From Curriculum to Career: Taking Purpose Driven Leadership Beyond the Classroom

Many who pursue a graduate-level education consider how it factors into real-world applications—utilizing the skills gained to support career advancement and drive innovation forward.

Various graduate programs offer opportunities for students to learn core business competencies and strategies that can be implemented post-graduate degree; however, there are a limited number of graduate programs enabling students to put theory into practice in real-time in tandem with earning their degree.

With the mission of developing purpose-driven leaders at the helm of Pepperdine Graziadio, academic teachings must be directly applicable to real-world scenarios—especially when solutions are needed to address the multitude of challenges facing the world today.

Throughout this feature, we will explore the following:

• Pepperdine Graziadio's E2B™ program
• Key applications that can be used within any business setting

To begin, we will delve deeper into Graziadio's E2B™ program and its benefits to students and the businesses they serve.

Pepperdine's E2B™ Program: Real-World Application Outside the Classroom

What makes the Pepperdine E2B™ program unique for students is the opportunity to address challenges and work with established businesses in a real-world setting.

As the marketplace evolves and new opportunities come to fruition, businesses crave (and need) outside influence to give them a fresh perspective and avoid the common issue of "groupthink." By allowing students to offer an outside perspective and new insights, established and emerging companies remain cutting-edge and competitive—in tandem with benefiting students by allowing them to gain consulting experience.

Students who enroll in either the Part-Time or Full-Time MBA programs will enjoy experiential-learning intensives interweaved within the E2B™ education—building professional networks with notable brands, creating opportunities for future careers, and understanding responsibilities from professionals who work directly in the field.

Professors like Jennifer Franczak, Ph.D., lean heavily into programs like E2B™, as she knows its value for her students and the businesses they serve. Dr. Franczak's students have benefited from one-of-a-kind opportunities to put organizational theory and management into practice.

E2B™ Program Benefits for Students

If you are a graduate student interested in the benefits of the program, you can expect to:

• Work 1:1 with executives to address their company's specific challenges
• Develop skills in presenting business solutions through a written and oral proposal
• Deploy recommendations to businesses' bottom line in real-time

Tap into a Growing Portfolio of Reputable Businesses 

Students looking for a direct pathway to some of the world's biggest brands should consider Graziadio's E2B™ program, as they have successfully worked with nearly 650 companies across various sectors, including:

• Chick-Fil-A
• Lexus
• World Vision
• Starbucks
• Volvo

The highlighted benefits mentioned are simply a few key components that bolster Graziadio’s academic advantages when looking for a program that creates space for real-world business application. 

Applicable Anywhere: Educational Competencies from Graziadio 

Various learnings from Graziadio are applicable in any business setting. Let’s dive deeper into a select few.

Purpose-Driven Leaders

Graziadio's core mission is to develop purpose-driven leaders who subscribe to the virtues of acting with integrity, taking action today, not tomorrow, leading with a pioneering spirit, and exhibiting courage and compassion in challenging times.

Purpose-driven leaders must consider leading ethically, empowering others, promoting equal opportunities, and making conscious business decisions that benefit all stakeholders—not solely the business bottom line.

Tapping into the Power of Networking

Graziadio's network boasts more than 47,000 alumni globally—allowing students the opportunity to refine their networking skills. This powerful tool benefits professionals in any capacity, allowing students to establish real connections that can potentially blossom into future career opportunities and lifelong professional connections.

Hybrid Work

Programs like Graziadio's Part-Time MBA give students the experience of hybrid work, an emerging trend that has gained mass popularity after the start of the global pandemic. This skill will continuously become increasingly popular as humanity continues evolving in a technological world.

Developing and Structuring Organizations

Through Graziadio's rich community of students, there are ample opportunities to join clubs and networks—which are foundationally built on creating a real-world business experience within an academic setting. Modeling business applications in natural settings is a strategic way to learn practical skills such as communication, time management, working with peers, and more.

Whatever path you take, remember that learning (within a graduate degree program or elsewhere) applies to a prolific career and so much more. Learning is a lifelong journey that continues well after you leave the classroom. What matters is that you take what you have learned and find ways to make a lasting positive impact on the world.