The Strategic Consulting Experience: Providing Experiential Learning Opportunities within an MBA Program

Abstract

This paper details one business school’s experiences in devel-oping and offering an experiential learning course for MBA students nearing the completion of their programs of study. The course was designed to provide students with opportunities to work with external clients to assist them with strategic issues facing their organizations. While the benefits of the course are numerous, the primary benefit to the student is practical experi-ence in solving real-world problems using skills acquired through their MBA program. In addition, the clients receive (at no cost to them) consulting services from students who bring fresh and innovative perspectives to their organizations. A resultant benefit to the School is an enhanced image within the external business community due to the positive interaction between students, faculty, and clients. This paper provides readers with a wealth of information on course structure, as well as a full description of issues that must be addressed to ensure a positive learning experience for students and a benefi-cial consulting product for the clients.