Executive education courses in finance deliver among the most tangible returns: they aim to raise the profitability of organization and generate shareholder value. Many executive courses in finance are run by the world’s top business schools in global financial centers like London or New York City. 

Many of the programs are for non-finance executives looking to get up to speed on the fundamentals of corporate finance – cash flow management, valuations, mergers and acquisitions. From there, participants learn how to evaluate investment opportunities and acquire assets and to create shareholder value. They also learn how corporate funding decisions are made, and how to win finance for their projects and teams. 

Some are certificate programs that enable participants to tailor the learning to their professional needs by choosing from a wide array of course options that come together into a single qualification. 

Often, the programs cover novel technologies such as financial technology (fintech), artificial intelligence and machine learning in finance, with participants learning how to harness the power of technology to make better business decisions and to boost efficiency and accuracy. 

The best executive courses in finance tend to be short, lasting a few days to a few weeks, either in person, online or a combination of delivery methods. Here are the top 10: 
 

Companies today are having to respond to rapid changes in business and society amid increasing competitive threats but also business opportunities for companies bold enough to shape their market. 

Happily, there are a wide range of executive education courses in strategy or strategic management offered by some of the world’s leading business schools around the world. On these courses, participants learn how to assess threats and opportunities, and build a compelling vision for transformation based on the broader environmental, political and social landscape. 

In these strategy-oriented executive courses, participants discover how to choose the right team members and nurture the best ideas, putting together a strategic plan of action. Then, the executives enrolled in these 10 leading programs learn how to build innovation capability and lead change management. They come away with the confidence to take on tough challenges and develop solutions that drive organizational performance. 

The best executive courses in strategy cover a wide range of topics that are important for managers with increasing responsibility.

See the top 10 executive courses in strategy below.

Management consulting is one of the most popular - and lucrative - career paths that can also set you up for a successful transition into the corporate world. Coveted for its stimulating variety of client work across industries and functions, the industry is dynamic and diverse. 

An executive education program in consulting can help people to get ahead in this dynamic world. Due to their popularity, some business schools even run entire executive programs specifically in management consulting. Generally on these courses, participants are taken through the various phases of a strategy project including defining and structuring the problem, conducting analysis, developing and communicating recommendations. This includes managing stakeholder expectations, drawing on diverse perspectives and building trust with clients.

Many of the best executive courses in consulting may also include a practical component where students consult real companies - an opportunity to put academic theory into practice in the real business world. 

Other schools run courses in related fields such as strategic management, problem-solving, product management and digital transformation. This helps consultants who wish to specialize and carve out a niche for themselves. 

Family companies are the engines of economic develop across the world, and they play an important role in labor market, employing the vast majority of private sector workers. They also tend to be more resilient than other companies with lower insolvency rates through crises. 

However, family business face unique challenges, and that is where executive education can help. A number of the world’s leading business schools cater to family-owned companies with specific executive courses. 

A common theme among the course providers is how to transition from one generation to the next, along with the unique governance challenges faced by family firms. 

Many of the best executive courses in family business management also offer executive coaches to support the implementation of academic theory into the real world, and may even offer a personalized leadership development journey. The programs are hands-on, with participants learning through a blend of theory and role-play.

Some of the courses are partnerships delivered between multiple institutions, with participants spending their time at both schools in different parts of the world to develop a more global perspective on family enterprise. Other programs are delivered entirely online, offering greater flexibility and convenience to participants. 

These executive education programs are for all members of family-owned companies in addition to non-executive directors and board members, along with investors and other stakeholders. 
 

Today’s executive boards face unprecedented challenges, from the global pandemic and its economic fallout to civil unrest, cybersecurity threats and growing calls for greater diversity and inclusion. 

A number of business schools have responded by launching a wide array of executive education courses in governance over the years. They cover a variety of topics such as role defining, succession planning, board appointments and how to raise organizational performance.  Participants emerge better equipped to tackle the issues raised by the COVID-19 crisis. 

The best executive courses in governance take an in-depth look at all aspects of corporate governance including the legal and regulatory frameworks as well as the behavioral and psychological issues. A key element is peer learning from an experienced group of participants who are current, emerging or veteran board members and executives. 

The programs are highly interactive with participants developing the skills and insights to serve effectively — and how to apply them in practice. The aim for many governance courses is to strengthen financial return, enterprise risk management and governance diversity. 

Some of the courses focus on digital transformation, and how participants can evaluate opportunities and threats for their companies. Others focus on emerging issues such as CEO succession plans, shareholder activism, cyber risk, diversity and inclusion. Many executive courses in governance will also explore ethics, while sustainability and regulation are also key themes. 

Psychology has permeated the business world in the past few years and has transformed our understanding of behavior and improved the ability to make management decisions. 

At business school, executives are learning how to better understand how and why people behave, which is seen as key to tackling most issues in society. Whether they need to boost employee engagement, encourage changes in how consumers, co-workers or clients behave, participants come with varied aims to executive courses centered on psychology. 

Some of these executive education programs focus on behavioral science and how to understand the very different motivational factors that are driving consumers, with the digital world changing how buyers think, feel and behave. Participants learn how to understand consumer wants and needs and enhance the clarity of their marketing communications. 

Other executive programs in psychology are aimed at specific sectors, such as financial services, where technology, regulation and competition have disrupted financial planning and client relationships. Despite advances in fintech, human interactions are still critical. 

Others still cover human behavior in the context of leadership in today’s turbulent times, with the pace of change in business and society accelerating exponentially. 

Here are the Top 10 Executive Courses in Psychology.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming business and life more broadly. Referring to the development of computer systems that can perform tasks that once required human intelligence, AI is being applied to a number of business settings to create new economic value. 

In a data-driven world, executives need a thorough understanding of the power of AI to boost their individual and organizational performance, as well as its ethical implications for wider society and the threats it represents. Indeed, by 2025 the global AI market is expected to be worth almost $60 billion. 

To compete in a tech-driven economy, many business leaders, managers and technical specialists are enrolling in executive education programs—in artificial intelligence or machine learning—now run by dozens of the world’s leading business schools. In these programs, participants will learn about the current capabilities and business applications of the technology, and its future potential. More than that, executives will learn how to manage integration projects and communicate with technologists. There are also lessons to be learnt in avoiding common pitfalls. 

Other courses focus on specific and significant economic sectors such as financial services, where AI and machine learning are driving radical changes in the decision-making processes of financial institutions. Here are the top 10 executive courses in AI and machine learning:

Cybersecurity is no longer the domain of the IT department: it is a topic that is gaining importance in the business world. It is a critical part of nearly every aspect of business decision-making, from due diligence in mergers and acquisitions to supply chain security and enterprise risk management. Therefore, managers who understand the growing cyber threat to their organizations, and what they can do to mitigate, the risk have a competitive advantage.

Several business schools are now offering executive courses that give senior managers the skills in cybersecurity risk management they need to better protect their organizations. As the cost of breaches soars, building cyber resilience is an urgent priority for leaders in business and the number of programs, while limited for now, is expected to grow in line with cyber as a board-level issue.

Effective leadership is ever more crucial for organizations. Recognizing the significance of nurturing good leaders, business schools across the globe have crafted executive education courses specifically designed to cultivate the next generation.

These programs, offered by world-class institutions, can have a transformative impact on participants, equipping them with key insights, strategic thinking and other leadership skills.

Below, we list 10 of the very best executive education courses on leadership offered at prestigious business schools worldwide -- from the hallowed halls of Harvard to the inspiring campuses of Oxford. On these elite programs, executive participants not only discover their true leadership potential, but also forge lifelong connections with an influential alumni network.