Rice University’s Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business

“They’re working with real companies. Most often they’re actually not-for-profits, because these are really big, sticky issues that these firms are having, and they get to go in and work on those issues — whether it’s, ‘We want to go to Colombia and start a business there,’ or ‘We want to have a new branch in another part of the country,’” says Andrews.

Another opportunity for experiential learning comes during the global field experience, built into the core curriculum. As part of the school’s philosophy of adopting a global perspective, students travel abroad with their cohort, take what they learn in the first year of the program, and apply it to short-term projects for organizations and communities in diverse cultural settings, designed to change their perception of the world and how to do business. Besides Harvard Business School and a few others, Rice Business is the only top B-school that requires every student to go abroad during their two years in the MBA program.

Students can study abroad for a semester or attend seminars at partner universities IPADE (Mexico City), INCAE (Costa Rica) and WHU (Germany).

Rice Business’s Career Development Office works hard each year to help students secure their required summer internship. 

“We have a ton of study-abroad opportunities,” Andrews says, citing upcoming trips to Mexico City, Mexico, and São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “We’re kind of going all over the place,” he adds, saying there is a focus on staying in the Central time zone, meaning Latin America gets special attention.

“The curriculum at Rice is challenging and the professors really push you to learn through the assignments, case write-ups, and projects. It was important to me to build a strong foundation in finance prior to starting my career as an investment banker. I also appreciate that the electives at Rice Business focus on the diversity of concepts and applications.” Jahnavi Gudi (‘24)

“I was drawn to Rice by the Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (The Lilie Lab). Through Lilie, Rice offers an MBA where risk and bold innovations aren’t only encouraged but also structurally supported. I began my career in the social impact space when I was 14, following a passion for making my community and our planet safer. After nearly 15 years in the non-profit sector and many tremendous career and social impact policy wins, I found that the non-profit model alone cannot create the structural, root-level changes my communities and our planet need. I came to grad school to help model new ways to think about and do social impact work, and I wanted an MBA program with an appetite for experimentation and out-of-the-box thinking. I found that at Rice through the Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.” Aquib S. Yacoob (‘24)

“Rice offers a lot of unique, hands-on experiences. The entrepreneurship program is a favorite and gives students chances to start their own businesses under expert tutelage. There are several classes devoted entirely to hands-on learning projects such as taking on a project for a local business or creating a marketing plan for one. My personal favorite, and what really pushed me to Rice, is the Rice Business Board Fellows program. It’s a competitive program you have to apply to that gives you the opportunity to become a non-voting member of a nonprofit board. You get to assist on projects while learning what serving on a board is like and meeting some really fantastic people. My board is Plant It Forward, an urban farming that assists refugees in starting up their own farming business. Getting involved with a totally different kind of nonprofit than I’ve worked with before is great. Obviously, I’m in business school to build a new career in HR. But, getting access to new ways to serve my community is so valuable to me. The wide-ranging ways to put your talents and skills to work for other people is a big part of why I’m glad I chose Rice.” Amy Tanguay (‘24)

The business school also offers several undergraduate options. The undergraduate business major provides students with a robust foundation in leadership and business fundamentals, taught by the same top-notch faculty who teach our MBA programs. The undergraduate business minor, the largest minor at Rice University, is open to any degree-seeking Rice undergraduate student. The entrepreneurship minor, a joint offering with the George R. Brown School of Engineering, rounds out the programs offered. Our community of MBA and undergraduate students are all housed in one building, McNair Hall, which helps foster a deeply caring, tight-knit culture.

Rice Business Executive Education offers non-degree open enrollment, customized and specialty programs to the Houston business community and globally. All Rice Business courses are taught by a team of dedicated, nationally recognized professors who integrate insights from their own rigorous, peer-reviewed research to help students understand topics in accounting, finance, marketing, organizational behavior, strategy and operations management in the context of today’s ever-changing business landscape. Learn more at Rice Business Wisdom — clear, quick translations of faculty research from Rice Business that will change the way you think.

In the dynamic world we live in, we must all be quick to adapt, and Rice Business leads by example. In response to the pandemic, Rice Business reacted to the change to continue to provide top-notch education no matter the situation. By investing more than $1 million in technology, installing sophisticated microphone and video arrays that allow students to be easily seen and heard from anywhere by their instructors and peers, Rice Business was able to adjust to the circumstances and avoid gaps in our students’ learning. Throughout the pandemic, students and faculty were free to choose between various classroom options, including a fully remote classroom mode or a modified mode for specific needs, health concerns and risk calculations. The world will continue to change but Rice Business remains grounded in three principles: being attentive, responsive, and kind.

READ MORE FROM RICE BUSINESS:

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• “Meet The Teach”
• “Why Houston”
• “Strong Lead”