Tobin Center for Executive Education

What We Do

The Tobin Center for Executive Education, a division of The Peter J. Tobin College of Business of St. John’s University, has served the educational needs of more than 10,000 professionals primarily, but not limited to, the insurance, risk management and financial services sectors for more than three decades. 

The Center often works in conjunction with Tobin’s Maurice R. Greenberg School of Risk Management, Insurance and Actuarial Science in developing and delivering our programs.

Combining the academic achievements of our Tobin faculty with our roster of experienced practitioners, we bring a deep and diverse set of experiences to add value to our clients.

Our programs include:

For more information about our programs, or to register, click here.

The following pages describe the above programs in more detail.

Customized Client Programs/Executive Education

With a 30-year history of delivering value-adding programming to clients, the Center offers professional certificate and other programs in key fundamental areas of insurance, risk management and internal auditing in the classroom as well as in self-paced/on-demand, remote instructor-led, or blended formats that are designed to meet the specific requirements of clients and distinct audiences.

Our approach is highly collaborative, and we have extensive experience developing and delivering programs to a wide range of audiences with specific requirements, from onboarding of new employees to advanced programs for senior executives. Our faculty are drawn not only from St. John’s and other institutions, but also include industry experts and practitioners, all of whom are chosen for their breadth of knowledge and level of professional expertise.

Our programs can range from a few hours to several months in length, depending on your needs and interests, and often include benchmarking visits. We can deliver classroom training at any of our campuses, including our state-of-the-art location in downtown Manhattan, or on-site at a location of a client's choosing, including overseas.   These programs can also be delivered virtually, to locations throughout the globe.

Our clients have included Deloitte, KPMG, AIG, HSBC, Arch, Ernst & Young, Samsung, Ace, and the People’s Insurance Company of China, among many others.

We will specifically tailor the curriculum to the needs and preferences of our client and its employees. Client Questionnaires are available in English (PDF), Chinese (PDF), and Spanish (PDF) to assist us in developing the optimum program for you and your employees.

Self-paced/on-demand, remote instructor-led, or blended certificate programs

We offer a suite of online offerings in risk management, insurance, accounting and auditing, management and leadership that are available to individuals, which can also be used to create a custom curriculum for an organization and which can be scaled to many users. We can design, deliver and host programs developed to your organization’s specifications. They can also be blended with a classroom-based program.

Examples include a Professional Certificate in The Business of Insurance, a sequenced comprehensive curriculum encompassing seven modules and covering the fundamental knowledge necessary for new insurance industry entrants – from newly graduated hires to seasoned business veterans entering the industry for the first time. This program is available in two delivery formats: blended, instructor-led, and self-paced, on demand. The blended, instructor-led delivery will be cohort-based, consisting of either company-specific or public/integrated groups.

Our popular “Underwriting when Market Cycles Change”, a professional certificate program, is offered in a live , remote, instructor-led format.  The delivery will be cohort-based, consisting of either company-specific or public/integrated groups.

The Center has long offered CPCU exam preparation courses in an instructor-led classroom format.  Starting in September 2020, we will be offering the program in a remote, instructor-led delivery format. Each virtual class will run for approximately an hour. Each session will focus on one assignment, or chapter, of the materials.  There will typically be ten classes for each CPCU Exam preparation course, with the final class focusing on a practice exam

The virtual classes will review each assignment of the Institutes' newly revised online CPCU courses, tarting with CPCU 500, Managing Evolving Risks, and then cover the elective courses required to complete the program.

We also offer a Certificate in Workers Compensation, which is designed to provide detailed foundation knowledge concerning this important coverage. Students who complete the course and pass an examination will be qualified for the Workers Compensation Professional (WCP) designation.

We will soon deliver RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) prep workshops for students that align with the global RIMS-CRMP certification, through a grant provided by GRMI, the Global Risk Management Institute, Inc. Classes will begin in Spring 2020.  For further information and registration, click here.

Internal Audit Curriculum

For internal audit professionals, we have our internal audit curriculum developed for internal audit practitioners looking to attain the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) credential and progress their careers. We offer the only instructor-led CIA examination preparation course approved by the Institute for Internal Auditors in the Tri-State New York City metropolitan area, as well as other internal audit-related programs.

And contact us for information on customized, on-site programs delivered at your offices. These programs are tailored to your needs and objectives, and will prepare your team to pass the CIA examination.

Self-Paced/On-Demand Insurance Fundamentals Programs

The Center offers a suite of online, professional certificate courses, including Commercial Insurance Fundamentals and Personal Insurance Fundamentals, and Marine Insurance Fundamentals programs - sequenced programs of 10 - 15 hours of online, self-paced learning. The courses contain all of the essential information needed for an introduction to the insurance industry and core commercial and personal coverages, and can be taken either at home, the office, or on the road. Access to the curriculum is available immediately upon hire date.

These programs are ideal for any individual needing an expert overview of key insurance industry concepts – including new hires, non- market facing staff or those needing to learn concepts and coverages beyond their current responsibility. The curriculum is ideal for new talent to the insurance industry in all roles – trainees, underwriters, insurance agents, claims, risk management, technical support, consultants, etc.

The programs can be taken as comprehensive module packages to achieve a thorough onboarding or as stand-alone modules targeting a specific coverage line. It can also be combined with instructor-led programs as supplemental content or as advanced preparation assignments. Each participant receives a St. John’s certificate of completion for each module and for the four-module curriculum when completed.

Executive Education Photo

Conferences and Events

The Center delivers programs open to the public that focus on enhancing knowledge in a range of specialty areas. In addition, we create and deliver highly specialized events in response to current trends in the insurance, risk management and financial sectors such as our well-received Insurtech and "Art at Risk" conferences.

Click here for content and registration information on upcoming events. 

Customized Masters and Certificate Programs

We offer customized M.B.A., M.S., and certificate programs specifically designed and developed in conjunction with organizational sponsors to maximize their employees’ professional development. These can be tailored to focus on the needs of the organization and employees and can be delivered at our facilities, online, or at the client’s offices if a sufficiently-sized cohort is formed.

Our Advanced Certificate programs are graduate programs designed for individuals seeking to strengthen their business acumen. These innovative 15-18 credit programs combine classroom and experiential learning to help students develop their knowledge, skills, and competencies that the market demands and to add value to the student’s organization. All courses in the Advanced Certificate programs are applicable to the M.B.A. and certain M.S. programs as well. The program is flexible and can be tailored to allow individuals to stay on their career tracks. Click here for our brochure.  

Collaborations with other Global Academic Institutions 

The Center has relationships with other educational institutions around the globe that offer programs at both undergraduate and graduate levels, and in various academic areas. Credits and degrees, when applicable, may granted by the partner schools or St. John’s – depending on the agreements in place.

Students who are receiving their degrees from those schools may take custom-designed curricula at the Center as part of their studies, and have the benefit of residency in New York City (Manhattan or Queens) – a vibrant and exciting business and cultural center, and the heart of the St. John’s experience. We are a global institution, with more than 1,300 international students from 103 countries and support our international students with a number of dedicated programs, including language immersion courses.

What can we offer?

  • A New York-based component of a joint MBA or MS program where St. John’s would provide an executive certificate as well as be part of a joint degree with participating institution(s).
  • A tailored, custom New York-based component of a “traditional” MBA or executive (EMBA) degree program offered by our partner institution(s). Each summer, we host classes in the DBA program of the International School of Management (ISM), a French educational institution. We provide faculty and the classrooms for the curriculum designed by ISM.
  • A tailored, custom New York-based component of an undergraduate degree program offered by our partner institution(s). We recently hosted students from Shanghai University for three weeks during Summer 2018. The students stayed in our dormitories in Queens, had classes in Queens and Manhattan, were provided with cultural and engaging activities, and visited companies on site visits.
  • A tailored, custom New York-based component of a nondegree or certificate executive education program offered by our partner institution(s).

Our own MBA consists of a flexible, customizable curriculum with a number of concentrations and course delivery options (i.e., classroom, online and/or hybrid) available for the students. Our 36-credit MBA program includes a number of relevant concentrations that can be integrated into your degree (or executive education) programs.

What Differentiates Us

  • A renowned faculty, all with advanced degrees, professional certifications, and/or practical experience in their fields and significant teaching and research experience.
  • In addition to seasoned industry practitioners and specialists, our faculty is drawn from the academic departments of Tobin, including our School of Risk Management, Insurance, and Actuarial Science (SRM) whose excellence has been recognized by the International Insurance Society by naming it as a Global Center of Insurance Excellence (GCIE) – one of only 20 universities and colleges to receive this designation. Reflecting SRM’s “exemplary work in preparing students for a career in the property and casualty insurance industry,” St. John’s also received the 2017 Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) University Award.
  • State-of-the-art facilities in Manhattan (in the heart of Greenwich Village, one of New York’s most vibrant and dynamic neighborhoods) and Queens (in the newly renovated, state-of-the-art Tobin building)
  • The capability for housing and meals on campus in Queens (should these be desired)
  • A full range of student support in Queens, including athletics, a student life office, medical services on campus, and security and emergency services readily available

Contacts

Wendy Cohen, Director
Larry Pistell, Senior Associate Director of Corporate and Industry Relations

General contact information: 
Telephone: 212-277-5160
Email: [email protected]