Consulting at Notre Dame
Build Your Consulting Career At Notre Dame
Strategic problem-solving. Dynamic teams. Exposure to top executives across industries. Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business MBA students receive all of the above, with many pursuing rewarding careers in consulting at firms including Bain, McKinsey, EY, Accenture, BCG, Guidehouse, PwC and Deloitte, to name a few.
Whether you want to accelerate your career through the One-Year MBA or prefer the traditional Two-Year MBA program, the Notre Dame MBA will help you advance your career in consulting. With access to a broad range of courses, experiential learning and extracurricular opportunities, you can fine-tune your consulting acumen while rounding out your potential to enter today’s complex business world.
Your Future in Consulting
Mendoza MBAs can choose to specialize in up to two majors. For students pursuing a future in consulting, majors often include strategy and one of eight other options based on the area of specialization they seek.
Strategy
Designed for students interested in building a solid business foundation across disciplines with a focus on critical and creative approaches to solving business problems. Through projects and experiential learning, students will prepare to facilitate teams, manage client relationships, develop presentations and proposals, and participate in new business development.
Common consulting pairings include strategy and one of the following:
Designed for students interested in helping companies find money to run and grow a business, make acquisitions, plan for their financial futures and manage cash on hand.
Designed for students interested in using cutting-edge quantitative techniques and computer software to help businesses make better decisions through data mining, statistical modeling, optimization and project management.
Designed for students interested in innovation-fueled workplaces where identifying business opportunities and process improvements drive the bottom line.
First-Hand Consulting Experiences
At Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, your consulting education extends beyond the classroom with experiential learning and extracurricular opportunities including:
Each fall, interested students have the opportunity to travel to Chicago to learn from and network with alumni working in top consulting firms from large global players to specialized boutique firms.
Innovation & Design Thinking is a hands-on course in which student teams consult on real business challenges with a corporate sponsor. Following the design thinking process, students learn to approach challenges in new ways, leveraging ethnographic research to identify root causes, redefine problems and ideate solutions before developing their final pitch. This year, the class will again be working with Chappellet Winery.
For four days before both the fall and spring breaks, students put course learnings into practice by working on real-world consulting projects for partner organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups across the country. Past projects include conducting industry market analysis, developing predictive models, crafting fundraising pitches and business plans, optimizing supply chains, and more.
The student-run MBA Consulting Club provides students with resources and opportunities to become leaders in the consulting field, including workshops with industry experts, guest speakers and networking events with senior alumni from top firms in the industry, and weekly case study practice.
Mendoza Professional Services (MPS) is a student-run consulting group serving independent businesses and nonprofits in the South Bend area. Through MPS, teams of student volunteers take on consulting projects across sectors to support partner organizations in tackling key challenges and bringing big ideas to life.
Careers in Consulting
A career in consulting can take you anywhere, across the country and around the world. With so many options to shape your future in consulting, Mendoza can help you find the fit that’s right for you.
Popular Specializations
Advise on high-level decisions that impact long-term strategy, such as restructuring or entering new markets
Example Firms: McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Accenture, L.E.K., Kearney, Deloitte, Roland Berger
Advise on the process of buying, selling, or merging a company including finances and organizational implications
Example Firms: PwC, McKinsey, Bain, BCG, KPMG
Advise on polices impacting corporate finances including cash flow, risk management and tax advisement
Example Firms: FTI, EY, Oliver Wyman
Advise on decisions related to technology ranging from user experience (UX) and systems integration to software management and data analytics
Example Firms: Accenture, Cognizant, Gallup, Deloitte
Advise on strategic initiatives impacting their own company’s efficiency and efficacy including operations, organizational restructuring, finances and process management
Example Firms: Microsoft, Starbucks, American Express
Advise on decisions impacting the performance of government agencies across a variety of areas including strategy, personnel management, processes and more
Example Firms: Booz Allen Hamilton, EY, Guidehouse
Find Notre Dame alumni working in consulting on our LinkedIn page.
In Their Own Words
Conor White, MBA ‘21, Consultant, Bain & Company "The ND alumni network was an integral part of my MBA experience. As a career switcher who knew little about consulting I needed to get up to speed quickly to meet the standards expected at some of my top choice firms. There's no doubt that the generosity of the alumni network in sharing their time and experiences was a major component of my success in that area."
Barnali Dash MBA/MSBA ‘21, Senior Associate (Deals Strategy), Strategy& "[My previous role] instilled in me a deep regard for a strong work ethic and high level of integrity. Mendoza thrives on a similar set of values while pushing one to create a career driven by meaning, purpose, and ethics. My time at Mendoza forced me to think not just five years but 30 years down the line. What kind of a person do I want to be? What kind of legacy do I want to leave behind?"
Erin Bierbusse MBA ‘20, Consultant, EY-Parthenon "With my experiences at Mendoza and through BOTFL [Meyer Business on the Frontlines Program], I believe that I have become a more empathetic leader, one who actively listens and can gain a sense of understanding from different perspectives throughout my career as I work with teams and different clients regularly. By having the opportunity to continuously team [...] there is no shortage of chances to lean in, hit pause on your current view of the world, and take in the world and scenarios from new perspectives that you would not have had the chance to otherwise."