MIT Sloan Fellows Program in Innovation and Global Leadership

FAQs

Program Director Stephen Sacca answers the most frequently asked questions of participants and sponsors.

Participants' Frequently Asked Questions

Why have the MIT Sloan Fellows and Management of Technology Programs merged?
MIT Sloan is committed to maintaining its long-standing leadership position in management education for high-potential, mid-career leaders. To do so we have always sought and implemented innovation in curriculum and pedagogy. Significant changes in both the global economy and the nature and pace of technological innovation present us with new challenges and opportunities in executive education. Over the past decade it has become increasingly clear that Sloan Fellows are interested in innovation and entrepreneurship, the main focus of the Management of Technology Program, while MOT participants were more and more drawn to courses in general management and global leadership, the central theme of the Sloan Fellows Program. more>>

What specific educational background is required?
Diversity in every facet of a class is important, including educational backgrounds. A candidate must hold an undergraduate degree to be considered, but there is no restriction as to major field or courses taken. The initial summer term brings together all participants, with their diverse educational backgrounds, and provides a common foundation that will prepare them for graduate elective courses at MIT Sloan and other schools at MIT.

What kind of managerial experience is expected?
Candidates should have experience in four principal areas: leadership of teams and organizational units, knowledge in a specific functional area of their industry, a global perspective from international assignments and travel, and demonstrated achievement in an innovative practice, product, or process.

Is organizational sponsorship required, expected, or favored?
Many participants will be sponsored by or have the strong support of their employers, but the program will also admit some independent participants who will enrich the program with their unique experiences and perspectives.

Will applicants with a prior MBA and/or other graduate degrees be considered?
Applicants with prior graduate degrees are welcome, including candidates with prior MBA degrees. Owing to the emphasis on building a strong educational foundation and shared learning community, the core curriculum will be required for all candidates, regardless of educational background or choice of degree.

Do I have to choose between the flextime and full-time options at the application stage? What flexibility exists to switch options after the program begins?
Applicants will make a preliminary choice between the full-time or flextime option when they apply. If the circumstances change, participants may talk with the program director about switching formats. The final selection will be made by the middle of the summer term. Read more about the flex option, which is intended exclusively for individuals who live within a one-hour commute of MIT.

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Sponsors’ Frequently Asked Questions

How can I part with a key employee for a full year?
It's important to realize that you are not removing your executives from the global business world, you are immersing them in it. You are sending your best managers here to the frontier of business to learn skills, network with international business leaders, and develop the talent they have demonstrated in day-to-day business. Frankly speaking, you can't afford not to educate your best executives if you want their help in keeping the company competitive in today's volatile business climate. And we have designed a special flex option for those companies that would prefer to send a participant on a part-time basis.

May I promote the applications of more than one employee for entrance into the program?
Certainly, and many companies do. Please understand, though, that organizations nominate many more qualified men and women than the program can accommodate. The selection committee makes the decision based on the strength of the applicant and also on what skills and experience he or she has to offer the group. The quality and diversity of the class is one of its essential learning components, and each student becomes a building block.

How can our company get the most out of this investment?
It is possible for each of the participants to come to the program with a specific agenda and leave with specific deliverables. Every participant enters the program with his or her company as a frame of reference, so the lessons learned can be applied directly to company challenges. Through your MIT Sloan Fellow, you have access to all the resources offered by the program and the broader MIT community. Many sponsors contend that being plugged in to the global network of MIT, Sloan, and Sloan Fellows alumni is itself worth the price of the program.

How does the program dovetail with the goals of my organization?
For generations, MIT Sloan's mid career executive programs have been a tradition of company leadership in organizations of all sizes and functions. Larger companies may promote several candidates who are reaching pivotal points in their careers. Other organizations — large and small — will handpick certain promising managers and use the program on an intermittent basis. We would be pleased to work with you to determine how we can make the MIT Sloan Fellows Program an effective tool in your overall executive development plan.

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