How the Program Works

Currently projects are conducted during the spring semester over a period of approximately two and a half months. Team placements are made in the fall semester and projects begin in January; with the final presentations taking place in April. Each project is assigned a faculty advisor to guide the team through the consulting process; however, the project work is completed entirely by the student teams. Course deliverables are a final report and oral presentation to the company sponsor.

Projects are sponsored by the companies directly. All student and faculty advisor travel related costs, accommodations and most meals are covered by the company sponsor. This four credit course is considered a part of the student’s regular semester coursework and tuition charges will apply to the semester in which the coursework is completed. 

Students apply for projects individually by submitting an application and a faculty recommendation. Applicants are then interviewed before selections to a finalists round are made. All finalists are asked to make individual presentations to a panel after which teams are placed (generally by Thanksgiving break for the spring term). JMCFE candidates are chosen based on a combination of the following: academic and practical teamwork experience as it relates to the project, interest in a specific project, GPA (a minimum 3.0), faculty recommendation, an interview and presentation skills. Additional selection criteria include individual initiative, leadership, responsibility, and reliability.

Project Emphasis
Projects address current concerns of sponsor organizations in one or more functional areas. Consulting projects could include:

·  Marketing plan development

·  Marketing strategy/analysis 

·  Industry analysis 

·  Business development 

·  Benchmark/Competitive analysis