The capstone of the Oregon MBA, the Strategic Planning Project (SPP) provides the opportunity to take on real issues at a real-life business or organization.

MBA student teams provide dedicated consulting services to companies in five-month engagements, culminating in strategic recommendations and an implementation plan. From industry and competitor analysis to project definition, market research, and data analysis, students move at business speed. After rehearsing in front of communications coaches and faculty experts, MBA student teams sell their recommendations—and themselves—to key executives at their client.

Whether it’s providing specialized expertise, simply moving forward an important project, wherever the company sees an opportunity for growth, or has a problem with an existing product line or service, the MBA student team will analyze the case and present its conclusions to senior management. A nondisclosure agreement gives them access to proprietary information.

Our MBA students have worked with every kind of business: multinational giants, national brands, and many of the regional companies that play a key role in the Pacific Northwest economy.

Note: finance and securities analysis specialization students do not participate in SPP, but instead manage the Emerging Markets Fund portfolio.

The Projects

The program seeks projects that intentionally drive social or economic value creation in a business context. MBA consultants can support a variety of engagements and welcome proposals from any organization. Non-exclusive examples of deliverables include:

In-Class Projects

In addition to Strategic Planning Projects, Oregon MBA students across all specializations complete consulting projects during their regular coursework. Many of our faculty use the ten-week length of courses to support sharply focused projects. There are literally dozens of in-class consulting projects completed each year across all Oregon MBA specializations.

Independent Consulting Projects

Our students are always eager to tackle new challenges and interesting projects. Each year we have a number of students who take on projects as an independent consulting effort or independent study for class credit. Such projects are fully supported and actively encouraged.

Project Partners

Companies that have teamed up with Oregon MBAs for consulting or strategic planning projects include: