Executive Education 2004 report.

• Author: Brandon, Lynne
• Position: SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

There was a time when business experience was enough. But in today's competitive environment, education is essential. Traditional MBA programs are available at most colleges and universities. As the state's economy has shifted, programs are being offered to executives in technology and other fields to better equip the work force of the future.

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Duke University has a reputation for excellence in all of its programs. It recently received high rankings for its Fuqua School of Business and its Duke Corporation Education subsidiary, a customized nondegree education company. Duke Corporation Education has been ranked by Financial Times as the world's top custom executive-education provider for the second year in a row. The Fuqua school was rated second-best for its open-enrollment executive-education programs.

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The Fuqua School offers three flexible programs for earning a master's in business administration. Each enables a student to continue working while earning an MBA from a school that consistently achieves Top Five rankings. U.S. News & World Report ranked Fuqua's executive MBA programs No. 4 in 2004.

The weekend executive MBA requires at least five year's work experience and is geared to ward professionals who want to fine-tune their expertise. The global executive program is for those with 10 to 30 years of experience who manage a global staff or a large international business unit. The cross-continent MBA requires from three to nine years of experience and is designed for the professional who wants to gain management knowledge across departments.

To accommodate executives, nontraditional schedules have been developed, often entailing evening and weekend courses for full- and part-time students. One school taking this approach to executive education is North Carolina State University in Raleigh. N.C. State's MBA is a specialized degree that emphasizes technology. The program--the only one of its kind in the state--allows students to develop expertise in technology commercialization, information-technology management, supply-chain management, marketing, production-innovation management and financial management. Classes are held in the evenings, and most part-time students attend class two nights per week. "Students choose NCSU because of our technology focus, flexibility and value for the money," says Sara Frisch, director of communications. "Our technology program sets us apart from other academic institutions."

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte features executive and graduate programs from which students, who should have at least three years' experience, may choose. UNC Charlotte's Belk College MBA program also offers evening courses, enabling working professionals to earn a degree while they continue their careers.

The Belk College MBA is the oldest MBA program in the Charlotte region. Belk College is accredited by the St. Louis-based Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business...