Learning for a Lifetime

Each year, thousands of alumni look to Booth for lifelong learning and career advancement resources to help them solve professional problems, prepare for career transitions, and stay abreast of thought leadership in their fields. Through these experiences, they build community with like-minded people, encounter new ideas, and indulge their unbounded curiosity. 
 
“We want alumni to think of the school as their intellectual home as they progress through their career and pivot to new opportunities,” says Penka Bergmann, AM ’00, director of global alumni engagement. “Booth alumni are eternally inquisitive, and we offer a mix of experiences and means of engaging wherever they are in the world.” 

Suppose you’re facing a thorny problem at work and you’d like feedback from a trusted group of advisors. Or you want to build leadership skills to rise to the C-suite. Or you just want to catch up on the latest research in marketing or finance. 

Lifelong learning opportunities at Booth range from podcasts and speaker events to minicourses, certificate programs, and leadership retreats—and many are available in online or hybrid formats. Whether you have a few minutes or a few weeks, a specific career goal or a general desire to stay informed, here are some ways to continue learning and discovering at Booth. 

Take a Tiny Course

Tiny Courses are interactive online experiences that combine short videos featuring Booth research with quizzes to reinforce your learning. For example, Get It Done: The Science of Motivation explains how to set goals that motivate you, juggle multiple objectives, and exercise self-control—all based on research by Professor Ayelet Fishbach, author of the 2022 book by the same name. 

All modules are available online, so you can complete the course during your lunch hour or in 10-minute bites over the course of a workweek.  

Join an Industry Alumni Community

New in 2025, industry alumni communities offer opportunities to build a network of people in a shared field. The communities, which are independent of location, provide programming on a global scale and have already launched in healthcare and tech. 

In conjunction with the industry alumni communities, the Booth Industry Insights series features local alumni leaders sharing stories on their career trajectory and expertise from their years in the industry. These events are hosted in person in partnership with regional alumni communities. 

Check Out Upcoming Workshops in Your Area

Booth alumni have opportunities throughout the year to engage with faculty via workshops, discussions, and more.  

In December, 40 alumni from 12 countries gathered in London for The Future of the CMO, led by Professor Jean-Pierre Dubé and supported by the Fred G. Steingraber/Kearney Endowment.  

The endowment also supports the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation’s Perspectives on Capitalism course for alumni. Through the same reading list and faculty lectures as the popular MBA course, alumni in peer-led cohorts explore the complex relationships among corporations, the state, the individual, and values. Last year, 60 alumni from nine countries participated. 

Register for one of Booth’s Annual Conferences

Economic Outlook brings together Booth faculty experts to discuss emerging trends and share insights into the future of the global economy. More than 600 people attended the 2025 in-person event in December in Chicago. 

Now in its 72nd year, Management Conference focuses on the most pressing issues in business today, opening with a keynote conversation followed by breakout sessions led by Booth faculty and business leaders. More than 640 people attended in 2024. 

Try a Four-Week Leadership Minicourse

Become a better leader in just a few hours a month by taking a minicourse through the Harry L. Davis Center for Leadership. Classes meet live-online once a week for four weeks, but all sessions are recorded so that participants can tune in synchronously or on their own time.  

Last year, nearly 1,500 alumni and others signed up for minicourses on topics such as leadership language, team effectiveness, authenticity in the workplace, relationship intelligence, the power of self-coaching, and ambidextrous leadership.  

Make Chicago Booth Review Your Source for Business News

Chicago Booth Review, the school’s flagship research publication, highlights research-driven work on business, policy, and markets through a variety of channels. Does the stock market need fixing? Should we let algorithms make moral choices? Is the customer always right? Read the articles on CBR’s website, subscribe to the weekly newsletter, or hear directly from faculty through CBR’s podcast series or its YouTube channel, with its 240,000 subscribers.  

Tap into the Distinguished Speaker Series Archives

The virtual Distinguished Speaker Series is the place to get insights from high-powered alumni in business, government, and the community. A long-standing Chicago Booth tradition, the series features conversations with alumni leaders such as the cofounder of Grubhub and the then-president of the NFL’s Washington Commanders. The school hosts three to five DSS events a year, and recordings of nearly 40 past sessions are on Booth’s website.  

Join a Leadership Learning Circle

Imagine having your own board of directors, a small group of like-minded fellow leaders who can help you process your personal and professional challenges in a confidential, supportive environment.  

That’s what the Davis Center’s Leadership Learning Circles offer. Designed for Booth alumni in C-suite and senior-level leadership roles, these circles comprise about 10 alumni who come together for self-reflection, honest sharing, and learning from a wide range of perspectives. The program launched in 2019 with five groups across India and has since expanded to Chicago, London, New York, the Bay Area, and beyond.  

Enroll in an Executive Education Course

Executive Education courses offer the opportunity to refresh your skills, catch up on the latest thinking, and network with leaders from all over the world.  

For individuals, open-enrollment courses offer accelerated learning on topics ranging from leadership and strategy to digital innovation and behavioral economics. 

Courses are held online, in a hybrid format, or in person at all three of Booth’s global campuses. Participants come from all over the world and range from midcareer executives looking to learn more about recent technological advances to experienced CEOs preparing for career transitions.  

For organizations, custom programs can be tailored to address specific needs and goals. In sectors as diverse as banking, government, and consumer goods, faculty have created learning programs for clients in the Americas, Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.  

Visit the lifelong learning website to find all the opportunities the school has to offer.