Texas MBA: Consulting
“Consulting requires skills that allow one to make sense of complex situations, solve difficult problems and develop creative solutions. Our program provides students with countless opportunities to develop those skills.” James Frederickson, Professor, Management
Regardless of business area, consultants must have the knowledge and understanding to quickly adapt to each new project while serving as both problem-solver and creative strategist. While that often means travel and a work week that may exceed the traditional 40 hours, it also means you’ll be part of an industry widely regarded for nurturing some of the brightest and most versatile talent in business today. At McCombs, approximately 20 percent of Texas MBA graduates go into consulting. Whether you choose to specialize your studies or take a strong generalist approach, McCombs’ faculty and curriculum prepare you in all the core business disciplines — creating a foundation you’ll rely on time and time again in any number of consulting engagements.
Texas MBAs work on a micro-consulting project with ConocoPhillips as part of the Texas MBA+ Leadership Program
The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business
Experiential Consulting Projects and Opportunities Consulting Practicum Each spring semester, a practicum course enables you and your team to work on an actual consulting project while also receiving course credit. Associates from firms like CapGemini and Ernst & Young coach you on the process of managing a consulting case, combining classroom instruction with direct experience. Past clients include such prominent firms and recruiters as Applied Materials, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Dow, BMC Software, GE Healthcare, Shell, Temple Inland, Convio Internet Solutions, Standard Aero and IBM. MBA+ LEADERSHIP Program Projects, Communication Coaches and Seminars MBA+ program projects, 6 to 10 week long microconsulting projects, connect you with companies in your area of interest, who put forth an immediate business question for you and your team to address. Every year, Texas MBAs work with dozens of companies as project clients, ranging from consulting companies like Booz & Co. to firms like Starbucks, Ikea, REI and many others. Throughout the year, MBA+ communication coaches enhance your presentation and communication skills by helping you craft the perfect message in any given setting — whether presenting to the boardroom or discussing project objectives to a potential client one-on-one. Finally, the MBA+ program’s industry seminars offer you time management and personal productivity workshops, knowing that future Texas MBA consultants will be required to successfully execute projects in an assigned amount of time. Deloitte Consulting Challenge Each fall semester, the Graduate Consulting Group, working with Deloitte Consulting, hosts the Deloitte Consulting Challenge, giving MBA student teams the opportunity to test their skills working on a complex, real-life consulting case. Students strategize their solutions and recommendations through the night into the early morning hours and present their conclusions to judges the following day. Graduate Consulting Group (GCG) The GCG’s student-run activities, including co-sponsorship of the Deloitte Consulting Challenge and a variety of company-sponsored information sessions, are designed to educate members about the industry and prepare members for consulting careers by providing authentic hands-on experience, case interview practice, networking opportunities and exposure to recruiters.
Getting the Job Advisors from Texas MBA Career Management provide resources to help you build the right resume, excel in competitive consulting case interviews and succeed as a professional consultant. This process begins the moment you set foot on campus with a one-hour-per-week required course devoted entirely to your career development. Working in tandem with the Graduate Consulting Group, Career Management provides mock interviews and workshops on strategies for successful case and behavioral interviews, regularly inviting McCombs alumni to assist with these efforts. McCombs’ Peer Advisor program is particularly helpful for first-year MBA students interested in learning how to navigate through career resources to learn about the consulting field. McCombs Peer Advisors have worked or interned in top-tier consulting firms and have been trained by the MBA Career Management staff and have access to a vast archive of interview questions indexed by company and industry, interview handbooks prepared by McCombs staff, and resume and cover letter samples. McCombs Peer Advisors help first-year students effectively convey their strengths to land top-notch consulting positions.
“Deloitte Consulting is a perennial top employer of McCombs students. As a senior consultant in their Strategy & Operations group, I can reveal first-hand that the key ingredient to Deloitte’s repeat business has been the program’s emphasis on group collaboration. From MBA+ projects to case challenges to course practicums, McCombs understands the intrinsic value in developing students’ ability to co-lead, build on team members’ ideas, and exploit diversity as a strength.”
— Samir Khandar, MBA ‘12, Senior Consultant, Deloitte Consulting
Texas MBA Top Recruiters in Consulting 3M Accenture A.T. Kearney Bain & Company Booz & Co. Boston Consulting Group Deloitte & Touche LLP Deloitte Consulting ECG Management Consultants Education Pioneers
Erben & Yarbrough Ernst & Young LLP Fidelity Investments Genpact Liberty Mutual Group McKinsey & Co. National Park Service Ogilvy & Mather PRGX PricewaterhouseCoopers Wood Mackenzie
For more information, please contact the Texas MBA Program Office at (512) 471-7698 or visit us online at http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/mba/full-time. Follow us @UTexasMBA