University of Washington’s Foster School of Business

The Foster School of Business MBA: What You Need To Know

Founded in 1917, the Michael G. Foster School of Business at the University of Washington goes beyond career and financial outcomes and positions their MBAs to lead with impact.

The campus is strategically placed in Seattle, a city famous for coffee, tech, and rain, and Microsoft and Amazon. The city is home to other global firms like Nike, Adidas, Accenture, Boeing, and Deloitte. Apple, Google, Facebook, and Nintendo have bases nearby as well.

The B-School welcomes around 120 students each year, and the curriculum is designed to be integrated, evidenced-based, and rigorous.

“These are the discussions which make case-based learning exciting. Each student brings to class a different perspective, informed by their lived experiences. It was interesting to see how everyone looked at the case differently and offered different ways to solve the same problem. Sometimes, these lead to intense discussions, all of which adds to the highly interactive classroom experience,” says MBA Ankit Muchhala on Foster’s site.

All-in-all, the program takes about 30 months to complete. Students take 90 credit hours of a nearly even ratio of core courses to electives: 46 core and 44 electives.

“The students focus on helping each other achieve their goals; together with their strategic thinking and purpose-driven strong execution, they generate new value in the community and the economy,” says Assistant Dean of MBA Programs Wendy Guild.

Beyond the curriculum, students will all participate in the Foster Professional Development sequence, Summer Internship/Project (or equivalent), MBA Core Case Competition, 2 international perspective activities, and 2 practical experience activities. Foster also offers a STEM designated degree option for those who wish to go that route.

Foster takes diversity seriously. They were the 20th university to join The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, a partnership of MBA programs and businesses that encourages diversity and inclusion in business education. They have also become a member school of the Forté Foundation, which encourages workplace gender diversity.

Unsurprisingly, given the tech environment, entrepreneurship is a big deal at Foster. It is home to the Arthur Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship, which houses the Jones + Foster Accelerator. Competitions and encouragement in the form of mentoring, workshops, and funding encourages student-led companies. Student leadership drives the rich experience in clubs, the MBA Association, alumni connections, and social events where each student’s contribution plays a key role in the vibrant community.

Students are encouraged to explore several co-curricular engagement opportunities such as leadership in clubs or local nonprofits, programs, and events such as the MBA Association, the 21 student clubs, start-up and case competitions, student-led conferences, and their consulting sprints called “Radical Collaborations” in association with major employers in Seattle.

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