Capstone Consulting Course (MSC 480)
The Broad School and the Institute for Entrepreneurship believe that entrepreneurship education must include practical experience in an entrepreneurial setting. As a result, students specializing in entrepreneurship are required to complete a capstone consulting experience with a local entrepreneurial enterprise.
The Institute for Entrepreneurship invites local businesses to participate in the entrepreneurial education process by applying to become "course–clients." Course–clients are typically small and emerging enterprises in the Lansing/Mid–Michigan area. A course–client will present a specific business problem to be addressed and resolved during one semester (approximately 14 weeks).
Interested enterprises will meet with supervising faculty to discuss the business problem and determine whether or not it is suitable for the course. (In some cases faculty may recommend that businesses seek assistance from another resource.) Supervising faculty will also help course–clients determine the performance metrics and deliverables for each project. An Institute faculty member will continue to supervise the student team throughout the project.
Our students are seniors in business administration who have finished the majority of their coursework and often completed one or more professional summer internships. While these students are not experienced consultants, they are highly educated, well–trained, professional and motivated.
Students and course–clients both benefit from the capstone consulting experience. Students gain real–world experience in entrepreneurship to complement their studies. Course–clients receive high–quality business consulting at little or no cost.
MBA–level courses also take on course–clients in select semesters. The MBA students typically have 3–8 years of business experience and have completed their first year of studies. MBA–level consulting courses are able to take on more complex projects than the undergraduate capstone courses.
Unfortunately, we are unable to accept and place all interested businesses. We are limited by capacity constraints and not all projects are suitable for class learning (i.e. projects involving proprietary knowledge or unpatented innovations).
For more information on becoming an entrepreneurship course–client please contact the Institute for Entrepreneurship at entrepreneur@bus.msu.edu or 517–432–6338. You may also complete a consulting resources application online.