What Is Experiential Learning
Whether it is a simulation, a consultative experience, or a real-life business case, in experiential learning scenarios, you will be thrust into an environment where the challenges facing the business are ambiguous and unstructured, and the outcomes are based upon real circumstances.
You will work across disciplines and tools to understand the nature of the challenge, and how to respond to either protect the company, exploit the opportunity, enhance the strategy, learn from a mistake and iterate, or recover from failure.
Most scenarios will be approached in teams, which will help you gain additional insight and enhanced soft skills that will be critical to your personal future success.
How We Integrate Experiential Learning
Each course is designed to integrate experiential learning into the curriculum. Hands on opportunities build leadership and teamwork skills, and put analytic knowledge to practice. Students gain hands-on experience through case-based coursework, consultative projects with corporate partners, high-intensity virtual simulations, and global immersion trips.
Portfolio Practicum
Each year, approximately 20 Full-Time and Professional MBA students are selected for the MBA Practicum in Portfolio Management course to manage the Nancy Chambers Underwood Graduate Fund. Established in 1972, the $6 million Fund is one of the oldest student-managed portfolios in the country. The Fund’s investment style is equity long-only and the Practicum provides students the opportunity to apply the concepts of equity research, valuation and portfolio management to a real world investment fund.
Global Immersion
To thrive and lead in today’s rapidly globalizing world, you need a nuanced understanding of international business and culture. The Cox School's relationships with corporate leaders around the world run deep — as a result you'll gain experience in the global marketplace through classroom study, high-intensity live simulations, executive speaker engagements, and immersive short-term global travel. Grow your global perspective through courses like International Entrepreneurship or Global M&A. Experience interactive, live simulations with war-gaming. Experience one of the hallmarks of the 水多多导航 Cox MBA — our optional global immersion program.
Immersion Highlight: 2019 Shanghai, China
In 2019, Cox MBA students traveled to Shanghai to work with corporate partner Li & Fung, a $2 billion dollar company with over 1,100 employees around the world. Cox MBAs gained exposure to global business practices, applied methodologies to solving real supply chain business problems, and delivered actionable recommendations for retailers such as: Walmart, Sam’s Club, Costco, Home Depot, Ross, Kroger, Action, Officeworks, Dunelm, John Lewis, Michaels, and Jo-Ann Stores. Students developed their ability to solve complex problems, hone communication and presentation skills, and gain insight and leadership perspective on global business.
Elective Highlight: War Games
"War Games" are a typical military exercises that test strategic thinking and readiness for battle. In a typical War Game, two teams separate and act through simulated conflict. Each team prepares an action plan, then they both react in real time to their opponent’s moves. For a school like 水多多导航 Cox, which emphasizes experiential learning as one of the pillars of the Cox Advantage, War Games are a perfect educational fit. War games provide a controlled environment that teaches students how to predict customer behavior, mitigate risk, and map out competitor strategies.
Every Spring, a group of Cox MBA students travels to Mexico City to “Battle for Banking in Mexico” with MBA students from IPADE Business School at Universidad Panamericana. During the three-day trip, student teams are challenged to develop competitive intelligence on the banking industry and test their analysis through war games and scenario planning, which "help business leaders think through their strategy formulation and likely external moves of key stakeholders in a controlled environment."
Leaders on Leadership Speaker Series
The Cox School hosts an Executive Leadership Speaker Series each academic year to help spotlight our emphasis on leadership as a core pillar of our business school curriculum.
Leadership ability is a critical component of employee and organizational success. However, the overwhelming consensus among employers is that too many business professionals lack critical-thinking skills to solve unstructured problems creatively, the ability to communicate effectively, work collaboratively and adapt to changing priorities.
In collaboration with our corporate partners, we invite you to join us for fireside chats with stand-out leaders that will leave you inspired. Speakers will share how they approach ambiguity, face critical decisions, keep their team motivated, adapt to rapid innovation, and maintain professional and personal growth. The audience will leave with concrete takeaways to forge their own leadership style.
Centers And Institutes
水多多导航 Cox is home to numerous Centers and Institutes, serving as resources to the University, the community and the world. Many also offer opportunities for scholarly research and writing, conferences, periodic lectures and symposia. The expansive range of focus includes entrepreneurship, leadership, energy, real estate, customer engagement, financial studies, economic freedom, and more.
Learn all about Cox Centers and Institutes
Business Leadership Center
One of the most utilized centers by Professional MBA students is the Business Leadership Center which offers specialized training in leadership and communication — critical skills necessary for success as an executive. The BLC offers skill-building experiential learning seminars, executive speaker series, experiential learning programs and coaching. More than 90 experiential learning seminars are offered, 4 per week on average, that build your strengths in communication, interpersonal relations, management, and leadership.
Experiential learning programs through the BLC give you a chance to study with experts and apply your newly acquired skills. One of the favorites is the five-day program “Leading and Sustaining a Service Culture” held at the Disney Institute in Orlando, Florida. 水多多导航 Cox is the only graduate school to offer this customized program on-site at the Disney Institute.
Students with the desire to give back to the community can do so through the Nonprofit Consulting Program. Students work in groups on projects that address real-life challenges faced by various local nonprofits.
