Is an MBOE right for me?

Does your next step look like:

• Expanding cross-functional influence
• Leading systematic improvement efforts
• Guiding organizational change from within

Students in this path often use the MBOE to enhance performance in real time. Through the capstone project, they take on a current business challenge and apply faculty frameworks, improvement tools and peer feedback directly to their organization. Each student is paired with an executive coach who serves as a thought partner — helping them navigate stakeholder alignment, build confidence and sustain change. The result is elevated leadership, stronger systems thinking and measurable operational outcomes without needing to change roles.

Student Success Stories:

Below are examples of how students entered the program, what they hoped to achieve and where they landed one year after graduation.

Erin S. 

Industry: Manufacturing/Engineering
Before MBOE: Senior Engineering Manager
Goal at enrollment: "I recognized that an MBOE will help provide me the skills I need to be a more effective leader in my organization. I believe what sets the Fisher MBOE program apart is the "learn and do" approach to the curriculum. The classroom setting is not a traditional lecture. Instead, we are taking what we study in between sessions and using the classroom time to repeatedly apply the content to real world problems. This methodology is incredibly effective, not to mention fun!"
Role one year post graduation: Senior Engineering Manager
Impact one year post graduation: "I am more confident as a leader, and I'm better equipped to help my team break down and define problems and then use a systematic approach to solve them."

Devanie G.

Industry:  Healthcare
Before MBOE: Nurse Manager
Goal at enrollment: "As a nurse manager, it often feels like decisions are made on the spot for immediate solutions. I aim to acquire new strategies to empower the team to look at the whole process and enhance problem solving skills through lean thinking."
Role one year post graduation: Nurse Manager
Impact one year post graduation: "The MBOE program was a challenging yet incredibly rewarding 13-month journey, especially as a seasoned learner returning to the classroom outside of healthcare. The experience pushed me to think differently, strengthened my confidence and equipped me with practical tools I use every day."

Does your next step look like:

• Transitioning from technical contributor to enterprise leader
• Taking on people, systems or P&L responsibility
• Shifting from tactical problem-solving to strategic decision-making.

This path is about acceleration. The combination of coaching, capstone work and faculty instruction gives students space to build leadership identity, strengthen communication across functions and practice strategic thinking in a low-risk environment. Real-world coursework supplies structured tools for framing complex problems and influencing organizational systems. Many students experience role expansion, increased executive visibility or formal promotion during or shortly after the program.

Student Success Stories:

Below are examples of how students entered the program, what they hoped to achieve and where they landed one year after graduation.

Kara H. 

Industry: Construction
Before MBOE: Project Procurement Manager
Goal at enrollment: "While researching masters programs, I was seeking a program that would be applicable to not only my current position but help me grow as an operations professional. The MBOE program offers a well-rounded curriculum, which fit into my goals of becoming an effective operations and change management lead."
Role one year post graduation: Supply Chain Project Manager
Impact one year post graduation: "Structured problem solving has been most beneficial for me, personally.  Understanding the proper work that should be put into understanding the true problem was the biggest take-away.  Working in the construction industry, we often see knee-jerk reactions to achieve little wins without consideration of peripheral and/or downstream impacts.  The MBOE program has helped reshape how I think of problem solving and enhanced how I effectively communicate the time investment of leading and learning lean thinking and problem solving to my team members and leadership team."

Calen B. 

Industry:  Healthcare
Before MBOE: Administrator
Goal at enrollment: "There are endless possibilities to apply MBOE learnings within healthcare. Over the last five years, I have continued to meet more and more professionals that are integrating lean methodologies and the DMAIC approach into their work. I wanted to continue to develop myself in this manner to better lead teams into the future."
Role one year post graduation: Associate Vice President
Impact one year post graduation: "My role expanded to include oversight of perioperative and procedural services across the healthsystem. It has been almost a year since graduation, and I regularly reference my notes, tools and cheat sheets for projects.  Most of those tools, learned within the MBOE curriculum, I had never used prior."

Does your next step look like:

• Entering continuous improvement
• Operational Excellence or transformation roles
• Moving between sectors (e.g., manufacturing to healthcare)
• Taking on enterprise-level change work.

Students pursuing a pivot gain exposure to new industries, faculty with diverse backgrounds, and peers solving problems across healthcare, manufacturing, engineering, logistics and service sectors. The capstone and coaching model help them demonstrate capability beyond their existing resume, while faculty frameworks and structured performance tools make operational excellence transferable across environments. Students often leave the program with both the confidence and evidence needed to pursue new roles, industries or functions.

Student Success Stories:

Below are examples of how students entered the program, what they hoped to achieve and where they landed one year after graduation.

Adam J. 

Industry: Manufacturing to Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution
Before MBOE: Director of Operations
Goal at enrollment: "I have always had a deep interest in operations, as I first tasted it when I was in the military. Operations in the civilian world can be more robust, and I wanted to seek an educational program that would expand the outreach of the operations world, and the MBOE path was the way to go.

My ultimate goal is to be better versed in the operations world and for the MBOE program to set me up for success to operate better in this career path because this is where I truly belong."
Role one year post graduation: Continuous Improvement Manager
Impact one year post graduation: "The MBOE program has been one of the most transformative experiences of my career. It gave me not only the tools of structured problem-solving and systems thinking, but also the confidence and mindset to lead with intention, clarity and humility. The hands-on learning and faculty coaching pushed me to see problems differently and communicate more effectively at every level of my organization. Just as important, the relationships I built with classmates created a supportive community that challenged me and helped me grow. This program has fundamentally changed the way I approach leadership and operational excellence, and I am a stronger professional and person because of it."

• Classes meet for eight, four-day sessions (Wednesday - Saturday) spread across 13 months.
• Capstone project directly connected to organization's unique needs and challenges
• Lean Six Sigma certification exam included
• Site visits to select organizations for immersive industry exploration
• Collaborative partnership between executive coach and organization
• Connect with alumni and indusry leaders

• Cohort Size: 25 - 35 professionals
• Required Years Professional Work Experience: 3-5 years
• Average Years Professional Work Experience: 19 years
• Industries Represented:
  • Government/Military
  • Health care
  • Finance
  • Sales
  • Innovation
  • Engineering
  • Marketing
  • Technology
  • Manufacturing
• Positions Represented:
  • C-suite
  • President
  • Vice President
  • Health Care Professional
  • Continuous Improvement Leader
  • Director
  • Senior Manager
  • Manager
  • Supervisor
  • Engineer

Courses are taught by experienced faculty who are accomplished educators, researchers and consultants. Their knowledge of operational excellence principles, and their ability to apply that knowledge in the classroom, creates a stimulating and challenging educational experience.

Selected from a pool of nationally recruited experts with established reputations as effective leaders and mentors, your coach will meet with you on an ongoing basis — typically every week — visit your worksite at least twice during the program, and work closely with you to develop and implement your capstone project. 

Starting before you apply to beyond graduation day, our dedicated staff is here to ensure your experience is seamless and stress-free. Our team takes care of everything from enrolling you in classes to ordering your course materials, ensuring that all the administrative details are handled efficiently. We handle the logistics so you can focus on what truly matters — your learning and leadership growth.

Integral to your success in the MBOE program is your employer’s investment in time and resources. We encourage active participation from sponsors to ensure their employees and their organizations reap the benefits of improving and sustaining operational excellence.