Since 1976, the Management Consulting Field Experience (MCFE) has been linking the business community with Babson College Students. MCFE teams recommend solutions to the business problems of sponsoring companies while providing Babson students with valuable, practical work experience through consulting with domestic and international businesses. Students also develop marketable skills by learning the consulting process and working in growing fields such as e-business. Assignments take place in a variety of business environments, which have included Fortune 500 companies, nonprofit organizations, entrepreneurial ventures, and privately held firms.

The MCFE program, offered through Global Program Services at Babson College, works to strengthen and develop relationships with organizations by offering graduate students the opportunity to work in cooperation with organizations as consultants.

How the Program Works

Interested students fill out an application with their top project choices listed. The Global Program Services office then grants an interview (either individually or as a team depending upon application). Based on the interview and application, the program manager matches teams with sponsor companies. The teams then work over the course of the semester recommending solutions to sponsor companies' specific business problems. Projects are conducted during the Fall and Spring semesters over a period of approximately two and a half months. Teams submit their findings in a written report and make a presentation to the sponsoring company and MCFE advisor.

Project Teams

Teams of three to five students with an objective of examining a challenging business situation, staff each MCFE project. Graduate students are selected for teams based on academic performance, willingness to work as a team member, individual strengths relative to the project, as well as initiative, leadership, responsibility, and reliability. Each project is worth three credits, the equivalent of one course.

Team Support

A project advisor is assigned to advise the team on its work. The project advisor is either a member of the faculty or an Executive-in-Residence. Project advisor selection takes into consideration the major project issues and the person's individual experience. During the course of the project the advisor provides coaching and technical support to the team and determines the MCFE team's grade, based on the quality of the work done over the semester, the final report, and the final presentation.