, as well as looked after the bookkeeping and accounting for my own businesses over the years, and I still found debits and credits tricky! 😵

The additional resources below helped me through.

🎥 Debits and credits. This video was crucial for me , the technique he explains finally helped me get debits and credits right consistently!

📖  The Lemonade Stand   is a truly excellent book. I think it’s aimed at children, but don’t let that dissuade you if you want a good primer on accounting concepts! It takes you back to super basics — it really simplifies things and is surprisingly quite an enjoyable read.

Data and Decisions

I didn’t expect to find this so challenging given I’ve got a reasonable background in probability and stats! I had to refresh on a few things.

🎥 If you need more on the basic’s Dr Nic on YouTube is one of the best. I watched a bunch of her videos as a fun refresher.

📖 Nassim Taleb’s books are full of fascinating probability education. I first came across his writing when I read  The Black Swan  a while ago, and it blew my mind — I was an instant fan. His other books are also excellent. The author puts them  in this order as a set :

• Fooled By Randomness
• The Black Swan
• Antifragile
• The Bed of Procrustes
• Skin in the Game

You might not read them all this month, but they should be high on your list.

🔖 The Stat Trek calculators are handy to bookmark for this module. Via Atul Pradhan.

Operations Management

🔖 This is a handy   Queueing Theory Calculator .

📖  The Goal . If you haven’t already read this book, it’s a perfect time. I saw a hilarious 1 star review for it that described it as  “subpar fan-fiction for operations enthusiasts”.  This is hilarious because that’s the reason the book is so excellent — it weaves dry concepts through a story. The story is admittedly a bit overly enthusiastic at times, but a great way to learn.

📖  Thinking in Systems: A Primer . This is a heavier read, but a classic in Systems Thinking, so if it’s on your list, it’s a great time to read it.

Leading Organizations

📖 For leadership I immediately thought of one of my other favorite business fiction reads,  The Five Dysfunctions of a Team . (Yes if you haven’t caught a theme here, I am a sucker for the easy-reading educational business-fiction genre.)

📖 The Innovators Dilemma is a must read, although I must admit I’ve always found it hard-going.

🎥 I liked this video on Blue Ocean strategy for a quick explainer.

Marketing & Pricing

I found this module hard-going. The content just doesn’t pique my curiosity like the other modules do.

I did revisit a couple of good book that do get me excited about this subject matter though!

📖 If you are in a startup phase, you will probably also like Crossing the Chasm.

📖 I also revisited my highlights for The Challenger Sale. I found this a useful read to crystallize some of the intuitive parts of the sales process a few years ago when I found myself spending a lot of time on enterprise tech sales. I highly recommended it for enterprise sales in particular.

A CHALLENGER IS defined by the ability to do three things—teach, tailor, and take control—and to do all of this through the use of constructive tension. Teaching for Differentiation The thing that really sets Challenger reps apart is their ability to teach customers something new and valuable about how to compete in their market. The Challenger Sale

🎥 I decided to do a little video refresher on Finance terminology and concepts before starting the coursework, which can be quite dry until you warm up a bit.

I watched this (admittedly half-watched, while multitasking on other things.)

📖 I have also started reading this one. (I’ve downloaded it, haven’t got very far yet.)

🔖 Investopedia is also an amazing resource. Here’s their NPV page .

Handy Finance Calculators

For the exam, I did use a couple of calculators to check my mental calcs/intuitions.

🔖 Time Value of Money Calculator – there’s a present value and future value calculator

🔖 Weighted Average Cost of Capital Calculator – WACC calculator

Quantic Specializations

I have a few resources that I need to add here that support the specializations.

Blockchain Specialization

I was already fairly familiar with blockchain because I work in data and hold some cryptocurrency, however I found this to be a really good primer.

For supplementary stuff:

🎥 This documentary Cryptopia is pretty easy to watch and does a good job explaining the tech and a bit about the politics, here’s the Amazon link if you have Prime it’s free.

Advanced Statistical Inference

Startup entrepreneurship.

I found this module ok. I’m not sure if it will make you an entrepreneur, but it does teach some useful language and concepts.

📖 The Lean Startup is probably still the best thing to read.

US Business Law

I really liked this module, as an expat in the US it’s been tricky to navigate business formation, employment law, and intellectual property protection – patenting. This course helped me crystallize my understanding of the business entity types available, considerations when hiring, and how patenting works.

📖 The Tax and Legal Playbook is an excellent read – it really helped me understand why an SCorp is so good, amongst other things.

Strategic Thinking

I found this quite academic, but interesting. The game theory stuff is super cool.

📖 The Innovators Dilemma is the classic innovation tome.

🔖 If you can’t get through them whole book, read this article What Is Disruptive Innovation?

Quantic Capstone Project

I have submitted the capstone. It wasn’t as tough as I expected. Here are my three tips.

1. Forget a big group, do it in a pair

My big tip is to go with a small group, ideally a pair or three people max.

I did the capstone in a pair with someone in my timezone and it made it sooo much more enjoyable that juggling a bunch of different people in different timezones.

I don’t know about you but I would be unlikely to launch any kind of business with 6 founders, treat this similarly.

We tackled a real problem that I may prototype next year sometime.

2. Research multiple ideas/angles

I really enjoyed doing the early research with my capstone partner into a bunch of different ideas. We had a list of about 5 ideas and after spending a little time on a few of them it became clear which one we should work on.

3. Pitch it live

We did a live pitch which I highly recommend -it is much more fun that recording and emailing to some faceless person. Also good for setting a deadline, read more about how I manage my procrastination in my productivity post .

Quantic Executive MBA - A Review

03 August 2021

If you’re reading this, chances are that you’ve thought about doing an MBA at some point. Perhaps you are hesitant about some combination of the benefits, the time commitment, and – most importantly – the cost. Especially considering many MBA programs cost over $115k… an absolutely eye-popping amount of money.

Hopefully, the experience I’ll share below might help you decide whether an MBA is something of interest to you, and, if so, share an option that you may not have considered.

I first started thinking about an MBA a few years ago. At the time, I felt I was stagnating in my career, and wasn’t finding many opportunities to keep learning and growing at my then company.

So I started thinking about doing some courses, certifications, or other qualifications. But after a number of degrees and a post-grad diploma, I had minimal enthusiasm to commit myself to another long experience of that sort again.

However, there was one major reason why the thought of an MBA was intriguing to me.

I had gotten this far in my career by improvising, exploring, and adapting. I’ve pivoted many times after encountering dead-ends in my previous careers. My career in tech didn’t start until I started my own small web design business, which then led to various opportunities that have taken me to the other side of the globe, and into a career I find interesting and fulfilling.

But as a result of this path, my knowledge of business has always felt very spontaneous, improvised, and limited by what I could experience at a particular company. And while I also read many business books over the years, it still felt like I was missing something that a well-constructed business curriculum might help address. I felt that an MBA might make me more appreciative of the many complex pieces that need to come together to make a company successful. And it would also help me understand some of the specific language used in areas ranging from finance, accounting, economics, to marketing, operations, data-driven decision making, strategy, and leadership.

So while knowledge was my primary motivator in considering an MBA, I also reflected on what wasn’t a motivator. Thinking about this was going to shape the options and appropriate path ahead.

I decided that there were a number of things about an MBA that held very little interest to me, although they might feel important to others.

Credentials

Doing an MBA just so I could say I have an MBA was of zero interest to me. A lot of people around the world have MBAs and EMBAs. I don’t think it’s that much of a differentiator any more. And you absolutely can get far in business and your career without one.

MBAs are often associated with brand names, such as Stanford, Wharton, MIT, Harvard, UC Berkeley. There are some people that suggest it’s not worthwhile to pursue an MBA unless it’s with one of these top-tier institutions. The thought being that such a brand name on one’s resume provides instant cache and credibility.

And, you know, I don’t dispute that these names have an effect on people. We live in a world of brand marketing, perception, exclusivity, and hype after all. Whether we like it or not.

But for an MBA, this was not something that was interesting to me.

Recognition

I also wasn’t interested in doing an MBA to “impress” an employer or potential employer. Nor was it important to me if an employer recognized whether my MBA was from an important enough institution. For me, it’s all about the knowledge instead.

It often seems the desire to do an MBA is associated with an expectation of promotion, a pay rise, better opportunities, etc.

While these might be potential outcomes of an MBA, they weren’t a driving reason for me either. I certainly had no expectation that an MBA would lead to any automatic change in my career. From my own experience, great employers care more about the value and team-focused attitude you bring, not the letters after your name.

I say all the above simply to emphasize that my reasons for considering an MBA came down to the desire to learn, gain knowledge, and do this for myself, not for someone else.

But I still wasn’t sure whether I wanted to commit myself to a 1-2 year MBA journey (or 3-4 years part-time). So I did some research and compared the various options I had access to.

The options didn’t fill me with hope. The “cheapest” options I could find in traditional universities still ranged from $20k-$50k, while more well-known options started from $80k in Canada, and over $115k in the US. And let’s not forget these options often require you to quit your job as well, thereby increasing the cost even more.

But I often look for creative and/or unconventional approaches to problems. So I found one that seemed intriguing…

Quantic School of Business and Technology

Traditional universities are excellent at marketing their programs, making you feel that they will somehow transform your life. But often the reality is quite underwhelming, leaving you with a large debt, and filling 3-5 years of your life with questionable value.

But I digress…

Quantic School of Business and Technology struck me in that they were offering something truly different. The business school of the future, with a mission to democratize elite business education globally.

Founded by former Rosetta Stone employees, Tom Adams, Alexie Harper, and Ori Ratner, Quantic launched its MBA and Executive MBA programs in July 2016. With its innovative and disruptive mobile-first Active Learning format, and award-winning curriculum, Quantic felt like an interesting, unconventional alternative.

Instead of boring video lectures, stuffy textbooks, dated content, uninspiring assignments, traditional exams, or a padded curriculum that artificially extends the length of the program, Quantic was offering their program through their own proprietary app, which focuses on delivering mastery-based progression through bite-size lessons (requiring interaction from the student every eight seconds), case studies, group or individual projects, modern exam formats, and individualized feedback.

Quantic was also offering an online library, paid research databases, lifelong access to all courses, as well as career services and a built-in alumni network spanning the globe (thousands of current students and alumni across 80 countries).

With a price tag of USD$9600 , but with generous scholarships available (even reducing the price down to $0 for some students), Quantic was offering a truly accessible education.

And while other traditional MBA programs were offering a 1-2 year full-time program (or 3-4 years part-time), Quantic was offering an accelerated, 13-month part-time experience instead. Something that wouldn’t require me to quit my job. (A luxury that few of us can actually afford)

Did this all sound too good to be true?

The skeptic in me thought it did, but Quantic was offering an introductory Business Foundations course for free to give potential students an opportunity to sample its unique approach to learning.

So I tried their Business Foundations course and was genuinely impressed by how engaging and interactive their approach was. I was sold. If I was ever ready to do an MBA, Quantic was going to be my choice.

But then life got in the way for a few years, so I put thoughts of an MBA aside until now…

When the pandemic hit and we all went into lockdown in March 2020, my thoughts turned to how uncertain and unpredictable the future was going to be. I didn’t think this was going to be a hiccup of a few weeks or maybe a few months. The global scale of the issue convinced me that this would be a crisis that lasts for years. Having experienced a lot of personal crises in my life to that point, I wanted to do everything in my (limited) control to mitigate the new challenges that were coming.

And if life was now going to involve lots of lockdowns, I may as well try to make the most of my time indoors. A year was going to fly by (even if the first few weeks felt like an eternity). I wanted to feel like, no matter what, I could look back at this time and feel I spent it as constructively as possible.

So in March 2020, facing the possibility of lay-offs (as we were seeing in many, many companies around the world), I revisited my learning plans from years before and remembered how much I liked what Quantic was offering. By the end of March, I had submitted my application.

After being selected in their admissions process, I was invited to an interview, which further convinced me that I was making the right decision. Upon being admitted, I started my Executive MBA journey in June 2020.

And today, 13 months later, I am thrilled to be officially graduating.

So, what did I think of the Quantic EMBA?

Quantic was one of the best career decisions I have made. I absolutely loved it and do not regret doing this. I felt it was an excellent investment in myself, and, with a partial scholarship, even more so.

Quantic delivered on what it promised, something that I can’t say about a lot of my previous educational experiences, where the marketing never lived up to the reality (and left me with debts I was still paying many, many years later).

Strictly from a learning perspective, Quantic was, quite honestly, the best university experience I’ve had.

But enough hype. How about some specifics? What did I like?

Quantic’s app is modern, sleek, works beautifully on all devices, and is a joy to use. I loved being able to do most of my studying on a smartphone. In the mornings, during lunch, at night, at home, outdoors in the sun, or practically anywhere. No need to buy large, heavy, dated, over-priced textbooks either. Everything you need is delivered through the app.

The Curriculum

Quantic’s curriculum is well designed and snackable. Lessons are broken down into 10-15 minute interactive modules, making it easy to make the most of pockets of time throughout the day and week.

Combined with its engaging and interactive format (requiring interaction roughly every 8 seconds), I never felt bored with the content, and did more learning, and did so more frequently, than I ever did with previous, more traditional university education.

The curriculum is broken up into two main areas:

Concentrations

There are 8 core subjects that are mandatory:

• Markets and Economies
• Data and Decisions
• Operations Management
• Leading Organizations
• Marketing and Pricing

Specializations

It’s also mandatory to complete at least 3 out of the 9 available electives:

• US Business Law
• Startup Entrepreneurship
• Data Analysis
• Advanced Statistical Inference
• Supply Chain and Operations
• Strategic Thinking
• Advanced Corporate-Level Strategy
• Advanced Finance

Even though I only needed to complete 3 specializations, I enjoyed the program so much I ended up completing all 9 specializations. That’s something I wouldn’t have previously done in a more traditional university education.

Assignments and Exams

There were two aspects that I loved about Quantic’s assignments.

Firstly, I was given a choice to do my assignments individually or in a group. Many university programs force students into group assignments, with no regard whether this actually ends up being an optimal experience for some (it’s likely designed to reduce the grading workload for teachers). I actually focus and learn more while working independently – so it was great to get this option and really maximize my own learning. I already get lots of great experience working in teams in my day-to-day career.

The other aspect I liked was the format of the assignments. They were all very practical and relevant. From an accounting assignment involving writing up financial statements and then analyzing the financial health of a company, to analyzing the leadership decisions of the founder of ZipCar, to analyzing potential strategies for expanding formerly successful startup, Managed by Q. There were no forced, boring essays to write, or other assignments that have no real world application.

And the exams were also a breath of fresh air. All delivered through an interactive app. I’ve never enjoyed exams as much as I did this time.

The Capstone

The EMBA culminates in a 4-month long capstone project , which consists of two parts: a business plan, and a presentation.

I was really looking forward to this part of the program, as I wanted to work on my own business idea and dive deep into all aspects of it. I was so into it, I finished 6 weeks early. Once again, not something that would have happened in any of my previous university experiences.

I ended up writing a thoroughly researched 70+ page business plan for a business that I am actually contemplating trying on the side one day. The work I put into this also indirectly led to job interviews and a job offer.

I can honestly say that the capstone was the most enjoyable project I have worked on in all of my educational experiences combined. It was a great opportunity to combine all the things I learned throughout the EMBA, and apply it to something that had the potential for real-world value.

Duration and Pace

At 13 months long, part-time, the duration of Quantic’s program felt just right. I really can’t justify an education lasting longer than that any more, or being full-time throughout. Life moves fast. Many of us are are in quickly evolving industries, and/or have life circumstances that don’t allow the luxury to quit a job and study full-time for 2 years. The quicker we can learn things and apply them, the better.

But while Quantic’s program is accelerated compared to many other MBAs, the pace felt manageable. Of course, it did involve regular, consistent work and effort. But I felt like Quantic did a great job of eliminating fluff, by focusing on quality over quantity. As such, the material that was presented cut straight to the essence of what was needed.

It’s likely that more traditional (and much longer and more expensive) MBAs go into far more depth and repetition, but is that really necessary? If you end up forgetting most of the details of your MBA once you complete it, why bother spending years on it?

At USD$9,600 (but often lower with a scholarship), compared to $25k+, $80k+, and $115k+ options at traditional universities, this one is a no-brainer. Quantic’s EMBA has instantly paid for itself.

Why Quantic might not be a fit

But Quantic might not be for everyone. While the above highlights were important to me, I know that there are other aspects that might be important to others, and they might not get it from this program. Some examples:

In-person instruction

If you absolutely crave in-person instruction and guidance, where someone explains concepts to you and you have an opportunity to ask questions and get feedback from a human being in real-time, then Quantic might not be for you.

Having said that, this kind of education model does not scale. Sure, great teachers can inspire and engage, and we all probably remember a handful of teachers that left a positive mark on our lives. But there’s always a very real risk of ending up with a very average teacher, or worse. And nothing kills enthusiasm and motivation for learning quicker than a mediocre teacher.

Quantic has done a great job by removing that variable, and presenting a well built curriculum with interactive content instead.

Class interaction

If you crave in-person interaction with fellow students in a physical classroom, then Quantic might not be for you.

Having said that, Quantic does make an effort to offer various, regular (optional) Zoom sessions, from Ask Me Anything’s (with interesting guests), to book clubs, documentary clubs, podcast clubs, location-based virtual meetups, and industry-based virtual meetups. Combined with the Slack group workspace you get access to (with over 100 students in each cohort), and there really is plenty of opportunity for interaction and development of new friendships.

Ultimately, this aspect of the program is whatever you make of it. Be as involved, or not, as you and your circumstances allow. Just be intentional with what you choose.

Personally, I thought Quantic went into just the right level of depth to allow us to broadly cover all aspects of business.

But for some, I can see how that might not be enough. If you want to do a deep dive into every area in an MBA, then Quantic might not be for you.

But I would argue that level of depth is unnecessary. You will rarely need to go that deep in every area of a company that you work at. I find it useful to have broad awareness across a wide range of areas, and then go deeper in areas depending on the direction my career takes me.

I would also argue that the 4-month, final capstone project gives plenty of opportunity to do a deep dive, not only in a specific industry, market, and business opportunity, but also across all aspects of strategy and day-to-day operations.

Once again, Quantic is what you make of it. The opportunities are there to go deeper, if you choose to. Just like life, it is what you make of it.

What did I get from this experience?

My main goal was knowledge, and I got what I was after. While everyone ends up forgetting most of what they learned in an MBA (let’s not pretend we don’t…), being exposed to so many business concepts, models, and terms definitely stretched my abilities. I now have a lot of new knowledge and confidence I can draw on in future.

I also looked for opportunities to apply some of what I learned to my current company, resulting in creating internal initiatives such as one about measuring team health and engagement .

While I’m not someone who is obsessed with business and entrepreneurship for the sake of it, working on the final capstone project (a 4-month, 70+ page comprehensive business plan and subsequent presentation) revealed a strong interest in potentially pursuing an entrepreneurial venture one day.

The EMBA also helped me discover and reinforce a few areas that really interest me: operations, data and decisions, and building products. It helped me reassess the direction my career was going in, and to recalibrate it with what my real strengths and interests are.

As a result, this exploration led to a number of new career opportunities, directly and indirectly. Through fortunate timing, I accepted a promotion into a role that feels like a much better fit than the one I was in when I started the EMBA. A new role where I can utilize my strengths and provide an opportunity to apply some of the things I have learned during the EMBA.

Lastly, my EMBA journey became another way to connect with friends and colleagues who were interested in pursuing something similar. Some of them are now also pursuing their EMBAs with Quantic.

I continue to encourage anyone who has thought about an MBA or an EMBA to consider Quantic. I really believe that companies like this represent the future of education.

But Quantic ultimately gave me something even more valuable than an EMBA. It reawakened in me a desire to continue learning and growing. And that should be the real purpose of education.

The Executive MBA in Strategic Leadership

Learn modern strategy, leadership, and management skills at Valar Institute at Quantic School of Business and Technology.

Become a 21st Century Leader

In an accelerated, 12-month program, learn the modern management skills to lead in the new world of work.

Lead With Confidence

Learn strategy and management theories and practices that allow you to command a room, motivate a team, and boldly take the lead into uncharted territory. Innovate from within and master the complexities of a changing business landscape with skills that will help you overcome resistance and streamline decision making.

Multiply Your Strategic Impact

Set the course for success — for you and your company. Courses in strategic leadership, global economics and innovation provide frameworks to understand and leverage the dynamics of politics and power within an organization. Business communication courses ensure you are an effective, confident, and persuasive communicator.

Master the Fundamentals

Core MBA courses in marketing and pricing, creativity and innovation, and financial management provide you with foundational business knowledge necessary to lead organizations. Each student also completes a Capstone Project during their course of study where they put their learning to the test.

Best-in-Class Educational Experience

Our Active Learning method is more effective and engaging - students learn faster and retain more!

Our Method vs. Top EMBAs

In a 2016 study performed by Stanford researchers, learners in our platform performed as well or better in a standardized test covering Accounting and Finance than EMBA students who attended top 10 business schools. Oh, and they did so over 5 times as quickly. Read more on this study here , and see the study on how our teaching bests other online leaders here .

Hear From Our Students

“Valar is more than an EMBA program - it's a paradigm shift that offers more than I was expecting. This program is changing the world. I'm so proud to be among the pioneers!”

“I chose Valar because of its comprehensive curriculum, structure around strategic business leadership, and for its flexibility.”

“Valar course material is relevant and engaging and collaboration with my peers has been both educational and enjoyable. Valar excels academically.”

“From the latest in technology, experts in the field, to leadership development; Valar is a very unique program with many opportunities for growth. ”

“Valar has out-performed expectations. The method of instruction, quality, flexibility and the organization of courses, exams, and projects are first-class! I have directly applied what I've learned to my career.”

“I highly recommend Valar to anyone who wants to develop knowledge in business, management, leadership and grow their network. The course content is excellent; you will learn and have fun at the same time.”

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Discover Vanderbilt’s Unique Executive MBA Tracks: Executive Edge and Global Immersion

By Eigen Escario

Joe Wagstaffe

The Vanderbilt Executive MBA (EMBA) is a 2-year graduate program for working professionals looking to strengthen their executive skill sets and unlock paths to upward growth in their careers. The program features 2 tracks that cater to students’ personal and professional goals: the Executive Edge track and the Global Immersion track. Joe Wagstaffe , Associate Director of Recruiting and Admissions for Vanderbilt Executive MBA, discusses the unique opportunities each track offers, as well as key factors to consider when deciding between the 2.

When students begin the EMBA program in the fall, they all start off on the same schedule, consisting of on-campus classes every other Saturday. Towards the end of their first year, it is standard for students to declare their intended track in late March or early April. Then, the split between the EMBA class starts the following summer as the Global Immersion track starts finalizing their cohort and ironing out details for the second year.

The Executive Edge Track

The Executive Edge track is designed for students who want a consistent and localized learning schedule, remaining in Nashville for the duration of the EMBA program.

“If you like being in person and consistent with your schedule, then you should opt for the Executive Edge track,” Wagstaffe said. “Students stick with the same schedule for both their first and second year, with classes on campus every other Saturday.”

This track is centered around fostering leadership, strategic skills, and financial acumen – aimed to prepare students who want to launch new businesses or integrate growth strategies for existing ones. In the second year of the EMBA program, students will remain in their cross-functional C-Teams from their first year and engage in high-level leadership work.

The Global Immersion Track

On the other hand, the Global Immersion track offers a more international experience as students participate in different residencies all over the world.

“The Global Track students will go on 4 week-long residencies that we have with partner schools,” Wagstaffe said. “We have partner schools in Vancouver, Mexico City, and São Paulo – instead of coming to class on campus, students will travel to these countries roughly every 2 months starting in August, ending with a residency right here in Nashville.”

This track is designed to immerse students in a traveling classroom setting that delves into the culture, business practices, consumer perceptions, and behaviors of 4 nations and economies that students will be visiting for their residencies. There is also an international capstone strategy project, which is a unique opportunity for the cohort to work with a multinational company to address unique business challenges in the Americas .

Comparing Executive MBA Tracks

While the idea of domestic vs. international study might seem like 2 drastically different experiences, they share similar structures despite their geographic distinction.

“From a curriculum standpoint, students will still have a lot of the same deliverables,” Wagstaffe said. “You still have a team atmosphere and similar content on both tracks, but the Global Track is instructed by different professors from different universities, so there’s a cultural nuance to it.”

In terms of missing out on the experiences of the track-not-chosen, Wagstaffe says that they are both unique and enriching in their own ways.

“Across different time zones and cultural lines, each of these tracks are impactful in their own ways,” Wagstaffe said. “It is really important to know that students are not missing out on one thing or the other by choosing either track, regardless of making the decision about what’s right for them.”

On the topic of F.O.M.O., Wagstaffe shares that there are safeguards in place to make sure that students on either track get the best of both worlds regardless of their track declaration.

“For students on the Global Immersion track, they can audit classes they find useful or interesting back on campus during the time between their residencies,” Wagstaffe said. “As for the Executive Edge students, they have an international residency at the end of the second year to get that international flavor as well.”

Which Executive MBA Track Should You Choose?

Students pursue the EMBA program with different motivations and goals, and there isn’t a predetermined formula for the type of person to choose either track.

“We have so many industries represented, and students want to do these tracks for a variety of reasons, so there isn’t one type of person that seems to lean toward a particular path,” Wagstaffe said. “For those who know they want to work in international business or who need more international exposure, there might be a natural pull toward the Global Immersion track.”

Throughout the first year of the program, Wagstaffe highlights the multitude of support and resources from Owen that guide students through their decision-making process.

“There are a couple of times during the first year when professors will meet with everyone and describe what each program is all about,” Wagstaffe said. “Then, there are intentional meetings where students can ask questions and get guidance to find the right fit for them. Around the end of March, we survey students about which way they are leaning because there is a maximum of students we can take in our Global Immersion track, usually between 12 and 15.”

Ultimately, students have to thoroughly evaluate their intentions and expectations before and during the program in order to make the right choice on the individual level.

“During the application process, students have to indicate which track they’re interested in, but they’re not beholden to that since we just want a rough headcount for each program,” Wagstaffe said. “It’s crucial to know beforehand why you’re pursuing this program and what you hope to get out of it—if you understand yourself and why you need this degree, it will help inform you on which of the tracks will be the right fit for you.”

To learn more about the Vanderbilt Executive MBA program, student experience, outcomes, and career paths, click here .

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• by Melissa Hammam
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Hands up if you’re ready to be dazzled! From a ceremony structure designed to float on water to a jaw-dropping reception room with flowers blooming from every service, we’re swooning over every bit of this wedding. If you can believe it, that’s just the beginning. Julia Kaptelova artfully shot every detail, like the ballet performance guests were treated to and snow falling from the ceiling for the first dance! Prepare to be amazed and take a visit to the full gallery .

From About You Decor … Our design is a symbol of dawn and a distant endless horizon. Ahead is a long, happy life without any borders. An international couple, Pavel and Cherry, met in London and have been walking together for many years.

From the Bride, Cherry… My husband and I we decided to have our summer wedding in Moscow because the city is where his roots are. As we knew we were going to have the other wedding ceremony in China, we wanted our Moscow one to be very personal and intimate. We’ve known each other since we were fourteen, together with many of our friends whom we’ve also known for a decade.

I didn’t want to walk down the aisle twice so the plausibility of my request quickly came into discussion. The open pontoon stage was constructed in order to facilitate the bridal entrance on water, although there were concerns about safety as the last thing we wanted was probably a drowned bride before she could get on stage, picture that! I have to say on that day it wasn’t easy to get on the pontoon stage from the boat, in my long gown and high heels. Luckily my bridesmaids still noticed even though they stood the furthest from me on the stage, and helped me out without prior rehearsal. My girls could just tell whenever I needed a hand or maybe they were just so used to my clumsiness. Who knows 😂

We all love our photographer Julia! She’s so talented and her style is so unique. Our beloved host Alex is exceptional who made everyone laugh and cry. It was truly a blessing to have so many kind and beautiful souls on our big day. Thank you all!

[iframe https://player.vimeo.com/video/384992271 600 338]

Photography: Julia Kaptelova Photography | Wedding Planner: Caramel | Cake: Any Cake | Invitations: Inviteria | Rings: Harry Winston | Band: Menhouzen | Grooms attire: Ermenegildo Zegna | Wedding Venue: Elizaveta Panichkina | Bridesmaids’ dresses: Marchesa | Bridesmaids’ dresses: Alice McCall | Bride’s gown : Jaton Couture | Bride’s shoes: Manolo Blahnik | Decor : About you decor | Earrings: Damiani | Muah: Khvanaco Studio | Video: Artem Korchagin

More Princess-Worthy Ballgowns

I’m still not convinced this Moscow wedding, captured to perfection by  Sonya Khegay , isn’t actually an inspiration session—it’s just  that breathtaking. From the beautiful Bride’s gorgeous lace wedding dress and flawless hair and makeup to the pretty pastel color palette and stunning ceremony and reception spaces, this wedding is almost too good to be true. Do yourself a favor and see it all in The Vault now!

From Sonya Khegay … It was the last day of April and still very cold in the morning. The weather forecast wasn’t pleasing and no one expected that the sun would come out, but miracles happen and light rain gave way to the warm rays.

I love how all the details went together, you could feel the harmony in everything throughout the entire wedding day from the morning until the fireworks.

A gentle look of the bride, elegant but so airy and unique decor, the fresh and light atmosphere of early spring and, of course, true happiness in the eyes. My heart becomes so warm from these memories, it is always a pleasure to see the birth of a new family of two loving hearts.

Photography: Sonya Khegay | Event Design: Latte Decor | Event Planning: Ajur Wedding | Floral Design: Blush Petals | Wedding Dress: La Sposa | Stationery: Special Invite | Bride's Shoes: Gianvito Rossi | Hair + Makeup: Natalie Yastrebova | Venue: Rodniki Hotel

• by Elizabeth Greene

You really can’t go wrong with simple: a beautiful Bride , perfectly pretty petals , loved ones all around. But add in an amazing firework show  to cap off the night and simple just became downright extraordinary. Captured by Lena Elisseva , with assistance by  Katya Butenko , this rustic Russian celebration is simply fantastic. See it all in the Vault right here !

From Lena Eliseeva Photo …  This cozy and warm summer wedding of gorgeous Natalia and Anton was in the middle of June. The young couple decided to organize their wedding themselves, and the day was very personal and touching. I am absolutely in love with rustic outdoor weddings, and this one is my favourite because of the free and easy atmosphere.

All the decor excluding the bride’s bouquet was made by a team of ten friends of the bride and groom. And it was charming – a light and beautiful arch, eco-style polygraphy and succulents, candy-bar with caramel apples and berries – sweet joys of summer.

At the end of ceremony the guests tossed up white handkerchiefs embroidered by Natalia’s own hands.

The most touching moment was the happy eyes of the groom’s grandmother, the most estimable person on the wedding. And the fireworks were a bright end to that beautiful day.

Photography: LENA ELISEEVA PHOTO | Floral Design: Katerina Kazakova | Hair And Makeup: Svetlana Fischeva | Photography - Assistance: Katya Butenko

These photos from Lena Kozhina are so stunningly beautiful – as in you can’t help but stop and stare – it’s hard to believe it’s real life. But these pics are proof of this gorgeous Bride and her handsome Groom’s celebration at Moscow’s Fox Lodge , surrounded by vibrant colors and breathtaking blooms . Oh, and the idea of prepping for your Big Day outside in the sun ? Brilliant. See more bright ideas right here !

From Lena Kozhina … When we met with the couple for the first time, we immediately paid attention to Dima’s behavior towards Julia. There was a feeling of tenderness and awe, and we immediately wanted to recreate this atmosphere of love, care and warmth on their Big Day.

Later, when we had chosen a green meadow and an uncovered pavilion overlooking a lake as the project site, it only highlighted a light summer mood with colorful florals and a great number of natural woods. The name of the site is Fox Lodge and peach-orange color, as one of the Bride’s favorites, set the tone for the whole design – from the invitations, in which we used images of fox cubs to elements of serving guest tables and other decorative elements with the corresponding bright accents.

Photography: Lena Kozhina | Event Planning: Ajur Wedding | Wedding Dress: Rosa Clara | Shoes: Marc Jacobs | Catering: Fox Lodge | Makeup Artist: Elena Otrembskaya | Wedding Venue: Fox Lodge | Cake and Desserts: Yumbaker | Decor: Latte Decor

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The Unique Burial of a Child of Early Scythian Time at the Cemetery of Saryg-Bulun (Tuva)

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Pages:  379-406

In 1988, the Tuvan Archaeological Expedition (led by M. E. Kilunovskaya and V. A. Semenov) discovered a unique burial of the early Iron Age at Saryg-Bulun in Central Tuva. There are two burial mounds of the Aldy-Bel culture dated by 7th century BC. Within the barrows, which adjoined one another, forming a figure-of-eight, there were discovered 7 burials, from which a representative collection of artifacts was recovered. Burial 5 was the most unique, it was found in a coffin made of a larch trunk, with a tightly closed lid. Due to the preservative properties of larch and lack of air access, the coffin contained a well-preserved mummy of a child with an accompanying set of grave goods. The interred individual retained the skin on his face and had a leather headdress painted with red pigment and a coat, sewn from jerboa fur. The coat was belted with a leather belt with bronze ornaments and buckles. Besides that, a leather quiver with arrows with the shafts decorated with painted ornaments, fully preserved battle pick and a bow were buried in the coffin. Unexpectedly, the full-genomic analysis, showed that the individual was female. This fact opens a new aspect in the study of the social history of the Scythian society and perhaps brings us back to the myth of the Amazons, discussed by Herodotus. Of course, this discovery is unique in its preservation for the Scythian culture of Tuva and requires careful study and conservation.

Keywords: Tuva, Early Iron Age, early Scythian period, Aldy-Bel culture, barrow, burial in the coffin, mummy, full genome sequencing, aDNA

Information about authors: Marina Kilunovskaya (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail: [email protected] Vladimir Semenov (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail: [email protected] Varvara Busova  (Moscow, Russian Federation).  (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences.  Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Kharis Mustafin  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Technical Sciences. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Irina Alborova  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Biological Sciences. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Alina Matzvai  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected]

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EMBA Class of November 2024

Welcome to Valar! Here's the course syllabus for your program. It's strongly recommended that you follow the schedule below to complete your required lessons per week.  In order to graduate and earn your degree, you must meet the course requirements as seen here .

Important Dates

• Starting date: October 16, 2023
• Winter Break: December 25 - January 7, 2024
• Capstone Project kickoff week: May 13-19, 2024
• Capstone Project check-in week: August 5-11, 2024

Capstone Project Due date:

Written project due by October 13, 2024 by 11:59 p.m. PDT / UTC-7 hours

Recorded presentation due by October 27, 2024 by 11:59 p.m. PDT / UTC-7 hours

• Anticipated Graduation Date: November 19, 2024

Individual concentration exam and case study due dates can be found in their respective sections listed in this PDF .

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