Mendoza School of Business
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MBA Experiential Learning

Real-world Learning on the Frontlines

The Notre Dame MBA is centered around the belief that learning is most impactful when you’re actively engaged in applying your skills and knowledge. At Mendoza College of Business, we believe that real understanding stems from the practical application of classroom learning in varied, real-world contexts, including:

Application-based Projects

Take the concepts you learn in the classroom and turn them into actions – whether managing a $26 million portfolio or creating sustainable solutions in emerging markets. From day one, you’ll step into the role of a decision-maker and be challenged to put your skills and knowledge to work.

 

iconOff Campus Experiences

Immerse yourself in different landscapes, cultures, and communities. Through domestic and international study programs and consulting engagements, you’ll gain fresh perspectives and acquire a global mindset that sets you apart in today’s interconnected world. Experience different markets, meet industry leaders, and broaden your cultural horizons.

 

iconCollaboration with Partners and Clients

Through partnerships with industry sponsors, local businesses, and alumni groups, you’ll dive into real-time industry challenges, empowering you to innovate, solve problems, and build connections that go beyond the classroom.

 

iconService-oriented Opportunities

Extend your impact through service-based initiatives aligned with Mendoza College of Business’s mission to “Grow the Good in Business.” You’ll be using your knowledge to devise solutions that truly make a difference in communities.

Not only will you leave with a robust portfolio of real-world projects and experiences, but you’ll also develop critical skills like teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. More importantly, you’ll emerge as a well-rounded professional, steeped in a value-driven approach to business that is increasingly becoming the gold standard in industry.

Meyer Business on the Frontlines Program

Within the Notre Dame MBA program, the Meyer Business on the Frontlines Program offers experiential, service learning courses designed to advance your business skills, serve those in need, and extend your impact:

  • Business on the Frontlines: Engage in international projects addressing peace, poverty, and illicit economies. Collaborate across disciplines with NGOs and for-profit businesses to develop solutions that drive impactful change.
  • Frontlines in America: Address challenges to the dignity of work in the U.S., including bias, violence, addiction, and poverty. Work in multi-disciplinary teams to empower vulnerable communities by applying business skills.
  • Frontline Engagements: Building on the themes of Business on the Frontlines, projects serve partners in a similar context but through a more targeted engagement focused in Latin America.
  • Ways of Rebuilding Communities: Serve locally based action partners within driving distance of campus. Focus on economic barriers and the dignity of work while blending classroom learning and community engagement.

As each course concludes, students emerge empowered to navigate challenges, thrive across cultures, collaborate for impactful change, and embrace the profound societal role of business.

Mendoza School of Business

Pathway-aligned Courses

Our MBA Pathways offer you the opportunity to tailor your MBA journey to career success. Within these pathways, you’ll have the chance to apply for exclusive, hands-on experiences that reinforce the skills and network you’ll build in your core courses. Here’s a glimpse of the signature experiences aligned with each pathway:

  • Applied Investment Management: Aligned with the Finance Pathway, this course immerses you in real-world portfolio management. Conduct equity research, present stock analyses, and engage with industry experts during trips to financial centers like New York and Chicago.
  • Applied Digital Marketing: Aligned with the Marketing Pathway, this course empowers you to execute data-driven campaigns for Mendoza College of Business. By working on specific channels, programs, or audiences, you’ll learn the art and science of digital marketing, enriched by interactions with industry experts and field visits to digital hubs.
  • Digital Innovation Projects: Aligned with the Technology Pathway, this experience connects you with Silicon Valley’s tech landscape through an immersive Mod Away. Collaborate with industry leaders like Google, Facebook, and Amazon.
  • Business on the Frontlines: Although a cornerstone of the MBA Program at large, BOTFL aligns most with the Consulting Pathway. This course offers you the chance to consult on projects tackling peace, poverty, and illicit economies around the globe.

Grow Irish

Grow Irish Week, a unique feature of your Mendoza experience, is required each semester, in October and March. Through skill building courses, leadership workshops, and domestic and international consulting courses, this focused learning opportunity allows you to engage with real time problems and build core skills for your future career. It offers hands-on growth, networking within the ND community, and the chance to make a meaningful impact in the business world.

More About MBA Grow Irish

Practicum Courses

Practicum courses offer deeper exploration of complex business topics through intensive classroom discussions, case studies, and collaborative partner experiences in a variety of formats. As an MBA student you may participate in:

  • Seed Investor Practicum: In this dynamic course, students first engage in classroom discussions on current seed stage philosophies and analyze investment case studies. Following this, in the clinic phase, they collaborate with venture capitalists or angel investor groups, actively participating in tasks such as company reviews, investment opportunities, and due diligence processes.
  • Private Equity Practicum: Students navigate the comprehensive private equity deal process, from firm formation to post-closing exit. Key components include valuation, deal structuring, due diligence, financial analysis, and transaction documentation.
  • Mergers & Acquisitions Practicum: Students gain insights into the intricacies of the corporate acquisition market. They explore topics such as acquisition synergies, valuation and pricing of targets, management roles, financing methods, and the influence of shareholders, all within the framework of relevant regulations and taxes in real-world contexts.
Mendoza School of Business

Case Competitions

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Case Competition

The annual Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Grow the Good in Business™ Case Competition unites Mendoza students, local business leaders, and DEI advocates. Teams compete through three rounds, proposing solutions to DEI-related business challenges, demonstrating leadership, problem-solving, and teamwork skills. Through collaboration with local governments and sponsors, students create community-based research and innovative business strategies, showcasing how business can foster diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments in workplaces and communities.

Mendoza School of Business

External Case Competitions

Mendoza MBA students compete in external case competitions hosted by corporate sponsors and peer business schools, showcasing their analytical, strategic, and presentation skills on a broader stage while collaborating with industry leaders to address real-world business challenges.

Mendoza School of Business

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