Studies & Degrees in Executive Education
Executive Education Study Programs
Executive education is the name business schools and universities give to their non-degree training for managers, executives and company owners. The courses are short, practical and aimed at people who already have a career. They do not replace a bachelor's or master's degree; they update or widen what a manager knows at a given point in working life.
The content is that of management: leadership, strategy, finance for non-financial managers, negotiation, digital transformation, analytics and artificial intelligence, or the running of a specific sector. Teaching is based on real cases, group discussion and projects taken from the participants' own companies.
Qualifications and levels
Executive education does not follow the bachelor, master and doctorate ladder. Schools organise it in a few typical formats.
- Open programmes. Any manager who meets the profile can enrol. Short courses last a few days: the short courses listed by AGSM at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) run from 2 to 5 days in person. Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business offers short courses, executive certificates and online modules, delivered in person, online or in a hybrid format.
- General management programmes. These are longer, modular programmes for directors and senior executives. IESE Business School groups them under names such as AMP, PMD, GMP, PDD, PDG and PADE, next to focused programmes on specific competencies and sectors.
- Custom programmes. A school designs a course for one company and its staff. IESE, the Tepper School and the executive education unit of the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria (IDDI) all offer tailor-made programmes for organisations in addition to their open programmes.
- Stackable certificates. Some schools let participants add up short courses. At AGSM, the Certificate in Executive Management and Development is earned by accumulating 12 points through short courses completed over 48 months, and the school states that these also count as credits toward selected MBA and graduate certificate programmes.
In Spain these courses usually fall under lifelong learning (formación permanente). Royal Decree 822/2021 lets universities award their own qualifications of this kind: the Máster de Formación Permanente (60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits), the Diploma de Especialización (30 to 59 credits) and the Diploma de Experto (fewer than 30 credits), as well as microcredentials of fewer than 15 ECTS credits. The decree requires them to be clearly distinguished from official university degrees. Many executive programmes end with a certificate of the school. Ask the school what kind of certificate it issues and what recognition it has.
Admission depends on professional experience and current position more than on grades. There is rarely an entrance exam, and the employer often pays the fee or sponsors the participant.
Where to study it
This directory lists 16 active schools for executive education. Nine are in Spain and three in the United States; Italy, Australia, Brazil and France have one each.
In Spain the listed schools include IESE Business School, with campuses in Barcelona and Madrid, CUNEF Universidad in Madrid, IDDI, the executive education unit of the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria in Pozuelo de Alarcón, the Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, and Zaragoza Logistics Center (ZLC). Abroad, the list includes Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, UNSW in Sydney and the Universidade Estadual de Maringá in Brazil.
Courses are taught in the language of the school's market, mostly Spanish in Spain and English in international programmes. IESE also teaches at its campuses in Munich, New York and São Paulo. Because courses are short, students from outside the European Union should check with the Spanish consulate whether they need a visa for the length of their stay.
Careers
Executive education is taken during a career, not before it. Typical moments are a first promotion to team leader, the step from a functional role to general management, a move to a new sector, or the need to understand a new technology. Companies also use custom programmes to prepare a group of managers for a change of strategy.
A short course does not give access to a profession. Its value lies in the skills gained and in the contacts made in class. For context, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 3,890,600 jobs for top executives in 2025 and projects employment to grow 5 percent from 2025 to 2035. It notes that these roles typically require at least a bachelor's degree and considerable work experience.
Frequently asked questions
Is executive education a degree?
Usually not. Most programmes end with a certificate or diploma of the school. In Spain, university lifelong-learning qualifications are separate from official degrees, so ask what recognition the certificate has.
How long does an executive education course last?
From a few days to several months. Short courses at AGSM (UNSW) last 2 to 5 days; general management programmes are longer and split into modules.
Do I need a university degree to enrol?
It depends on the programme. Schools look mainly at professional experience and position. In Spain, university microcredentials may or may not require a previous degree.
What is the difference between executive education and an Executive MBA?
An Executive MBA is a full master's programme that takes well over a year. Executive education consists of shorter courses on specific topics or levels of management, without a master's degree at the end.