Wisconsin MBA students in corporate finance and investment banking begin experiencing our hands-on approach to learning starting in their very first semester. Students frequently interact with industry executives, discussing everything from current hot topics to career paths in corporate finance and investment banking. As a capstone to MBA students' second year, teams assume a consulting role for major corporations, and receive feedback from CEOs, CFOs, and treasurers on how their plan would fare in the real world.
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Throughout the second year of the Wisconsin MBA Program in corporate finance and investment banking, every student has an opportunity to consult on actual projects for companies that will use the resulting information to make real-world decisions. You will work on a team of MBA and undergraduate finance students to provide recommendations to a company on an in-depth project involving a wide range of finance and investment topics such as capital management, valuation, expenditure decisions, acquisition, and strategic alliances. Students apply technical and theoretical financial tools and concepts to develop actionable recommendations for blue-chip businesses such as Johnson Controls. Student teams present their recommendations to high-level executives, who may choose to implement student plans in their business. By the end of your consulting experience, you will gain an in-depth understanding of modern financial strategies, analytical thinking, and team leadership that will benefit you in all aspects of your future educational and professional career.
Corporate finance and investment banking students aren't just trained on the current tools to analyze data and market trends—they’re taught what treasurers, financial analysts, and consultants do with that data. Current topics seminars put industry leaders in touch with students to discuss what it means to manage corporate finance in the modern market. After learning about the many different career tracks for graduates from real practitioners, second semester topics drill down to the finer details of the financial world. Executives from multinational companies such as Medtronic and Joy Global discuss leveraged buyouts, spin-off transactions, and the repercussions of major acquisitions. Students graduate with the knowledge needed to make the tough choices in a complex financial field.
“The corporate finance and investment banking specialization in the Wisconsin MBA Program provided me the opportunity to work with incredibly talented peers in a focused atmosphere where I developed the skills and tools I need for success in investment banking.”
—Joseph B. Calavenna, MBA ’15 Investment Banking Associate, Baird
“The Nicholas Center for Corporate Finance and Investment banking has diverse offerings for its students outside of the academic courses. This prepares students for the real world and helps them stay ahead in the job market. One such offering is the Wall Street Prep training program for first-year MBA students. This is especially useful for career switchers like me. The Nicholas Center fulfills its promise to focus on applied learning through various mediums.”
—Harsha Nariseti, MBA ’16
“The ICA (Integrated Company Analysis) is another unique aspect of the Wisconsin MBA which demonstrates students' preparation for real-world challenges. Giving a presentation in front of faculty, staff, and second-years and being prepared to field questions was an excellent way to end the first semester at the Wisconsin School of Business.”
—Rishi Shah, MBA ’17
Every semester, corporate finance and investment banking students receive hands-on training using advice from senior executives. These applied learning sessions prepare our graduates to tackle some of the industry's most pressing challenges.
“The notion of practical and real-world application of classroom learning is an awesome idea. There is a real divide between the purity of the theory of finance and the murkiness of its application. The attempt to try to bridge that is genius. I've been lucky to have a couple of consulting projects done by Wisconsin MBA students in corporate finance and investment banking and they have been great.”
—Doug Baird Chairman, Equity Capital Markets, Citigroup
“The corporate finance and investment banking specialization in the Wisconsin MBA Program takes finance theory and puts it into practical application. You learn to work with companies to solve real problems. For finance professionals, one of the key determiners of your ability to progress is, first, to be able to use theory and analytics to help companies become more valuable to their shareholders, and second, to be able to take those ideas and package and communicate them in a way that people can understand. This is something that is best learned from experience.”
—Mindy Mount Business Advisor
“The project completed by the corporate finance and investment banking students helped us determine a more accurate way to evaluate the profitability of key business areas. The result was a more informed process for capital investment and business strategy. Our team enjoyed working with the Wisconsin MBA students and would highly recommend participation to other companies.”
—Paul Shain, MBA ’86 President & CEO, Singlewire Software
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