FIELD Global Capstone

A course for first-year MBA students that aims to develop students’ ability to understand and manage differences and operate effectively across cultures and business contexts.

The field method gives first-year students meaningful and numerous opportunities to act like leaders, translating their ideas into practice.

To develop students’ ability to understand and manage differences and operate effectively across cultures, Harvard Business School (HBS) partners with companies across 13 cities as “Global Partners” to develop immersion projects and matches each company with a diverse team of six students.

Students travel to their assigned Global Partner’s location from Monday, May 11 through Monday, May 18, 2026 to meet with their partner and complete their project.

Global Partners ask students to address a pressing consumer challenge or need. Students provide value to their Global Partner by contributing promising, innovative ideas to help shape a new product, service or customer experience. These ideas will derive from their interactions with local consumers, their own creative thinking, and the “fresh perspective” they bring as outsiders. Projects must be rooted in a consumer-facing challenge or need.

This is not a consulting engagement, but rather an academic experience where student learning is the primary objective. Beginning with campus-based classes and culminating with an immersion where students travel to their Global Partner’s location, FIELD Global Capstone allows students to engage in consumer-centered projects.

Global Partner Responsibilities

Global Partners are companies from a variety of industries that HBS selects to host projects for our students. HBS faculty and staff work with the company to craft a project and the company appoints a Project Manager to be the primary contact for the project. Projects must be located in the immersion city and allow for students to spend significant time observing and interacting with customers.

Key Dates & Logistics

The course begins for students in March, with on-campus course sessions held in Boston. Student teams have two calls with their Global Partner to begin planning for the project prior to their arrival in-country. Students will travel to the immersion city in May for the project week.

The field method gives first-year students meaningful and numerous opportunities to act like leaders, translating their ideas into practice.
170
Global partners annually
15
Global cities

The most valuable aspect for our organization was the combination of different points of view and the multinational thinking style that it fostered. Diverse teams from various backgrounds and cultures resulted in a rich exchange of ideas and perspectives, generating innovative solutions and approaches to our business challenges.

MBA students explore an international company in Pretoria, South Africa as part of the FIELD Program.

What Can Students Do in a Week?

Our students can add great value to the Global Partners. In just one week, they cannot develop a fully tested product/service hypothesis, based on comprehensive market knowledge and quantitative testing. However, students can be an asset to the Global Partner by providing any of the following:

  • Promising idea informed, supported, and inspired by new insights garnered from local consumers.

  • A variety of “fresh perspectives” from a diverse group of outsiders.

  • Suggested next steps for partners to further develop the team’s leading idea and test critical assumptions that it rests upon.

  • A project with lasting value for partners: the ideas themselves; as well as the process by which students have developed them.

About Our Students

  • 35% of the MBA class is international

  • Students come from various professional backgrounds, such as consulting, venture capital, consumer products/retail, technology, and more

  • Student teams are selected for diversity of professional background, national origin, and ethnicity

First two photographs © AP images for Harvard Business School.

Interested in joining as a Global Partner?

Let us know you are interested and we can work with you to put together a strong project proposal.

Email Our Global Team
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