Building a Bridge Between Theory and Practice
The Master Class program offers second-year students the opportunity to put their MBA theory into practice while simultaneously giving our industry partners the chance to have their business problems solved by potential future employees in a risk-free environment.
The Master Class Mission
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 students to put their acquired MBA knowledge into practice. In essence, to learn by doing.
The Master Class Strategy
Master Classes bring students and project sponsors together in a mutually beneficial partnership. 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. Students gain real-world experience while project sponsors gain high-level solutions.
The Master Class Experience
Over the course of a 12-week semester, Master Classes provide students and businesses an opportunity to collaborate on real-time issues facing our project sponsors’ organizations. A wealth of projects come to us from the rich New York City business landscape but we also have industry partners from around the world. In the upcoming school year we will welcome project sponsors from Spain and Africa.
For students, Master Classes are demanding, requiring a high level of commitment both inside and outside the classroom. Integrated learning 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.
For project sponsors, Master Classes not only deliver actionable results and recommendations for their unique business project, but also provides an opportunity for hands-on recruiting by seeing potential future employees in action.
Master Classes reinforce the School’s philosophy of linking academic theory and research to business practice. With our close proximity to major industries, business leaders, and alumni in New York City, Columbia Business School is uniquely positioned to create this bridge between the classroom and the process of complex, real-world business decision-making.
The Master Class Advantage
From start-up entrepreneurs receiving venture capital to multinational corporations integrating students’ product development recommendations, Master Class students and project sponsors take away more than just an action plan — they gain new insight into the trends and issues that affect the world of business today.