Applications Open! Enroll for Summer 2027 at 2026 Tuition Pricing Until Sept 30
Solve a company challenge in this 2-week business leadership academy for high school students at UCLA Anderson.
Rated 4.6 out of 5 for classroom experience by students who took this course in 2026.
Course Description
What should a company do when the market changes, the numbers are uncertain, and a team disagrees about the next move? Students step into that tension through business cases and simulations that ask them to weigh evidence, choose a strategy, and explain the tradeoffs.
The academy builds a foundation across strategy, finance, and leadership. Students use SWOT and competitive analysis, read basic financial statements, compare business models, and examine how organizations create value. Leadership workshops add communication, ethical decision-making, teamwork, and conflict resolution. Students practice adapting their approach to different situations and use feedback and reflection to identify their own strengths and areas for growth.
For the capstone, teams act as management consultants for an entertainment-industry company facing a significant challenge. They define the problem, study the company and market, consider financial and ethical implications, develop a recommendation, and present their reasoning. The project brings together the analytical and interpersonal skills used throughout the academy.
This three-week full-day high school academy takes place at UCLA Anderson School of Management in Los Angeles, California. The program is developed by UCLA Anderson and offered in partnership with Summer Discovery. The academy is available to residential and commuter students. Beyond class, students connect focused academic work with campus life, growing independence, and clearer direction about what they may want to study or pursue next.
What Will You Do?
• Analyze business cases and identify the decisions leaders must make
• Use SWOT and competitive analysis to evaluate a company’s position
• Read basic financial statements and connect numbers to strategy
• Compare leadership styles through simulations and team challenges
• Practice ethical decision-making, communication, and conflict resolution
• Develop and present a team consulting recommendation
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Analyze a business challenge using strategic and financial evidence
• Apply leadership, communication, and ethical reasoning to team decisions
• Present a clear consulting recommendation and defend its tradeoffs
Students will leave with a consulting presentation, stronger business and leadership skills, and greater clarity about studying or pursuing business, management, entrepreneurship, or organizational leadership.
Why Business Leadership Skills Matter?
Business leadership is the ability to make sound decisions and help others move toward a shared goal. Strategic analysis teaches students to separate symptoms from the underlying problem, while basic financial literacy helps them test whether an idea is realistic.
Leadership also depends on communication, self-awareness, and judgment. Comparing different approaches shows that no single style works in every situation. Students learn to listen, manage disagreement, explain tradeoffs, and adjust how they contribute to a team. Those skills matter in school organizations, group projects, internships, community work, and future study across business and many other fields.
Who Should Attend?
This academy is for high school students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade and want to understand how organizations make decisions and how leaders guide teams. Students must demonstrate academic achievement with mostly A and/or B grades in their high school courses.
It is a strong fit for students who enjoy case discussions, problem solving, teamwork, presentations, or questions about strategy and entrepreneurship. Students should be ready to consider different viewpoints, work with basic financial information, contribute to a team recommendation, and reflect on how their own leadership approach can develop.
Recommended by More Than 4 out of 5 Students
Based on students surveyed in Summer Discovery’s 2026 UCLA high school program.
Why UCLA Anderson School of Management?
UCLA Anderson’s Foundations in Business Leadership Academy gives students a college-level introduction to business in Los Angeles, where established companies, startups, entertainment firms, and global brands operate side by side. Led by UCLA Anderson, the academy uses business cases, industry perspectives, team decisions, and an entertainment-company capstone to connect leadership principles with the way organizations actually work.
Students build practical skills in analysis, strategy, communication, collaboration, and presentation. Residential life and activities extend the student experience beyond the classroom. Living alongside peers and navigating a new environment help students gain independence while testing how they approach complex choices and group work. They leave with a clearer sense of whether business, management, entrepreneurship, or organizational leadership may be worth pursuing further.
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive