Meet The Texas McCombs MBA Class Of 2027

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IS A REAL ‘PLUS’

McCombs itself is best known for operating one of the largest student-managed funds, the McCombs Investment Advisors program. Started in 1994, the fund contains $25-million in assets under management. The school also requires students to complete its regaled McCombs+ micro-consulting project. A 10-week tour de force, McCombs+ serves as a pre-internship, where students can gain experience in their targeted field or explore new roles or industries. Operating in six-member teams, MBAs complete projects in areas like developing pricing strategies, go-to-market plans, or competitive analyses. Culminating in an on-site presentation to company leaders, McCombs+ enables students to apply their classroom learnings in financial modeling or data analysis, all while honing interpersonal skills like listening, delegating, and conflict management.

In the past, McCombs+ clients have ranged from startups to SXSW. Along the way, students receive one-on-one coaching and complete workshops in areas like client relations. This hands-on, real-world approach appealed strongly to Sarah Goodman.

“The opportunity to work on real business challenges with local companies was important to me, as I transition from a creative role in NYC into a more strategic, data-driven marketing leadership career in Texas. The McCombs+ program helps students apply classroom concepts in practice to build the skills we need for after graduation.”

FACULTY EARN HIGH MARKS

Henry Rosenstein commends the flexibility of the curriculum, where students can move onto the career interests after completing the first semester core. At the same time, he praises the faculty for their teaching excellence.

“Our professors are incredible instructors. It felt like other schools had faculty who were more interested in research and forced to teach on the side. However, our professors at McCombs are both incredibly engaging and invested in their students, making the classroom experience a lot of fun.”

Constantinos Coutifaris is among the faculty members who receive the most acclaim from students. He teaches the Leading People and Organizations course, which examines both the organizational structures that reinforce culture and mission and abilities like self-awareness and emotional intelligence that differentiate leaders.

“Every class felt like a moment of introspection, pushing me to reflect on how I show up, how I lead, and the kind of leader I want to become,” explains Claudia K. Figueroa. “What made it especially meaningful was how personal the learning felt. Through exercises like the Best Self assignment and open discussions, I gained a deeper understanding of my strengths and how to lead with greater intention and empathy. This course reminded me that leadership goes far beyond strategy or execution. It reinforced my belief that great leadership is a journey of understanding what truly moves people, and that continues to shape the kind of impact I want to create.”

Another popular course is AI In Business and Society, a custom core course taught by Maytal Saar-Tsechansky. According to Matthew Genovese, a ’25 alum, the course changed how he viewed the advent of AI entirely. “One of the biggest insights I gained was how AI, particularly generative AI, is not an entirely new phenomenon but rather an evolution—albeit a significant leap—of predictive modeling and analytics techniques that have been foundational in business for decades. By embedding analytics into nearly every course, McCombs demystifies AI, providing a deeper understanding of its applications and limitations in real-world decision-making.”

AN INTERVIEW WITH TINA MABLEY

In May, McCombs announced the appointment of Bradley Staats as its new dean. An Austin native and UT graduate, Staats most recently served as Senior Associate Dean of Strategy and Academics at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler School. When he joins the staff in July, Staats naturally ushers in a new era at McCombs. That’s not to say the school hasn’t been staying busy over the past year. In March, P&Q reached out to Tina Mabley, Senior Assistant Dean, Full-Time MBA. Along with new developments, Mabley also shares how the program supports first-years, international students, and alumni (among other topics). Here is what MBA students and applicants can expect from McCombs in the coming year.

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?

Mabley: “Two groundbreaking developments have reshaped our MBA experience this year, both reflecting our commitment to developing leaders who can drive meaningful impact in an evolving business landscape.

First is our launch of the Hildebrand Leadership Fellows program, a school-wide leadership development framework funded by a transformative $20 million gift from philanthropist Mindy Hildebrand. What makes this program revolutionary is its focus on intentionality, helping students systematically build leadership from the inside out, pairing character and self-awareness with credibility and execution.

Hildebrand Leadership Fellows provides a structured yet flexible pathway where students participate in roughly 20 approved leadership experiences, record their reflections, and synthesize those insights into a personal leadership plan. Students develop their “inner compass” — authenticity, values, integrity — while also strengthening the outward skills employer’s demand: communication, collaboration, and leading in complex environments. This is open to all McCombs MBA students across all formats, allowing them to earn a formal leadership credential that signals measurable growth and seriousness of purpose to future employers.

Second is our inaugural Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) Practicum, a graduate-level course that prepares MBA students to buy and operate existing businesses rather than build startups from scratch. The course is led by Jacob Hall, an investment fund manager and Texas McCombs Executive MBA alumnus, and Mellie Price, executive director of Texas Entrepreneurship and Brumley Institute for Graduate Entrepreneurship, venture capitalist, and co-founder of Capital Factory.

Through lectures, case studies, guest speakers, and hands-on exercises, students learn to develop an investment thesis, source deals, conduct due diligence, and build financial models to evaluate acquisition opportunities. The course culminates in a capstone project where teams present a real acquisition target and investor-ready thesis to experienced ETA investors.

ETA offers a compelling pathway for MBAs seeking long-term ownership and entrepreneurial leadership. The course is particularly relevant in Texas, where a growing number of small and mid-sized businesses are approaching ownership transition as founders retire, creating opportunities for the next generation of leaders to acquire, grow and lead established companies.

Together, these initiatives reflect our philosophy that leadership is developed through engagement, action, reflection, and responsibility, preparing leaders who can navigate complex challenges with both strategic thinking and authentic leadership.”

P&Q: What do you see as the main differentiator that distinguishes your MBA program from other schools? How does it enhance the student experience and make them more attractive to employers?

Mabley: “Our clearest differentiator is that we have deliberately doubled down on the in-person, human-centered MBA experience as a strategic advantage.

As AI and automation reshape business, employers are telling us something very clear: they need leaders who can do what technology cannot: collaborate across differences, communicate with clarity, exercise judgment, build trust, and lead people through ambiguity. These are deeply human skills, and they are becoming more valuable, not less.

At UT Austin’s McCombs School of Business, we develop those capabilities through immersive, high-touch experiences that simply cannot be replicated online. Students work in tight cohorts, tackle real problems with real stakeholders and develop the emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills that make them invaluable to employers.

Whether students are managing millions in real capital through Texas McCombs Investment Advisors, navigating global business challenges during international immersions, or serving as Peer Leadership Coaches for first-year teams, our graduates emerge with proven abilities to lead teams, navigate complex relationships, and drive results through people.

That combination is incredibly attractive to employers. Our graduates understand strategy and analytics, but they also know how to lead human organizations in an AI-enabled world. In a future defined by automation, those distinctly human leadership capabilities become the ultimate competitive advantage.”

P&Q: What types of services do you provide to first-year MBAs to ease their transition into business school?

Mabley: “We think of the first-year transition not as a single moment, but as a carefully-designed journey, one that builds confidence, community, and momentum from the very beginning.

Before students even arrive on campus, we focus on connection. Admitted student meetups in major cities allow incoming MBAs to meet their future classmates, while our summer celebrations bring together alumni and incoming students in those regions. These early touchpoints help students arrive already feeling part of a network, not a cohort of strangers.

Academically, we offer an optional Accelerated Foundations program that prepares students for the core curriculum by covering key business fundamentals. This is especially valuable for students coming from non-traditional or non-business backgrounds. Orientation then introduces a clear leadership journey roadmap, helping students understand not only what they will learn, but how they will grow throughout the MBA.

On the career side, our summer career ramp programming helps students begin clarifying goals, understanding recruiting timelines, and building essential skills before classes begin — reducing anxiety and increasing focus once the semester starts. Resources include a LinkedIn Masterclass to strengthen their professional presence and network; the Learn Educate Discover podcast, articles, and newsletters to support career research and exploration; Management Consulted to prepare for consulting recruiting and case interviewing; Wall Street Prep to build hard skills in finance and Excel; personalized resume reviews from our Career Education & Coaching team; and a curated reading list for deeper exploration of curriculum topics and target industries. Together, these resources reduce anxiety and sharpen focus from day one.

Throughout the year, first-year students are supported by our Peer Leadership Coaches, second-year MBAs who mentor study teams, normalize the learning curve, and provide practical guidance. It’s a powerful model of peer-to-peer leadership and one that reinforces a culture of generosity and shared success.

The result is a transition experience that is intentional, supportive, and human, helping students move confidently into both the academic rigor and professional growth that define the McCombs MBA.”

P&Q: What types of support do you provide to international students before and during business school to enable them to better acclimate to your country?

Mabley: “We provide comprehensive, intentional support to help international students successfully transition into U.S. academic life, American business culture, and the Austin community. We recognize that this transition extends well beyond the classroom, so our approach combines early connection, practical guidance, language support, and community-building.

Before students arrive, we focus on relationships. Through our Passport Pals buddy program, incoming international students are paired with current MBA students who help them navigate both the practical and cultural aspects of settling in—from everyday logistics to understanding classroom norms and social expectations. These early peer connections create an immediate sense of belonging and confidence.

For language support, international students have access to a pre-term Academic English program designed specifically for incoming graduate students. This immersive, in-person experience strengthens business communication skills and allows students to arrive in Austin early, get oriented, and build comfort before the academic pace accelerates.

Career preparation is another critical focus. Our career team provides tailored guidance for international students, including support around U.S. recruiting timelines, networking norms, interviewing expectations, and employer sponsorship realities. This targeted coaching helps students translate their global experience into a compelling value proposition for U.S. and multinational employers.

Finally, we foster belonging and cultural pride through community traditions like International Night, where students share their cultures with classmates, faculty, and alumni. These moments of celebration reinforce that global perspective is an essential part of our McCombs culture and encouraging students to learn from one another and prepare to lead in a global economy.”

P&Q: How does your program integrate other disciplines, such as the liberal arts and STEM, across your curriculum to provide students with a more interdisciplinary experience in business school?

Mabley: “One of the great advantages of studying business at UT Austin is our students’ access to a top-tier public research university. MBA students can take up to two courses outside of McCombs, allowing them to draw directly from the depth of the broader university, whether that’s engineering, public policy, health sciences, or the liberal arts, and bring those perspectives into their business education.

We also offer courses that are inherently interdisciplinary by design. For example, our nutrition entrepreneurship course blends business strategy with health and life sciences, preparing students to innovate in fast-growing sectors like wellness, food systems, and health technology.

In addition, we offer two STEM-designated MBA pathways—Financial Mathematics and Management Science/Quantitative Methods—embedded within the core MBA curriculum. These pathways allow students to build advanced quantitative, analytical, and data-driven skills through strategic course selection while still pursuing their functional concentrations.

Our interdisciplinary approach reflects how business actually operates today. Our students learn to integrate technical rigor, human insight, and critical thinking, encouraging them to lead at the intersection of disciplines where the most complex and meaningful business challenges are solved.”

Next Page: Profiles of 12 Members of the MBA Class of 2027

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