Experiential Learning

Learning at the Kellogg School is a shared endeavor in which a community of learners — a widely diverse group of faculty, students, alumni, corporate partners and others - come together to explore and define the best and most innovative management concepts and practices. It is by collaborating and learning with others that we learn the most.

Business management is an applied body of knowledge — it's not enough to simply know the theory; you need to know how to relate it. It's not enough to understand best practices; you must learn how to engage others to make them reality. At Kellogg, cutting-edge academic theory is fused with hands-on, real-world learning. Learning at Kellogg extends beyond the classroom and the coursework, and the result is management leadership education that is unique to the Kellogg experience.

Kellogg coursework combines theory with practice. Because all Kellogg students have significant professional experience, they are eager to apply management theory to the marketplace. Kellogg provides students with ample opportunities to test their learning in real-world corporate and non-profit settings. Group assignments often center on serving as consultants to businesses and organizations, and allow students to be co-creators of knowledge.

Several classes connect students to actual management issues and problems, both in the United States and abroad. A few examples are listed below. A full listing of the many experiential opportunities may be found here.

• Management Lab (M-Lab)
  Students are matched with outside organizations that have specific management questions or problems. Recent projects include activity-based cost accounting for a hospital, business process re-engineering for a packaging company and a marketing segmentation study for a telecommunications company
• Global Initiatives in Management (GIM)
  Students gain valuable leadership skills and enhance their awareness of the global business environment in this intensive course. Teams of students plan and facilitate a challenging 10-week curriculum with a faculty advisor and coordinate a two-week international field experience.
• Advanced Topics in Marketing
  This course allows stu dents to focus on a single, integrative marketing issue in conjunction with faculty and other students , which provides the opportunity for students to work with data and real-life problems . Teams then present their results to senior management of the sponsoring company .
• Mission, Strategy and Finance in the Non-Profit Sector
  Students are able to use their skills to impact the community by working with local non-profit organizations to address concerns ranging from fundraising to strategic planning .
• Tech Ventures
  This course is student-driven. Students will have an opportunity to:
  - Obtain leadership positions in biotech through one of the many committees;
  - Design the course to individual interests through participation in TechVenture committees;
  - Work on self-selected class projects;
• Asset Management Practicum
  This yearlong, for-credit practicum allows students to manage a portion of the Kellogg School’s endowment. Students have a unique educational experience that combines financial theory, exposure to cutting-edge practitioners and experience managing a sizeable portfolio under the guidance of a Finance professor.