Hands on learning and problem solving are a big part of the student experience at Haas. It’s a valuable tool for future leaders.
Reading textbooks, attending lectures, and earning grades are all essential parts of an MBA journey. But the most transformative learning experiences happen when students step beyond the classroom and tackle real-world challenges. At the University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, experiential learning isn’t just an add-on—it’s a core pillar of the MBA experience.
During their time in the MBA programs at Berkeley Haas, students don’t just study business concepts; they apply them in real-time to solve pressing challenges for real companies. Through hands-on projects, partnerships with industry leaders, and immersive coursework, students gain practical experience that often leaves a lasting impact—not just on their own careers but on the organizations they work with.
Solving Actual Problems
One of those hands-on classes is Designing Tech for Good. Student teams work on solutions that promote social good for big companies. Clients have included Electronic Arts (EA), Autodesk, Dell, and UI Path.
“We want students to learn how to design programs that are good for the world within whatever companies they go to work for,” said instructor Adam Rosenzweig, EMBA 19. “If we don’t go out of our way to solve social problems, they won’t solve themselves. It’s critical for leaders to know how to create business value and social value at the same time.”
One example of a successful project was done with EA. Students were tasked with trying to find ways to make video gaming more positive and less frustrating for players. Gaming can be ground zero for bad behavior and the company was looking for solutions to promote fair, safe, inclusive, and meaningful fun for players. Haas students were tasked with creating support for EA’s Positive Play Charter within the gaming community.
Students working on the project got deeply involved with gamers at all experience levels. They started by researching gaming forums, reading publications, and interviewing a variety of gamers. Through this discovery process, they presented EA with a framework that identified the root causes of bad experiences.
Once they uncovered the sources behind the problem and presented some solutions. One idea brought together players in real life to create communities of gamers who could participate in tournaments. To foster inclusiveness, they incentivized and awarded advanced players who mentored new people. Julie Kang, MBA 22, liked this idea because of her own frustration as a gamer when she was younger, “I tried to learn but found it difficult to get good fast,” she said. “That would have been super helpful for me to get better at gaming and solving the isolation that happens with new gamers.”
Another class makes students into gamers of another kind. Part of the Energy and Environmental Markets course involves a simulated electricity market auction called the Electricity Strategy Game (ESG). “The ESG is a fun opportunity to put into practice the work we do in the class,” Professor Lucas Davis said. “I want class participants to walk away understanding how to think about energy and environmental challenges from an economic perspective.”
During her time at Haas, Grace Brittan, MBA 22, was interested in working in the renewable energy industry. “I never took a step back to think about the broader picture of global energy markets,” she said. “This class will allow me to think bigger picture and be more successful in my career moving forward.”
The Importance of Planning
Solving problems doesn’t just happen. A lot of planning goes on behind the scenes. Online Marketplace and Platform Design is a class where students take a deep dive into the idea process, planning, and testing in order to better set a company up for success.
The students learn from Assistant Professor David Holtz, who has had hands-on experience tackling problems such as reputation-system design, algorithmic pricing, and experiment design. “To this day, these topics form the backbone of my research, because, in addition to being extremely interesting, they’re also extremely difficult to solve,” he says.
David challenges his students by having them pick a company from The 16z Marketplace 100 list, a ranking of the largest and fastest growing consumer facing startups. Teams are tasked with coming up with a potential idea for the company and proposing how they’d implement their idea. They’re taught to analyze data that can be gathered through A/B testing, which can be extremely valuable in the startup world.
“This class is really eye-opening for me because it’s not as straightforward as it seems,” says Lena Corredor, MBA 25. She hopes to pursue entrepreneurship and the class has taught her to appreciate the planning process, “When you think about the different sides of a marketplace, one would think if you build it, they will come, but it’s not the case. The design elements he talks about are very important to business success.”
Hands-on Learning New and Old
The Haas MBA programs are considered cutting edge and innovative and the school is constantly developing new classes, programs, and organizations to stay on top of our ever-changing world. Newer hands-on programs at Haas are laying the groundwork for the future of business.
The Impact CFO program was launched in early 2024. This innovative initiative was designed to create a new generation of CFOs equipped to lead foundations, nonprofits, and other social enterprises. The program was founded by Adjunct Professor Nora Silver and Assistant Professor Omri Even-Tov.
The learning piece involves workshops, guest speakers and networking events combined with hand-on projects and mentorships. Students have the opportunity for unique internships that bring together finance and social impact. It’s a progressive vision that more companies are starting to embrace.
“My goal was to bring the finance and operations business acumen I gained from an MBA program back to organizations with missions I care deeply about,” says Lizzie Hoerauf, MBA 24. She interned at REDF under mentor David Samuels, MBA 86. Hoerauf was able to apply what she’d learned in classes like Strategic Management of Nonprofit Organizations and Social Sector Solutions to a finance setting.
The new programs are exciting, but Haas has been actively developing students for their future roles as leaders and innovators within the corporate community for many decades. Some of their programs have stood the test of time.
The International Business Development program has been a part of Haas for over 30 years. The results are impressive with students helping to solve global business problems for established companies, nonprofits, and startups in 89 countries throughout a variety of industries.
Students serve as consultants to client companies. They are supported by faculty mentors who guide them as they analyze strategic challenges and come up with recommendations. Although these are technically students, they approach their clients as professionals who aim to get the same results as a high-dollar firm would.
Whitney Hischier, IBD Faculty Director says, “IBD teams bring value to our client organizations; particularly questioning the status quo which often leads to fresh perspectives. Our program enables students to contribute to real world solutions in a global setting while providing tremendous value to our clients.”
The program left its mark on Kylie Gemmell, MBA 23, “IBD was, without question, the most impactful experience I’ve had during my MBA,” she says. “The course wove together many of the concepts that I learned in the core curriculum and allowed me to put them to use in a real world setting.”
Learning by doing puts students in the driver’s seat, better preparing them for roles as corporate leaders and community influencers. Find out more about how experiential learning could benefit you.
