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Student Experience

Foster MBAs blend experience and professionalism with creativity and enthusiasm. They present a diverse profile and in recent years have come from more than 80 different undergraduate schools, with varied backgrounds as nonprofit leaders, entrepreneurs, engineers, bankers, technology specialists and medical professionals.

Obtaining an MBA is about more than attending classes, it is also about expanding your network. As a student, there are many opportunities to create meaningful connections with the wider business community. You can compete in a case competition, serve on the board of a non-profit organization, participate in an international study tour or take on a leadership role in one of the many MBA organizations.

Student Life

Our program is small by design so that each student has an opportunity to make an impact. Students get more time with faculty and get to know their peers better in a series of small group interactions. They also have the opportunity to design independent courses, take courses across UW graduate programs, and take on leadership roles.

The Foster community is highly engaged. Students share their knowledge, experiences, and professional network; tutor and mentor each other. Alumni judge case competitions, meet with students over coffee, speak at events on campus, and student consultants.

Trevor Ford

Foster presents you with all the opportunities you need to feel engaged, broaden your expertise, and advance your career. Your challenge is to identify the opportunities you will find most impactful given you really want to take advantage of them all.
Trevor FordMBA 2021

Experiential Learning

“Learn by doing”
Transforming learning into action takes many forms — project-based courses that provoke your thinking and stimulate discussion; MBA consulting projects designed to engage with industry professionals to solve real-world problems and deliver value to companies and organizations; student organizations that allow you to lead and team with others; case competitions to drive your solution-oriented and critical thinking; and career planning based on your past experience and future objectives.

Business Competitions

UW teams compete against other MBA teams and other schools for awards and prizes in national and international competitions. Prepare for real world strategic challenges at business plan and case competitions as well as contests in entrepreneurship, venture capital investment, cleantech, consulting, and global business.

Business Consulting

Add value and see your ideas come to life as you help businesses identify and resolve their challenges. Consulting choices include: teaming with other MBAs through the MBA Strategic Consulting Program, working with community agencies through the Consulting and Business Development Center, or pursuing an independent consulting project.

Certificates and Specializations

Strengthen your career focus with a specialization that enhances your MBA courses. The Evening MBA Program offers customization through many certificates and special programs both in class and outside of class.

International Study Tour

Explore international business operations in other countries and expand your cross-cultural awareness during an MBA study tour. Assume a leadership role and help organize a tour for MBA students. Learn more about all the international opportunities.

 

Making an Impact

Many students want to make a difference, so Foster maintains close ties to local and global non-profits, which offer numerous opportunities to sharpen business skills while effecting positive change. New students looking to use their education for social or environmental good will find an abundance of resources at their fingertips.

board fellows breakfast 2019
Board Fellows Program

Gain confidence in the board room by serving alongside influential business leaders on community organization boards. The Consulting and Business Development Center Board Fellows Program gives MBAs an immersion experience into boardroom dynamics and governance expectations.

C4C golden briefcase
Challenge for Charity

Challenge for Charity, aka C4C, is a competition between top west coast MBA programs to raise money and volunteer for the Boys and Girls Club of King County, the University District Food Bank, and the Special Olympics of Washington. Every spring, to celebrate our accomplishments of fundraising and volunteering over the course of the year, all participating schools gather at Stanford University to participate in Sports Weekend.

Leverage alumni connections

The Foster Business School has nearly 9,300 MBA alumni around the globe, with nearly 4,700 in the Seattle area alone. Across the entire Foster School of Business, alumni now number nearly 48,000 worldwide!

Connect with Alumni

MBA Career Services

The Northwest is known for innovators and big thinkers—Amazon, Microsoft, PACCAR, Starbucks, Costco, Nordstrom—and is an incubation site for start-ups bound to be the next big thing. Regardless of the company size or sector, you can find Foster MBA graduates at the center of the action. Check out Foster MBA hiring firms in the Northwest and beyond.

Over 80 senior executives participate in our Mentor Program and more than 500 executives visit campus each year to speak with Foster MBA students. Our dedicated MBA Career Management team provides extensive programming and highly personalized career coaching. The result? Foster is consistently among the top schools for job placement.

MBA Career Services

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