How Is the Online Executive MBA Structured and How Long Does It Take?

Updated

The Executive MBA offered through smcuniversity.com is a 90 ECTS, fully online program made up of twelve assessed management courses plus a Thesis Research Project, representing roughly 2,250 hours of study. Completion in 12 months is possible if you study at sustained intensity and your academic progress is approved, but the normal maximum registration period is 4 years — so the realistic answer is that the pace is self-directed within that window.

Program structure

The program has four defining components:

Component What it involves
Management study Twelve assessed courses covering the core areas needed to manage an organization
Research project A Thesis Research Project built around a substantial management question
Online delivery Study through Transknowlogy, with no relocation and no weekly campus attendance
Academic award Signum Magnum College holds final academic authority and awards the Executive MBA

The 90 ECTS and 2,250 study hours apply to the Executive MBA as a whole. The twelve courses are assessed, so progress depends on completing and passing them rather than simply working through material.

How long it takes

Three time figures matter, and they mean different things:

  • 12 months — the fastest possible completion, described as possible rather than standard. It requires sustained study and approved academic progress.
  • Longer than 12 months — permitted within the normal registration period if you study at a lower intensity.
  • 4 years — the normal maximum registration period.

So the program is self-paced, but not open-ended: you choose your intensity, and the 12-month route is a demanding option rather than the default.

The optional Applied AI track

You can add six Applied AI courses to the required Executive MBA courses. Key points:

  • The additional courses supplement the required courses rather than replacing them.
  • The degree title remains Executive Master of Business Administration.
  • The tuition stays at € 990 total with the AI courses included.
  • The courses are fully online and self-paced, like the rest of the program.

If your goal is to finish in 12 months, adding six courses increases the workload you need to absorb within that window — worth weighing against the time commitment before choosing this route.

Who does what

Three parties have distinct roles, which matters if you are checking who you actually deal with:

  • Transknowlogy — provides the application, contract, tuition process, online learning environment, and student support.
  • Signum Magnum College — makes academic admission and final-result decisions, maintains the official academic record, and awards the Executive MBA.
  • Swiss Management Center — maintains the historic domain that presents the current Transknowlogy Executive MBA offer.

What to check before applying

  • Whether you can realistically sustain the study intensity the 12-month plan requires, given that it depends on approved academic progress.
  • Whether you want the Executive MBA alone or with the six Applied AI courses — both routes carry € 990 total tuition.
  • The program terms, which are reviewed as part of the application submitted through Transknowlogy.

Both application routes — Executive MBA alone, or with Applied AI — carry the same € 990 total tuition.