Introduction to Management Consulting (Coursera)

Offered by Emory University,
Introduction to Management Consulting (Coursera)

Management consultants are paid well because they help executives to break down complex problems, make difficult decisions, and implement lasting change. Consultants know how to work smart and fast.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Companies like McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Deloitte, EY, PWC, KPMG, and Accenture have trained thousands of consultants on useful skills, tools, methodologies. Taught by an ex-consultant from Deloitte, John Kim will give you a quick introduction to management consulting:
• What do management consultants do?
• What are the benefits of a consulting career?
• How can you learn these consulting skills?
• Why do clients hire management consultants?
• What is an example of a consulting skill?
This is the first course in the specialization on management consulting.
Course 1 of 5 in the Management Consulting Specialization.

What You Will Learn
What do management consultants do? What are some of the tools and skills that I can apply to my work? Why is problem solving a super-power?

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Management Consulting 101
Management consulting is an exciting industry and a wonderful career path for smart, curious, and diligent professionals. Consultants help executives to break down problems, make difficult decisions, and create change.

WEEK 2
What Do Consultants Do?
Globally, there are more than 1 million people who describe themselves as consultants. They work in all industries (telecommunications, oil and gas, financial services) and all functions (marketing, operations, finance). So what exactly do these highly-paid professional do?

WEEK 3
Supercharging Your Career
I have 15+ years experience as a management consultant. After working at Deloitte Consulting and Philips Healthcare consulting, now teach at Emory University and also train new consultants. There are many reasons you might want to join a consulting firm and gain these skills.

WEEK 4
Consulting Skills and Tools
Consultants have a toolbox of skills, methodologies, and tips to help them work smart. Yes, they vary by consulting firm, industry, and professional preference. This specialization will focus on the top 30 that you definitely need to know, starting with "client interviewing" skills.

WEEK 5
How to Develop Consulting Skills
Consulting is an apprenticeship. Yes, you can study (like this course), but you learn from experience. Experience doing difficult analysis and creating wonderful graphs. Experience on working with clients. Experience working with senior practitioners.

WEEK 6
Why Clients Hire Consultants
Why do clients hire consultants? After all, don't clients know their business better than outsiders? Also, management consultants are not cheap; it's common for consulting projects to be $millions of dollars.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Communicating Business Analytics Results (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado Boulder

Communicating Business Analytics Results (Coursera)

The analytical process does not end with models than can predict with accuracy or prescribe the best solution to business problems. Developing these models and gaining insights from data do not necessarily lead to successful implementations. This depends on the ability to communicate results to those who make decisions.

Jun 22nd 2026
4 Weeks
Innovation Management (Coursera) Coursera
Erasmus University Rotterdam

Innovation Management (Coursera)

What is innovation management? How do firms bring in new business models and get new products and services to the market? Go on a nine-week journey through innovation management concepts, theories of idea generation, selection, strategy formulation and implementation in this MOOC in Innovation Management. In it, you will also learn the tools for implementing innovation projects yourself. Guided by world-class academics, you will develop an innovative mindset and expertise in how firms successfully create new ideas for marketing new products. The syllabus also includes sessions about innovation strategy, idea management and social networks.

Jun 25th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Customer Analytics (Coursera) Coursera
University of Pennsylvania

Customer Analytics (Coursera)

Data about our browsing and buying patterns are everywhere. From credit card transactions and online shopping carts, to customer loyalty programs and user-generated ratings/reviews, there is a staggering amount of data that can be used to describe our past buying behaviors, predict future ones, and prescribe new ways to influence future purchasing decisions. In this brand new course, four of Wharton’s top marketing professors will dive deeper into the key areas of customer analytics: descriptive analytics, predictive analytics, prescriptive analytics, and their application to real-world business practices including Amazon, Google, and Starbucks to name a few.

Jun 22nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Construction Project Management (Coursera) Coursera
Columbia University

Construction Project Management (Coursera)

Construction Project Management introduces you to Project Initiation and Planning. Industry experts join Columbia University professor, Ibrahim Odeh, to give an overview of the construction industry. Professor Odeh teaches the fundamentals of the Project Development Cycle while guest lecturers discuss Lean Project Delivery method and Lean Design Behaviors.

Jun 22nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Research kitchen (Coursera) Coursera
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Research kitchen (Coursera)

The research kitchen is a unique format that we have developed extra for you: curious learners interested in competitive strategy and organization design yearning for a first glimpse into the world of research. It is voluntary and "just for fun" - so please, go on and have a look! Different to other courses of our specialization Competitive Strategy and Organization Design it is comprised of brief paper sessions rather than modules. For a change, you will experience the instructor Tobias Kretschmer at the whiteboard of his very own institute at LMU Munich. Here he will summarize key findings of recent research papers on topics relating to the three courses Competitive Strategy, Advanced Competitive Strategy and Strategic Organization Design. Topics that researchers today are working on to enhance the knowledge of tomorrow. We hope you enjoy this innovative format and possibly even find some inspiration and motivation for your own future research.

Jun 22nd 2026
1 Week
China Strategy (Coursera) Coursera
The Chinese University of Hong Kong

China Strategy (Coursera)

This course is designed to help you, as a strategist of a foreign company, better understand how to develop your China strategy. Specifically, after studying China’s changing strategic landscape, you will focus on mastering three strategic issues: who – the major players in China, how – the entry modes, and where – the location strategy for your China business. This course is aimed to deliver updated knowledge and real experiences of developing China strategy.

Jun 22nd 2026
4 Weeks
Cómo resolver problemas y tomar decisiones con eficacia (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, Irvine

Cómo resolver problemas y tomar decisiones con eficacia (Coursera)

El pensamiento crítico (la aplicación de métodos científicos y del razonamiento lógico) constituye la base para resolver problemas y tomar decisiones con eficacia. El pensamiento crítico nos permite evitar escollos frecuentes, verificar la validez de nuestras creencias y suposiciones y corregir las distorsiones que pueden haberse producido en nuestros procesos mentales.

Jun 22nd 2026
4 Weeks
Design Thinking for Innovation (Coursera) Coursera
University of Virginia

Design Thinking for Innovation (Coursera)

Today innovation is everyone's business. Whether you are a manager in a global corporation, an entrepreneur starting up, in a government role, or a teacher in an elementary school, everyone is expected to get lean – to do better with less. And that is why we all need design thinking. At every level in every kind of organization, design thinking provides the tools you need to become an innovative thinker and uncover creative opportunities that are there – you're just not seeing them yet.

Jun 22nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Fundamentos del Emprendimiento: Pensamiento y Acción (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, Irvine

Fundamentos del Emprendimiento: Pensamiento y Acción (Coursera)

El éxito en los negocios puede aumentar enormemente cuando se comprenden las características de emprendimiento claves y las soluciones basadas en las competencias. En este curso interactivo se brinda el conocimiento que los emprendedores potenciales necesitan para tener éxito en una oportunidad empresarial.

Jun 22nd 2026
4 Weeks
Foundations of strategic business analytics (Coursera) Coursera
ESSEC Business School

Foundations of strategic business analytics (Coursera)

Who is this course for? This course is designed for students, business analysts, and data scientists who want to apply statistical knowledge and techniques to business contexts. For example, it may be suited to experienced statisticians, analysts, engineers who want to move more into a business role. You will find this course exciting and rewarding if you already have a background in statistics, can use R or another programming language and are familiar with databases and data analysis techniques such as regression, classification, and clustering.

Jun 22nd 2026
4 Weeks
Designing the Future of Work (Coursera) Coursera
UNSW Sydney - University of New South Wales

Designing the Future of Work (Coursera)

The workplace of tomorrow is an uncertain place. We live in a rapidly changing world, and design innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and big data are rapidly changing the fundamental nature of how we live and work. As these technologies continue to evolve at an exponential rate - it is becoming critical to understand their impact on contemporary work practices, and for businesses and employees to understand how to design a secure future amidst this disruption.

Jun 23rd 2026
4 Weeks