The importance of hands-on learning in business school

Returning to a full-time MBA program provides you with the opportunity to learn new skills and jump right in to a new career. But to make the most successful transition into that new career, you’ll need opportunities to practice the skills you learn in the classroom. Solid experiential learning is an imperative component of an MBA education.

>> Learn more about experiential learning in the Full-Time MBA program

At UNC Kenan-Flagler, the number of real-life, hands-on learning outlets is extensive. Depending on your intended goal after graduation, you can select from an assortment of opportunities that match your interests, all of which develop your leadership potential and general business acumen. Let’s say, for example, you are interested in…

Finance
UNC Kenan-Flagler has a state-of-the-art Capital Markets Lab (CML). Students at UNC Kenan-Flagler put into practice their quantitative and analytical skills in the financial hub for the creation and distribution of financial information within the school. With open-access hours for students to conduct research, the CML provides a real-world setting for students to manage equity and fixed-income portfolios, right in the heart of the business school.

Nonprofit
If you’re interested in a future career in nonprofit work, UNC Kenan-Flagler has a unique opportunity for you to get involved right away. In your first year, the Nonprofit Board Fellows Program offers you the chance to serve on one of the more than 1,900 nonprofit boards in the area. For six months, you’ll serve as a non-voting member on the board, learning high-level strategy and leadership tactics, along with gaining exposure to experienced mentors in the community.

Consulting
A great number of UNC Kenan-Flagler students arrive eager to become successful consultants. Our renowned STAR (Student Teams Achieving Results) program offers these students and others an extraordinary opportunity to put consulting strategies from the classroom into practice. STAR sends diverse teams of MBAs and undergraduate students to build strategic plans for corporations and nonprofit organizations seeking to strengthen their competitive edge in today’s market. This program bring to life the cases students read about in their text books, giving students relevant experience for their resumes, and further building thought- and staff-leadership skills.

Real Estate
Hands-on learning at UNC Kenan-Flagler is epitomized by the Real Estate program, where students take part in a number of experiential learning opportunities. Students can choose either a development track, culminating in a capstone course that allows students to assume full responsibility for managing the development process from concept to asset management, or an investments and finance track, distinguished by the only real estate private equity fund managed in a university setting by students. Students are involved in all aspects of operating the private equity investment fund, including raising capital, developing investment strategy, deal closing, asset management, investor reporting and other fund management tasks.

Sustainability
UNC Kenan-Flagler is recognized for its commitment to Sustainable Enterprise. Celebrating its 15th year, the Center for Sustainable Enterprise gives students opportunities to face real-world issues and tackle them with a sustainable business approach. Through courses like Innovation & Entrepreneurship in Developing Economies, Leadership Strategies and Sustainability and a sustainability-themed Global Immersion, students explore how to be a change agent and gain first-hand experience in sustainability practices.

UNC Kenan-Flagler’s full-time MBA program offers an abundance of experiential learning opportunities outside the classroom. Whatever you intend to do during your MBA program experience, UNC Kenan-Flagler has an outlet for you to engage in hands-on, compelling and actionable opportunities before you graduate.