Experiences

The Professional MBA Class of 2019 demonstrated the Aggie core value of selfless service by visiting with staff and students at the non-profit iThemba Labantu in the Philippi township outside Cape Town during their International Trip to South Africa in the summer of 2018.

Professional MBA students find that their graduate program is greatly enhanced through four experiences that extend learning beyond the classroom walls. These programs are:

Residency Week

All students participate in Residency Week, which serves as the official kick-off for the Professional MBA program. This week helps students transition back into an academic environment. All activities are held at Texas A&M’s Mays Business School in College Station. Following is a summary of the week’s events:

  • Coursework: Students complete an academic leveling course with accounting, finance, and statistics components that serve as the foundation for the program’s curriculum. Additional professional competency sessions on business communication, team building and self-assessment introduce skills that are developed throughout the Professional MBA coursework.
  • Networking: Professional MBA students have the opportunity to network with graduates, faculty and classmates through a variety of social events. These activities encourage students to interact informally with each other and the faculty so they develop a camaraderie that continues into the classroom.
  • Introduction to Aggieland: Students experience first-hand Texas A&M’s renowned “Aggie Spirit” and learn about Aggie traditions.

International Experience

All Professional MBA students take the International Business Policy course during the summer session between their first and second year in the graduate program. This program includes:

  • Study-abroad trip: A one-week study-abroad opportunity that provides an immersive experience in a foreign culture and economy. Students are asked to apply the concepts they’ve learned in the classroom to a high-impact international experience.
  • Giving back: Professional MBA students also offer “selfless service” through participating in a social responsibility project that is part of the study-abroad experience.

Team Building Experience

During the Team Building Experience, near the end of the first year, Professional MBA students take part in a unique set of challenges and obstacles in College Station.  During the day-long experience, students sharpen skills and gain new perspectives related to team building, decision making, individual and team adaptability, the use of individual and team strengths, planning, and failure. Together, the Team Building Experience is a distinctive experience to increase leadership capacity.

Capstone Project

A critical component of the Professional MBA program is the Capstone Project, an opportunity for students to demonstrate their cumulative business knowledge and leadership skills by tackling an important challenge facing their real-world client. This project requires students to work with an organization to identify and define a problem or issue, develop an approach that incorporates their classroom learning, and then produce actionable recommendations that can significantly impact the organization. Students conduct research, perform quantitative and/or qualitative analysis, develop and test solutions, formulate options and recommendations, produce professionally written deliverables, and deliver a final oral presentation.