Experiential Learning

The learning philosophy of Presidio Graduate School puts a premium on putting course curricula and student learning to work outside of the classroom. This is the essential idea behind our Experiential Learning Program – fostering the collaboration between student teams and private or public organizations that are facing the challenges of practicing sustainable management.

In each of our Experiential Learning courses, student teams partner with external organizations to create a custom-made project based on the unique needs of their partner. This includes extensive work in completing:

• In-depth research
• Acute analysis
• Actionable recommendations

At Presidio, we believe that learning by doing is the most meaningful type of learning experience. The Experiential Learning Program also helps students gain greater practical experience in areas they wish to focus on after graduation, whether they be marketing, supply chain management, public programs, strategic design, finance, product development, and beyond.

How Does it Work?

Teams of 3-6 students work for a semester (12 weeks) on a project that is aligned with curriculum goals for a particular course. Student teams are challenged to apply both traditional management concepts and metrics, such as profitability for an ROI calculation, as well as to integrate sustainability metrics that take into account social and natural capital. Student teams solve problems, create solutions and deliver significant professional value to participating firms and organizations. Subject areas include:

• Operations and Production (MBA)
• Strategy and Finance (MBA)
• Managerial Marketing (MBA)
• Civic Leadership, Decision-Making, and Systems Thinking (MPA)
• Public Sector Finance (MPA)
• Research Methods and Evaluation (MPA)

Public, private, and nonprofit organizations are invited to apply to be considered for Experiential Learning partnerships and added to the pool of potential sponsors.