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The Chicago Approach

Discover the power of our educational philosophy.

Chicago Booth is the birthplace of The Chicago Approach™, the educational philosophy that sets Booth apart from every other business school in the world.

This approach to business education and scholarship has yielded some of the most groundbreaking business insights and advances in the 20th and 21st centuries. The Chicago Approach provides an enduring, multidisciplinary framework—taught by the world’s best business school faculty—that will empower you to turn business challenges into opportunities, in any industry, anywhere in the world.

Rooted in the fundamental scientific disciplines at the heart of business—economics, accounting, psychology, sociology, and statistics—this approach grounds all Booth students in theoretical frameworks that help them define problems, ask better questions, and develop better solutions.

The Impact of The Chicago Approach

Strong analytical skills, a strategic mindset, and the ability to lead confidently in ambiguous circumstances are essential to success in today’s constantly changing, data-driven business landscape. The Chicago Approach gives Booth graduates enduring strategic, analytical frameworks that translate into success throughout their careers. Source: 2019 Alumni Survey, figures have been rounded

98%

Alumni who somewhat or strongly agree that they know how to think analytically

98%

92%

Alumni who somewhat or strongly agree that they know how to tackle business problems they have never seen before

92%

95%

Alumni who somewhat or strongly agree that they know how to think strategically

95%

Transform Your Thinking

“With The Chicago Approach, we try to teach people how to think. It’s not the direct knowledge, per se, that we’re conveying. It’s teaching people how to evaluate evidence, how to have a framework where you organize thoughts, how to think about problems in a way that is somewhat universal.”
—John Huizinga, Walter David “Bud” Fackler Distinguished Service Professor of Economics

The Chicago Approach in Practice

Explore how the academic experience and curriculum at Booth can help you reach your career and personal goals.

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Put your bold ideas into action. No matter which degree program you choose, learn from world-class faculty and join the same influential network, and the same dynamic community.


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Building on the Foundation

The Chicago Approach offers more than analytical skills and frameworks. It also instills critical competencies—emotional intelligence, people management, and strong leadership abilities—that are increasingly recognized as essential to success. Courses such as Interpersonal Dynamics and Power and Influence in Organizations combine self-assessment tools and real-world scenarios to build empathy and self-awareness. Beyond the classroom, cocurricular opportunities, including leadership roles, case competitions, and self-leadership retreats, allow you to engage in questions of ethics and identity, while helping you to become a better leader.

Building on the Foundation

Stories from Our Community

Achieving a healthy work-life balance can be difficult. Here’s how some in the Booth community are doing it.

The History of The Chicago Approach

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, at a time when the world’s business schools were in crisis, The Chicago Approach—developed by pioneering Booth faculty James Lorie, PhD ’47, and W. Allen Wallis—revolutionized business education and sent Chicago Booth on a path to becoming one of the world’s best business schools. As economics, accounting, statistics, sociology, and other key business disciplines evolve, so does The Chicago Approach; it will be as effective tomorrow, and in 2060, as it was when first articulated by Lorie and Wallis. Discover the history of The Chicago Approach and why it is such a powerful tool for ambitious leaders in a data-driven, fast-changing world.

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“Booth’s data-driven approach has been the guiding factor in how I solve most of the problems at work. What has surprised me is how Booth’s analytical approach combined with the soft-skills training I received during my MBA has not only helped me to analyze data and deliver recommendations, but empowered me to communicate this information in an effective way.”
—Monisha Shivakumar, ’19

Explore Our Educational Philosophy in Action

Engage Further with Why Booth

The Executive MBA Program is registered under the Hong Kong Education Bureau. Registration No.: 262427. It is a matter of discretion for individual employers to recognise any qualification to which this course may lead.