Washington Foster

History

The territorial governor Isaac Stevens recommended the establishment of a university in Washington in 1854. Several prominent Seattle-area residents saw this as an opportunity to enhance the city’s prestige and approached Arthur A. Denny (early founder of Seattle) with this mission. The territorial legislature initially chartered two universities-one in Seattle and the other in Lewis County. But, later the decision was revoked and the university was established in Seattle as no site emerged at Lewis County. The University of Washington opened on November 4th, 1861 as the Territorial University of Washington. Itlocated to its new campus Denny Hall from Downtown in 1895. In 2007, the UW Business School was renamed as Michael G. Foster School of Business.

MISSION STATEMENT

We are a collaborative learning community of faculty, staff, students, alumni and business leaders dedicated to the creation, application and sharing of management knowledge.  

Core Strengths of the School

Strategic thinking, leadership and global business are the core components of the Foster MBA. The first year of the program comprises of an academic and career oriented course PRIME, intensive Jump Start Courses in statistics, accounting and finance, and a three-day leadership development course LEAD. The rigorous curriculum enables the students to acquire strong foundation in the core business concepts and an understanding of the correlation between the various disciplines of business. The second year of the curriculum prepares the students for their personal goals and they develop expertise in their field of interest through a wide array of elective courses. The curriculum focuses on enhancing the leadership and communication skills of the students. The Communications faculty develops a personal leadership development plan for each student after thoroughly assessing their presentation and writing skills. The second year students hone their leadership skills further by acting as mentors to the first year students. The Foster MBA program believes in creating a collaborative environment for the students with the aim to develop them as adept team-players who support each other in accomplishing their team goals as well as professional goals. Students collaborate with each other on Core and Elective Course Study Teams, Consulting Projects, and Case and Business Competitions, where they learn to lead teams in an environment that is a reflection of the real-world scenario.

Uniqueness in MBA Pedagogy

“Learning by doing” is the underlying philosophy of the Foster Business School that infuses critical thinking approach in the students and equips them with the essential problem-solving skills to counter future business challenges. Foster’s Strategic Consulting Program is a platform for students to solve real-world complex business challenges facing the companies and provide valuable recommendations to improve their position in the market. The first year students get a chance to delve into the Applied Strategy Projects, where they immerse into the business issues impacting the company and come up with new and innovative ideas to overcome these hurdles. During the second year, students work as a team with numerous clients from varied industries as a part of their Field Study Projects, where they develop creative recommendations and sustainable solutions after thorough analysis and brainstorming over the business challenges faced by the client. Students are encouraged to participate in local, national and international business plan competitions, where they test their business skills by putting them into action. It is mandatory for the students to participate in the MBA Core Case Competitions, where they get a chance to present their business ideas to the top-notch executives of the company and are judged on the basis of their analysis, recommendations, presentation and responsiveness to judges. In order to develop a global perspective in the students, the Foster MBA students are encouraged to involve themselves in the Global Consulting Projects. Students travel to India and engage themselves in Social Entrepreneurship projects to help rural people build their businesses and emerge out of poverty. The Global Business Center also offers MBA exchange programs, where students study for one academic quarter in one of the partner schools. Students immerse themselves into the economy, culture and trade of the visiting country and develop an understanding of the trade policies and the ways of conducting business in another country. Additionally, students can also enroll themselves in a variety of international elective courses offered by the different graduate departments of the School. The Global Business Study Tours provide a platform for the students to experience the business and culture of another country first-hand through company visits, cultural excursions and interaction with high profile executives of corporate companies. The Center for Leadership and Strategic Thinking links leadership with strategic thinking to promote integrative learning and enables the students to view the business challenges from multiple perspectives. The Foster MBA program produces graduates who think differently and come up with innovative business models.

CONCENTRATIONS OFFERED

LOCATION ADVANTAGES

The School is located in the city of Seattle that offers splendid career opportunities. Seattle is a hub for software and technology companies, service and design companies. Some of the well-known companies like Amazon.com and Starbucks have their headquarters in Seattle. The city provides abundant resources for entrepreneurs and has immense potential for budding entrepreneurs to start and manage their ventures successfully. The city has been coined the name-“Emerald City” in reference to the lush evergreen forests of the region. Seattle offers several outdoor recreational activities like kayaking or ferrying in Lake Washington, cycling trip on Burke Gilman trail and mountain skiing. Seattle offers a cosmopolitan life with live music and theater, film festivals, triathlons, cozy coffee shops and gallery exhibits.

CAREER SUPPORT

The MBA Career Management Center aims to help students accomplish their career goals by diligently executing their career strategies. The career coaches provide personalized career coaching on a range of services like mock interviews, and resume and cover letter advice. There are several events conducted by the Center like Road Shows, Student-led trek that guide students for careers outside Seattle. The Mentor Program connects students with business leaders and high profile executives of the Seattle business community. Students get benefitted from the mentors who draw examples from their own experiences to guide the students in exploring the various career opportunities. The career coaches assist the students in analyzing their strengths, clarifying their goals and developing a personalized strategy for accomplishing success