MB 8016: Management Consulting
The Management Consulting capstone allows MBA students to lead a real-world consulting project from proposal to final presentation. Working in teams under the guidance of a faculty advisor, students collaborate with clients ranging from startups and small businesses to large organizations such as the Toronto Blue Jays and Loblaw Companies Limited.
This experiential capstone enables students to apply the knowledge and tools developed during the MBA program to deliver practical, evidence-based solutions, while strengthening consulting skills and gaining industry insight.
Term offered: Spring/Summer
Throughout the Spring/Summer term, teams engage directly with clients to address meaningful business challenges. Projects may include internal and external data collection, market research, stakeholder interviews and strategic analysis. Students are responsible for delivering a comprehensive project proposal, interim progress reports, a final written report and a formal client presentation.
Course structure
Each consulting team consists of four to five students, who will self-select into designated roles:
- Team Leader – Oversees project execution and serves as the primary liaison with the client.
- Team Secretary – Manages documentation, schedules and administrative coordination.
Skills and experiences:
Teams should include diverse skills and experiences, ideally representing core business functions such as:
- Marketing
- Operations
- Accounting/Finance
- Information Technology
- Human Resources
Outcomes
To support project success and ensure high-quality outcomes:
- We strongly recommend that at least one team member complete the two Management Consulting elective courses.
- Whenever possible, teams should include at least one member with prior exposure to the client’s industry.
Capstone consulting projects typically engage organizations from one of the following categories:
- A business unit within a large corporation
- A small or medium-sized enterprise (SME), ideally with more than $5 million in annual revenue or 15+ employees
- A not-for-profit or government organization
While most student teams are responsible for sourcing their own clients, the Ted Rogers School also receives inquiries from organizations seeking student consulting support. These opportunities are reviewed and matched with capstone teams where appropriate.
Typical projects have included:
- Market research and competitor analysis
- Investigating and assessing new market opportunities
- Studying customer opinions and needs
- Reviewing operations to improve profitability
- Developing strategies for workforce attraction and retention
- Key personnel succession planning
- Determining executive development requirements
Course requirements
To be eligible for the Management Consulting Capstone (MB 8016), students must have completed and passed all seven core courses by the Spring/Summer term, or have an approved plan of study with only one remaining core course to be completed in the following Fall term.
Students considering a career in consulting are strongly encouraged to complete both MB 8129 and MB 8116. Alternatively, students enrolled in MB 8016 are required to attend a mandatory Consulting Bootcamp, typically held on a Saturday morning in March during the Winter term.
MB 8116: Acquiring Consulting Skills & Processes
This course will examine consulting process models and their application, and help students develop specific skills to assist in their consulting careers. Students will study real-life consulting projects with practitioners in order to explore consulting skills, roles and services.
Term offered: Winter
MB 8129: Understanding Consultants & Consulting
Consulting is a major service industry. This course will examine the nature of consulting work, firm structure and the services that are provided, as well as the ways in which consultants and clients work together successfully. Both the theory and the practice of consulting will be addressed. This course will be relevant to students who anticipate being external or internal consultants and includes elements of self-assessment and career planning.
Term offered: Winter
Consulting Bootcamp
This intensive, in-person session will provide students with foundational skills and knowledge essential for success in the consulting field. Delivered over a full-day Saturday at the Ted Rogers School of Management, the bootcamp introduces key consulting frameworks and structured problem-solving techniques. Students who did not complete both consulting electives but wish to be eligible for the MB 8016 Capstone must complete this bootcamp.
Delivered over a full-day Saturday, typically in March.
What do clients say about our consulting teams:
“This team did a fantastic job with their analysis for our market expansion.”
4.7 / 5
Professional
Organized
High quality research
4.6 / 5
Productive study
Overall team assessment
4.4 / 5
Quality presentations
Valuable study findings
Past clients:
Consulting success story
Learn more about how a group of Ted Rogers MBA students seized a significant growth and networking opportunity when they approached a VP from a global real estate firm to collaborate on a project, leading to a presentation in front of executives this summer.
