Get hands-on experience driving business change
In FCCP, you’ll learn to roll with the punches of a real-life assignment, then leave with honed strategic thinking skills that you can take into the rest of your career.
“Without my experience with the Fuqua Client Consulting Practicum I feel confident that I would not have felt as prepared for my internship at LinkedIn over the summer. Learning the skills to execute a consulting project from start to finish, culminating in an executive-level presentation, was invaluable. When I look back at my time at Fuqua, I know that FCCP will be one of my most influential courses that I took.”
Patricia Murray, Daytime MBA ’22
Course timeline
The Daytime MBA FCCP program is a 6-credit, graded elective course, kicking off in Fall 2 and taking place over Spring 1 and 2. Students dedicate an average of 10 hours a week to FCCP, including class time, client and team meetings, and project work.
Fall 2
In the first week of Fall 2, projects are presented to MBA students during a series of info sessions. MBA students then apply to FCCP by indicating their project preferences, providing a brief statement of interest, and listing any relevant skills or expertise. Most projects in FCCP are conducted virtually with clients across the US and internationally. However, if a client specifies that travel is an essential component of the project, the FCCP Program Office will clearly identify this in the application process. As travel for FCCP projects is self-funded, students should consider any additional costs when applying and selecting such projects. The travel location will be indicated, and students usually spend one week at this specified location during their Spring Break in March.
When the application period has closed, the FCCP program office conducts a team formation process, matching students to projects and announcing the results. Students have 24 hours to accept or decline their place on the project team.
Once the projects are staffed and students are enrolled, teams schedule a team-building dinner and conduct a kickoff call with their clients before launching into formal coursework and project activities. The prep phase gives you a chance to meet your team, faculty advisor, and Fellow, kickoff the project with your client, and get immersed in the course before you dive into the project headfirst in the spring.
Spring 1
You and your teammates will dig deep into your client’s business challenge, meeting regularly with your client project lead to iron out the work scope and gather the data needed to perform your analyses. You’ll present your initial findings before spring break.
Spring 2
Incorporating feedback from your client, with guidance from your faculty advisor and fellow, you’ll deliver final recommendations and deliverables to your client’s key stakeholders at the end of Spring 2. Throughout the course, you’ll be prompted to reflect on your own goals, provide meaningful feedback to your teammates, and grow from the feedback you receive.
Course content
- Consulting frameworks
- Project management skills
- Research methods
- Client communication skills
- In-class team collaboration and presentation rehearsal time
- Personal goal-setting and reflection
- Peer evaluation
Ready to dive in?
If you’re a current Daytime student, follow us on Fuqua Connect to receive notifications about informational sessions and application deadlines. If you’re a prospective or accepted Fuqua student, contact us to get in touch with a current FCCP student to learn more about their experience.
Frequently asked questions
Applications open at the beginning of Fall 2 each year. You’ll have opportunities to attend info sessions and learn about projects before you apply, and express your project preference in your application. Follow us on Fuqua Connect to get notified when applications open.
After you apply, the program office conducts a team formation process based on your project preferences and sends you a project offer. When you digitally sign to accept your offer, you elect to enroll in FCCP. Our office works directly with the registrar to enroll you.
Daytime MBA students pay an administrative fee of $125 to take the course. FCCP does not cover travel expenses, so if your team chooses to visit a client in person, you must cover your own expenses, including transportation and lodging.
The last day to drop FCCP is the evening of the Fall 2 kickoff class.
You can apply up to 15 total credit hours of experiential learning related courses towards your graduation requirement at Fuqua. While participation in more than one experiential learning opportunity at the same time is sometimes possible, applicants are encouraged to carefully consider their current academic, recruiting, and other extracurricular commitments when assessing which opportunities to prioritize.
We welcome applications from students in other Duke graduate schools. However, since this is a Fuqua program, we place Fuqua students on teams first and add students from other schools on a case-by-case basis. That means that if you apply, we can’t confirm that we will have room for you — but we’ll do our very best to find you a spot! Please keep in mind that Fuqua’s academic calendar is different from other schools and if accepted, you may need to plan around scheduling conflicts.
Contact us here and we will respond as soon as we can. You can also email our team at fccp@fuqua.duke.edu.
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