通过第一学期的“核心”课程，MBA学生建立了他们在麻省理工学院史隆管理学院的基础——通过和5-6个来自不同背景的同学手拉手的紧密合作。2003年秋，有66个这样的团队，学生们随机地组合在一起。通过共同完成必修课程的作业，在经济、统计、管理沟通、商务统计、组织过程（还可以在战略营销或金融两门课程中任选一个）等方面，学生们获得了基本的技能训练。同时，当加入专题，与给他们安排的团队同事合作时，他们还受到了关于团队合作与领导技能方面的印象深刻的教育。
Through the first-semester "core" classes, MBA students build the foundation of their MIT Sloan education - hand in hand with a highly diverse team of five or six classmates. In Fall 2003, there were 66 of these teams, to which students were assigned randomly. Together, students gain fundamental skills through required course work in economics, accounting, managerial communication, business statistics, and organizational processes (as well as an elective in either strategic marketing or finance). And they absorb indelible lessons about teamwork and leadership as they collaborate on joint projects with their assigned team of peers.

学生们还可以享受公司及团队中的互动所带来的激励，这个“群组”由10-11个团队组成，他们共同完成他们的学业课程。（来源：麻省理工学院史隆管理学院网页）
Students also enjoy the company and intellectual stimulation of their "cohort" - a larger group made up of 10 to 11 teams who take their courses together. (Source: MIT Sloan School of Management web site.)

史隆学院第一学期的群组和团队——麻省理工学院史隆MBA学生事务
Cohorts and Teams in the First Semester at Sloan - Presentation by MIT Sloan MBA Student Affairs (PDF)