Meet Chicago Booth’s MBA Class Of 2026

MOST POPULAR CONCENTRATION? ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Flexibility is another differentiator at the Booth MBA. Don’t want to take a core curriculum lockstep with your classmates? You’re in luck. Technically, there is only one required course in the Booth MBA – LEAD (Leadership Effectiveness and Development). An exercise-driven and feedback-heavy course run by second-years, LEAD enables students to gain self-awareness on what drives their actions and how others see their behaviors. Beyond LEAD, first-years can start taking classes in their interests immediately (along with choosing courses from a menu of foundational courses). In doing so, they can test out more disciplines or take deeper dives in the areas that interest them most. In the process, they are exposed to more students a year ahead and a year behind them, further beefing up their life-long network.

“Booth’s flexible curriculum…stood out to me as ideal for a student looking to build a multidisciplinary educational experience,” explains Rachel Zuckerman. “This was especially important because I was not considering dual degree programs, given that I have a prior Master’s degree. This meant I needed to find the academic diversity I was looking for in one degree program. In addition to Booth’s generally flexible MBA curriculum, students are required to take 10 electives, including 6 of which can be taken outside of the business school. I am eager to fully immerse myself in Booth’s course offerings, while also exploring classes in law, public policy, and social work as electives.”

While Booth has the reputation for being a “Finance” school, it is increasingly emerging as an entrepreneurship epicenter. In fact, Entrepreneurship is the most popular concentration a Booth – ranking ahead of even finance. The lifeblood of Booth Entrepreneurship is the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship, which offers coursework, funding, expertise, space, and networking to MBA founders. Among Polsky’s most popular offerings is the Startup Summer, where incoming first-years can work for a Booth startup before classes start. Another is the New Venture Challenge (NVC), which invests millions of dollars into startups annually. This year, the 2024 NVC awarded $2,690,000 to 29 companies, including a million-dollar grand prize. Over the past three decades, the NVC has supported firms that have raised over $2 billion dollars and raked in over $11 billion dollars during acquisitions or exits. The biggest NVC success story: GrubHub.

The NVC was a marquee attraction to Daniella Morgan-Pascualvaca. “The New Venture Challenge is an incredibly unique aspect of Booth that mixes hands-on entrepreneurial experience and mentorship. Being part of this network will be critical because no other program offers the same opportunity to join a team, turn ideas into a business, and potentially receive funding.”

Booth’s entrepreneurial ecosystem didn’t disappoint Athena Saldanha, a 2024 Best & Brightest MBA who launched her Owler startup as an MBA student. “I chose to attend UChicago Booth for its entrepreneurship resources, flexible curriculum, and location. My hope was to attend a business school with a reputation for producing and supporting entrepreneurs. UChicago’s Polsky Center has been a great resource to access mentors that have been in my shoes and could guide me, especially during the early stages of launching a company. The flexible curriculum allowed me to focus my experience on classes that would help me grow as a founder in the social impact space.”

SWEET HOME CHICAGO

It doesn’t hurt that Booth is located in Chicago, home to startup accelerators and incubators like Techstars, 1871, MATTER, and mHub. For many, the Windy City provides a microcosm of every industry. Rachel Zuckerman points to Chicago being headquarters for the third-largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the United States. She adds that the city acts as a “learning lab” with a deep bench of nearby talent from “grassroots community leaders to corporate leaders.” And Chicago delivers a high quality of living too, adds Montgomery Miller.

“Chicago offers everything my wife and I wanted in a metropolitan city during my time working towards an MBA – professional development, amazing food, outdoor recreation, and plenty of events – while still maintaining the welcoming culture for which the Midwest is known! We are excited to spend weekends cycling across the Lakefront Trail and exploring new restaurants. Being in the middle of the country, Chicago also offers flights to anywhere in the world, all while offering a significantly lower cost of living than other cities we considered for MBA. Whatever your interests may be, Chicago is worth a visit!”

What are other unique benefits to a Booth MBA? And what can students and applicants alike expect in the coming year? In December, P&Q reached out to Starr Marcello, deputy dean for MBA and Masters programs at the Booth School. From new courses and faculty to soft skills development and career services, here is what you need to know about Booth.

AN INTERVIEW WITH STAR MARCELLO

P&Q: What have been the two most important developments in your MBA program over the past year? What type of impact will they have on current and future MBAs?

Marcello: “At the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, we continue to set ourselves apart by our transformative approach to business education, the innovative ideas of our expert faculty, our culture of diverse perspectives and collaboration, and the global impact of our entire Booth community. And we continue to expand our investment in preparing students for successful careers.

We have deepened our connection with the University of Chicago, one the largest global research institutions, to effectively combine our distinct flexibility and interdisciplinary strengths. Our joint-degrees and certification programs allow students to pursue both a Master degree in select studies from the university and an MBA from Chicago Booth. This collaboration provides intersectional learning experiences for students and increases opportunities to secure jobs post-graduation. The joint-degree program is one of our most popular offerings and continues to grow. More than 80 joint-degree students across eight joint-degree programs started at Booth this year, up from 59 joint-degree students in six joint-programs last year.

To prepare students to address critical issues facing the healthcare sector, we have expanded our offerings in healthcare. Booth’s Healthcare Initiative integrates business and medical points of view to address complex challenges facing the sector, bringing in experts and practitioners advancing healthcare research around the university. We added new healthcare classes to Booth’s curriculum, launched a new healthcare concentration, and recently created a new joint-degree in Biomedical Science (MBA/MS in Biological Sciences (BMS) Program).

The new four-course concentration in healthcare–grouped into three categories – Core, Electives, and Labs – creates a wide range of high-demand healthcare career paths for students. These include healthcare consulting, hospital administration, business development, insurance executive, private equity, corporate finance, and more.

The joint MBA/MS Biomedical Sciences program combines Booth’s approach to business thinking with the research, applied, and clinical training in biomedical science needed to transform healthcare. With a better understanding of scientific bases of healthcare businesses, students are better equipped to address the growing needs in biotechnology, policy, government, and pharmaceuticals.

The new joint-degree adds to a number of offerings at Booth that integrate diverse disciplines and research across the university. Among these offerings are the two-year MBA and a Masters in Computer Science (MPCS) that focuses on entrepreneurship, fintech, and technology management; the MBS/MS in Applied Data Science that provides cutting-edge skills to leverage data in fields like AI research and machine learning; and our traditional four-year JD/MBA program and three-year accelerated JD/MBA, that examine the connections between legal systems and business. Joint-degrees and certifications signal to prospective employers that a Chicago Booth graduate has deep knowledge of a particular field, along with relevant analytical skills and expertise.

In addition to our joint-degree programs, Chicago Booth offers Early Career MBA Programs to students, providing more viable pathways to career success. Our Chicago Booth Scholars program (Deferred MBA) gives students the opportunity to secure a spot at Chicago Booth while still in college. Once accepted, students can defer their admission while gaining work experience for up to five years. This helps students who aren’t sure yet which MBA format will best suit their future needs, or if they plan to pursue either Booth’s Full-Time MBA Program or the Part-Time MBA programs. Additionally, student demand for our leadership curriculum (e.g., Interpersonal Dynamics, Actor’s Studio) has grown significantly, so we have expanded our programming and are bringing in more adjunct faculty.

For professionals with three years or less of full-time work experience who are interested in earning an MBA while continuing to work full-time, we offer the Chicago Business Fellow program, where students can attend classes in the evenings or on weekends. Students find opportunities for growth, senior-level exposure, and working with diverse teams.

Our graduate management education program allows students to leverage their coursework and drive long-term success of the institutions for which they work. Our unique data-driven curriculum allows for students to apply learned skills successfully and to adapt to ever-changing work environments and needs.

Additionally, a Booth MBA opens doors for graduates to a range of roles in business, government, education, policy making, and society. These include but are not limited to positions in financial services, fintech, investment banking, big tech, healthcare, automotive/transportation, professional sports, consumer products/retail, private equity, venture capital, and real estate. Students seeking a world-class business education will no doubt benefit from Booth’s offerings.”

P&Q: Every January, P&Q publishes a “10 Business Schools to Watch” feature that highlights how schools are raising the bar and enhancing the student experience through innovation or expansion in programming or resources. What is one innovation that sets your school apart from your peer programs and makes you a business school to watch? Why is it so groundbreaking?

Marcello: “Our mission is to create knowledge with enduring impact, and to educate current and future leaders. Our students have been free to explore their intellectual curiosity in a collaborative community of peers. As part of the university, Booth students have access to multiple transformative academic programs and continuing education opportunities in the areas of finance, economics, innovation, entrepreneurship, AI, marketing, psychology, social impact, and leadership.

Our students continue to have access to myriad resources and programming through all of Booth’s Faculty and Insights research centers. Booth centers collectively drive change in business and society, with leading research in areas spanning the global market, social impact, behavioral economics, finance, marketing, and entrepreneurship.

The newest addition to Booth’s research centers is the Family Office Initiative. One of the first comprehensive programs focused on family office leaders at a major academic institution, the FOI supports the distinct education, research, and network needs of current and future family office leaders globally. Unlike other similar programs, Booth will focus exclusively on the growing family office sector and its leaders, providing them with research-driven insights of Booth’s faculty and other resources of the initiative’s collaborators.

At the Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI), students study machine learning and behavioral science to determine how AI can best support human decision-making and improve society. Through the Kilts Center for Marketing research, faculty have access to a number of datasets, including Nielsen datasets, which they use to produce research and teach students both the art and the science of marketing. Our quant marketing group studied data in marketing long before most of our peers.

The Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation offers internships with PE/VC firms during the academic year, experiential labs, and capital award competitions for local start-ups such as the Edward L. Kaplan, ’71, New Venture Challenge and the John Edwardson, ’72, Social New Venture Challenge (SNVC) with the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation. The Rustandy Center integrates Booth’s research and experience-based learning with business fundamentals to address critical topics such as corporate social responsibility and ESG. Students are able to work with local ventures through the Polsky Exchange in Hyde Park, a startup incubator, and at the Stigler Center, learn about the intersection of politics and the global economy through events, initiatives, and courses. Mindworks: The Science of Thinking, launched in downtown Chicago by the Roman Family Center for Decision Research and PIMCO Decision Research Laboratories, is the world’s first interactive discovery center giving students a unique window to study decision-making in economics, management, marketing, finance, healthcare, politics and other fields.

Booth continues to examine and recognize the growing and changing needs of students and employers, as well as of the evolving business landscape. Through a competitive and thorough analysis, Booth determined that there is a significant gap between undergraduate business education and MBA programs.

To expand the graduate management education experience at Booth beyond its world-class MBA program, we launched new Specialized Masters programs in 2024–the Master in Management (MiM) and Master in Finance (MiF), recently renamed the Asness and Liew Master in Finance (MiF) Program through a $60 million gift from Booth alumnists Clifford Asness and John Liew. We were excited to welcome the first Specialized Masters programs cohort this fall and are already accepting applications for MiM and MiF for Fall 2025.”

P&Q: What types of programs do you offer to sharpen your students’ soft skills? What areas do you emphasize and how do you instill these skills in your students?

Marcello: “Booth’s defining culture is rooted in student success. Chicago Booth graduates have often credited Booth’s experiential learning for their increased earning potential, a comprehensive knowledge of business operations, and personal and professional growth. “LEAD” was one of the first experiential MBA leadership development courses at a major business school; it continues to be the only required course at Booth, and is an integral component of the school’s curriculum.

Along with Booth’s other leadership development courses, LEAD helps students to reflect on the outcomes of their actions and take away the right lessons from their experiences. This is done by leveraging  The Chicago Approach™ to leadership development–a data-based and feedback-rich approach that involves conducting experiments with individual behavior and collecting a rich set of observations and feedback around its impact. Students have opportunities to benchmark and strengthen their skills in core leadership competencies: working in teams, influencing others, managing conflict, and communicating and presenting. Booth’s approach to helping individuals grow as leaders, supported by the Harry L. Davis Center for Leadership, positions leadership development as a lifelong pursuit.”

P&Q: What types of programming – through classroom instruction, extracurriculars, and treks – does your school offer to expose students to country-specific and global business practices? What have students told you were the most educational and fun aspects of these activities?

Marcello: “Chicago Booth’s deeply collaborative community supports and creates a sense of belonging for students of all backgrounds. We celebrate diverse perspectives and rigorous inquiry. With the university’s deep commitment to the values of academic freedom and free expression, students can propose, test, and debate novel and even controversial ideas. Students are motivated to take risks, share ideas, embrace diverse perspectives, innovate, and define their path to success.

Many Booth students participate in cultural, regional, religious, and personal-affiliation group activities, and other diversity and inclusion activities. Every year, through its events, trips, networking opportunities, activities, and its unique curriculum, Booth helps to create a welcoming community, where students establish working relationships that last well beyond graduation.

For more than 20 years, Random Walks, gives each new class of full-time MBA students an opportunity to visit different global destinations while developing camaraderie with future classmates before the MBA program begins. Led by second-year Booth students, Random Walks has become a Booth tradition. Once the program begins, students continue to build on those bonds and have opportunities to enjoy the local culture, food, outdoor activities, nightlife, and architecture. The Booth Outdoor Leadership Development Group (BOLD), another student group, will be trekking to Machu Picchu in 2025 on top of their annual Kilimanjaro trek.

During the academic year, the Giving Something Back (GSB) club and Graduate Business Council (GBC) host a Winter Formal and charity auction in downtown Chicago for all students. Packages are donated by students, professors, and local businesses as yet another way for our community to “pay it forward.” Students take part in special experiences and spend time with other members of the Booth community while raising money for great local causes. In the past two years, GSB has raised over $65,000 for charitable organizations.

For the last two years, many of our groups, and in particular, the Asian American Student Association (AASA), have celebrated Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, including a social event that celebrates the foods and cultures of many Asian communities. In the past, professors and staff speak on their experiences as members of the AAPI community at well attended, group-organized events.

Open to all full-time and part-time student parents and their partners, Parents of Little Ones (POLO) provides a supportive community for families at Booth, by coordinating family-friendly events and outings. The last two years, POLO has hosted “Harper Halloween” during which Booth families, including many faculty and staff members, bring their children to the Harper Center (Hyde Park campus) for trick-or-treating throughout the building. The costumes are the real treat!

The Armed Forces Group (AFG), African American MBA Association (AAMBAA), and Chicago Booth’s Ski and Snowboard Club host large-scale annual ski trips and networking events. The student-run group OUTreach for Full-Time, Evening, and Weekend MBA students, hosts the annual Pink Party to engage and support Booth’s LGBTQ community.

Chicago Booth is the first US business school to have three global campuses located in Chicago,  London and Hong Kong. The school’s headquarters is in the Charles M. Harper Center in Hyde Park and we have a downtown campus at the Gleacher Center.

Our faculty research aims to improve communities around the world, which we highlight regularly in Booth’s business publication, the Chicago Booth Review. Booth faculty exemplify real-world business and leadership skills, bringing their best scholarly work into the classroom in ways that are most useful to students. Students can tailor their MBA experience to their own interests and career goals, while faculty teach classes where students have chosen to be. This curricular flexibility is mutually beneficial and creates a powerful dynamic where everyone at Booth is invested in the study of business.

Students learn our signature unique, data-driven approach to business education, the Chicago Approach, through all of our offerings, including Executive MBA, PhD, and Executive Education programs. This timeless, portable, analytical framework prepares individuals to unlock solutions to complex problems, in any industry and throughout their career, and toward becoming effective, influential, and empathetic leaders who affect positive and lasting change.”

P&Q: What are the most exciting new courses that your school is offering to MBAs this school year? What makes them so unique and valuable?

Marcello: “Chicago Booth has a “living curriculum,” where we add new courses each year. This year we invested in new courses in finance, healthcare, and AI. We have several new courses and many courses that have become popular. With the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), the course Generative Thinking provides an overview of Generative AI, including foundational technologies, practical applications, and broader societal implications. The course aims to equip students with a thorough understanding of generative technologies and its relevance to various fields. From synthesizing new data and automating content creation to optimizing processes and simulating scenarios, it has quickly become a crucial technology for managers across all domains.

Another course we offered last spring was “Financing the Grid,” which looks at the economics and engineering of the electrical grid, and introduces students to foundational principles for fundamental pricing instruments applicable to electricity generation, consumption, storage, and transmission. Student discussions involve, among other concepts, reviewing prospective industry practices and the broader implications and impacts for political economy, energy policy, and applied management science.

Our new courses include:

• The Business of Pharmaceuticals
• Strategy and Digital Disruption
• AI and Financial Information
• Understanding the Health Policy Forces Driving the U.S. HealthCare System
• Family Office Initiative
• Causal Inference for Business Applications
• Value Creation in Small Businesses
• Arbitrage Investing
• Machine Learning in Finance
• Health-Tech Strategy

Next Page: 12 Student Profiles from the MBA Class of 2026

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