Finding Opportunity in a Changing Environment

Master Classes are hands-on, project-based electives designed to challenge second-year MBA students to master core concepts by applying them to contemporary business problems. Projects require students to make managerial decisions or recommendations on real-world problems companies need solved. Classes are integrally tied to external organizations that evaluate — and many times adopt — students’ recommendations.

Each Master Class focuses on a specific industry context such as consulting, real estate, or entrepreneurship and draws significant input from the professional community via interaction with student team projects and project sponsors, guest speakers, adjunct faculty members, and alumni participation. With these substantial projects and practitioner involvement, Master Classes provide students with a unique bridge between MBA theory and real-world practice.

Students: Learn by Doing

The Master Class program creates a bridge between Columbia Business School's highly acclaimed MBA and EMBA academic environment and real-world business experience by providing an opportunity for second-year students to put their acquired MBA knowledge into practice. In essence, to learn by doing.

For students, Master Classes are demanding, requiring a high level of commitment both inside and outside the classroom. Integrated learning coupled with extensive field work will be rewarded with a host of professional contacts and real-world experience, enabling students to expand their educational experiences beyond the classroom into the business community they are about to join.

Alumni: Reconnect with the School

For alumni, Master Classes are a great opportunity to reconnect with the School and become involved with students and faculty - and a very exciting program.

A minimum of 60 percent of each semester-long Master Class is dedicated to giving students and “real world” businesses an opportunity to collaborate on real-time issues facing our project sponsors’ organizations. In these hands-on, project-driven classes, teams of four to six second-year students are mentored by Columbia faculty and industry professionals in creating actionable strategies and/or recommendations for participating business partners. As students gain real-world experience, project sponsors gain high-level solutions.

Becoming a project sponsor is one avenue of involvement but we are open to hearing about other ways you’d like to contribute.