MBAs Worked on Tutorials with the International Finance Corporation

Every semester, MBA students at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business have the opportunity to propose and complete an independent study course to explore real-world or academic projects that are outside the scope of currently offered electives. These independent studies, known as tutorials, offer students a unique and flexible way to explore topics in depth and to work directly with distinguished professors.

During the 2016 fall semester, first- and second-year MBA students completed several tutorials with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), closely supervised by Georgetown McDonough faculty. “The group of students I advised worked on identifying the internal decision processes around the obstacles facing clean-energy projects at the IFC, and ways to overcome these obstacles,” said operations and information management professor Sezer Ulku, who reviewed tutorial submissions from students Ergun Erdem (MBA ’17), Ruth Hupart (MBA ’17) and Ying-Shyuan Wang (MBA ’17). “My IFC tutorial pulled back the curtain on how climate investments are made at the IFC. I became closely acquainted with every step in the investment cycle, said Hupart. “This direct consulting experience also affirmed how the management skills I learned in my core classes at Georgetown McDonough could be used to improve the IFC’s progress in meeting its climate targets.”

On December 15, 2016, the students presented their findings to a panel of experts and Georgetown University alumni at IFC’s Washington, D.C., headquarters. Student projects addressed the interdependence of global trade in products and services, regional integration through trade, the future of work, client skills training, effective motivators for climate business, and first home bankability. Students participating in IFC tutorials worked closely with faculty members and IFC subject matter experts to devise concise, detailed, and impactful recommendations for governments and organizations worldwide.

Through the tutorial program, students are able to leverage their academic background and unique experience for the benefit of a wide variety of international stakeholders while gaining acute insight into global challenges.