UNlimited Partnership Opportunities
Consulting Projects
Partnering with VCU Business gives organizations access to talented student teams who tackle real business challenges through structured consulting engagements. Your organization will benefit from fresh, data-driven insights and strategic recommendations — often at no cost — while helping shape future business leaders. These projects offer a low-risk, high-reward opportunity to explore new ideas and solve pressing problems with academic rigor and creativity.
Selected projects are assigned to a team of five to six Executive MBA (EMBA) students completing their final degree requirements. On average, these students bring 14 years of prior work experience. Each project is also assigned a faculty advisor with relevant expertise, and students have access to several other VCU School of Business advisors.
Projects begin in January and conclude in late April, when students present their findings and recommendations in both written and presentation formats.
Past participants include Capital One, Markel Corp., Philip Morris and Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.
To propose a practicum project for EMBA students, complete the application form above. For questions, contact Butch Sarma at mksarma@vcu.edu.
Each year, teams of five students in the Master of Decision Analytics (MDA) Weekend Program complete a yearlong practicum project, applying advanced skills in data retrieval, cleaning, analysis and visualization to solve real-world business problems. Students work closely with sponsoring organizations, meeting regularly to ensure alignment and deliver actionable insights.
Projects run from January through early December and conclude with a final report and presentation.
To propose a project for the MDA practicum, complete the form above. For questions, contact practicum coordinator Mark Wensell at mgwensell@vcu.edu.
The VCU Brandcenter develops the next generation of creative problem-solvers through hands-on partnerships with agencies and companies. Each year, graduate students and faculty collaborate with organizations to tackle real-world brand and business challenges, offering fresh, strategic and creative solutions.
Students from all concentrations — art direction, copywriting, creative brand management, experience design and strategy — work in interdisciplinary teams each fall and spring semester under the guidance of faculty with extensive industry experience.
Past partners include Lexus, Pepsi, Under Armour, Capital One and DoorDash.
To learn more about partnering with the Brandcenter, visit the link above. To propose a project with the nation’s top-ranked graduate branding program, contact Ashley Sommardahl at asommardahl@vcu.edu.
Mentor our students
Support VCU by connecting with current students and helping them with their professional development. Through mentorship, you’ll meet talented VCU School of Business students, share your professional knowledge and positively impact future change-agents and leaders.
Hire our students
Hiring VCU Business students connects your organization with driven, well-prepared talent ready to make an immediate impact. Our students bring fresh perspectives, relevant skills and hands-on experience from projects, internships and industry-engaged coursework. Partnering with VCU means investing in the future of your workforce while supporting the development of tomorrow’s business leaders.
Support our centers, institutes and labs
The VCU School of Business features state-of-the-art labs, centers and institutes dedicated to giving you the experience you need to move ahead in today’s fast-paced world.
Whether it’s viewing real-time stock tickers in our Capital Markets Center, conducting eye-tracking experiments in the Customer Experience Lab or building mobile health technologies in the Isosceles Lab, you’ll have convenient access to many career-enhancing resources.
Join a Business Affinity Group
The VCU School of Business hosts a series of discussions on topics impacting key industries in the business community. Learn how you and your colleagues can join the conversation:
The Controllers Executive Roundtable (CERT) enhances the professional development of controllers of major private and public companies. This regional network of highly motivated professionals offers engaging, relevant quarterly forums and provides opportunities to connect with peers, network with member companies and learn critical and emerging information.
Hosted by the Kornblau Real Estate Program, virtually connect with real estate professionals from various industry sectors such as law, finance, construction, development, brokerage and appraisal, to share and learn about trends, issues and current events impacting our industry.
The Expert Insights speaker series is a new program from the VCU School of Business, sponsored by Universal Corporation, that brings leaders and the community to campus to share their practical expertise and discuss today’s most pressing issues.
Across four free events — two in the fall and two in the spring — students, faculty, staff and community members will hear from professionals in culture, technology, sustainability and entrepreneurship.
Led by the Risk Management and Insurance program, these sessions aim to bring together risk management and insurance professionals from diverse industry sectors to share and learn about trends, issues and current events impacting our industry.
Join an Advisory Board
Advisory boards at VCU Business are composed of accomplished alumni and industry leaders who provide strategic guidance on evolving marketplace trends and workforce needs. Their insights help shape curriculum relevance and career readiness, while their involvement often extends to mentoring students and contributing valuable data for faculty research and experiential learning projects.