The University of Texas McCombs School of Business is gearing up to move its Houston working‑professional MBA program into the former Marathon Oil headquarters in west Houston, turning a largely quiet office tower into a fresh academic outpost. The plan would put classrooms, student services, and faculty space inside the 15‑story building at the edge of CityCentre, creating a dedicated hub for professionals who now trek in from the energy corridor and Memorial City. McCombs is pitching the move as a way to tighten its relationships with Houston employers while cutting down the weekly grind for local students.
Details of the plan
As reported by the Houston Business Journal on Tuesday, McCombs is proposing about $13 million to convert traditional office floors into classrooms, faculty offices, and collaboration areas. That spending, the outlet noted, “would allow UT to double its class size if demand warrants,” giving the school room to grow its working‑professional MBA cohort in Houston. According to the Business Journal, lease terms and construction timelines are still in the negotiation phase, so nothing is locked in yet.
About the building
The 15‑story tower at 990 Town and Country Blvd. wrapped construction in 2022 as Marathon Oil’s headquarters and later changed hands after Marathon’s acquisition by ConocoPhillips. MetroNational bought the largely vacant building last August, according to the Houston Chronicle. The property totals roughly 442,000 square feet of Class‑A office and sits at the gateway to CityCentre, a mixed‑use cluster of restaurants and retail. Local reporting has indicated that MetroNational intends to reposition the tower for multiple tenants as part of a broader west Houston office strategy.
Why CityCentre makes sense
Developers and brokers point to the tower’s access to Memorial City and the Katy Freeway East submarket as a key selling point for tenants, according to Bisnow. MetroNational has described the deal as its largest acquisition in a decade and framed the tower as a value‑add play that can be reshaped for a mix of office and institutional users. For McCombs, that translates into a short hop to major energy and engineering employers that already recruit from and collaborate with the business school.
What this means for students
McCombs already runs a Working Professional MBA that serves Houston‑based students through local instruction and weekend residencies, according to the school’s MBA blog. A permanent facility in the city could lighten the travel load for current students, widen the school’s classroom and networking footprint, and give local companies an easier way to host recruiting events and guest lectures. School leaders say the dedicated space would help tighten links between the program and Houston employers in energy, finance and healthcare.
What’s next
For now, the timing, detailed lease terms and a formal opening date are still to be determined. The Houston Business Journal described the $13 million figure as a planned investment rather than a finalized construction contract. If the deal comes together, the shift would mark another instance of Houston landlords and institutions turning former corporate headquarters into multi‑tenant and institutional space, a trend that shows no sign of slowing.
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