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Management & Consulting Association

Is your organization interested in attracting motivated candidates dedicated to Consulting or General Management careers? Consider partnering with the Thunderbird Management & Consulting Association.

Management & Consulting Association

Mission & Purpose

Behrens '09

"My involvement in the TMCA has helped me not only hone my case interview skills, but also enabled me to develop valuable contacts with consultants across five continents. Largely as a result of the TMCA, I have a renewed appreciation for the consulting industry and have secured a position with a top tier firm."

Matt Behrens '09

The Thunderbird Management and Consulting Association (TMCA) is a student-led organization dedicated to the promotion of the consulting industry throughout the Thunderbird community.

We utilize faculty interaction, alumni engagement, industry networking and Career Management Center collaboration to enhance knowledge of the consulting field from the recruitment process through job offers to engagement success.

For students, the TMCA is your connection to the consulting world. We offer the opportunity to learn about the consulting industry, gain valuable consulting experience, develop a network, and prepare for consulting interviews.

For alumni, we offer the opportunity to network with other alumni and current students. We maintain an active discussion board for participants to discuss the consulting life, develop contacts and share job leads.

For employers and recruiters, we offer the opportunity to interact with motivated MBA and master's level candidates in unique and meaningful ways to attract high potential talent.

In addition, we encourage companies, local and international, to contact us to inquire about consulting engagements. TMCA students are always eager to gain valuable consulting experience by working on real-life projects. Students volunteer their time to help companies solve challenges affecting their businesses. Firms gain the brainpower of top business school students, the support of a leading faculty knowledge network, and the inside track to hire outstanding project participants.

Opportunities for Employers and Companies to Get Involved

There are a number of ways you can get involved with Thunderbird's Management and Consulting Association. To partner with us on these and other activities, contact us using the information provided at the bottom of this page.

  • Campus Speakers
    Business leaders and employers are invited to speak on campus to promote their firm, work, and recent successes. Speakers receive campus-wide promotion and are well-received by students eager to hear about firms and career opportunities. Typical speaker topics include strategies to get into the consulting industry, life as a consultant, recent projects completed by the firm, and tips for success. Before and after speaking events, speakers have the opportunity to network with students on an informal basis. Considered by students to be among the most informative and valuable events on campus, speaker sessions are a great way for companies to build their brand image and reputation on campus.
  • Company visits
    Students often seek to visit local consultancies to learn about life in the industry, challenges faced, and career paths that exist for business school graduates. These visits are arranged by students through contacts they have generated in the Phoenix consulting industry.  Students learn about life as a consultant in a boutique firm. Firms are given the opportunity to learn about Thunderbird and the benefits of its #1 ranked international MBA program, and promote their company to the Thunderbird community. These visits often lead to lasting relationships between firms and students and between firms and the school.
  • TREKs
    Each year the TMCA, in collaboration with the Career Management Center (CMC), arranges a TREK to visit consulting firms in various regional areas. These TREKs allow 15 select students the opportunity to learn from consulting professionals about their firm and field of work. Recent Consulting TREKs have included Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco, with visits to Bearing Point, Cap Gemini, Bridge Strategy Consulting, Hitachi Consulting, Navigant Consulting, Diamond Consultants, AT Kearney, Bain and Company, Aperian Global, Venture Archetypes, Gallup, Ideo, KPMG, Stroud Consulting, Deloitte, and IBM Consulting.
  • Consulting engagements
    The TMCA works with companies on real-life consulting engagements to drive value for clients. These opportunities not only provide students with valuable experience to become better consultants, but allow firms to benefit from the perspective of globally-trained business school candidates who leverage Thunderbird's #1 ranked curriculum and access to content-rich database resources to provide solutions to the firm.

Opportunities for Students

In addition to the above activities, TMCA members benefit from:

  • Case competitions
    The TMCA regularly participates in large case competitions with other business schools, sending students to represent Thunderbird at final rounds when appropriate.
  • Interview prep
    The TMCA provides interview preparation sessions to help members successfully navigate the industry employment process. Sessions can be tailored for specific situations, but most commonly the club holds consulting case workshops. Text book practice cases and cases students have actually encountered are analyzed, and tactics for “cracking the case” are presented and discussed. Faculty members with industry experience are often present to facilitate practice sessions and offer feedback.
  • Student speakers
    Many TMCA members have had prior consulting experience and often share their industry experience. Many have even given condensed versions of presentations previously delivered to actual clients. These sessions provide excellent peer-driven insight into the consulting world.
  • Social networking opportunities
    Regularly scheduled TMCA events allow members to socialize, network, and share career search strategies. These events have proven fruitful and often lead to contacts and job leads.

Contact Information

Club elections take place in May. In the meantime, please contact employer.relations@thunderbird.edu