Unlike other business schools' "capstone" classes where MBA students just do a project on a business case study, also known as The Capstone Experience, gives MBA students hands-on experience doing an actual consulting project with senior management of a client company or non-profit organization.

The result? MBA students have the opportunity to work with company executives to make a real impact on a real company or organization.

Since the Capstone experience was introduced in 1973 under the guidance of professor Bruce Evans and former Dean Bob Lynch as a way to provide MBA students with an opportunity to manage a live project with an actual company, Graduate School of Management students have completed nearly a thousand client projects.

MBA students in their last trimester can select from several Capstone projects. The Capstone class is led by a Graduate School of Management faculty member who works with the client to identify the project, oversee the project team and provide guidance to the students throughout the project.

The project scope is based on a client's specific issue, research need or business challenge. Over the course of twelve weeks, the student team works directly with the client to define the challenges and opportunities presented by their client, explore strategic and managerial possibilities, assess likely costs and consequences of alternative strategic approaches, develop recommendations and present their findings to the client in oral and written form.

Click here to see an example of a recent Capstone project.

See what our clients and students say about the Capstone Experience.

PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

CURRENT STUDENTS

BUSINESSES OR ORGANIZATIONS