The Fuqua Client Consulting Practicum offers our one year Master of Management Studies (MMS) students the opportunity to apply their business knowledge and develop consulting skills, while working on a real business problem for a local client.
The consulting practicum for MMS students is a 3 credit hour, graded elective course that runs from October to February. The team is comprised of five MMS students, plus one second-year MBA “Engagement Manager” serving as coach/mentor/advisor who, along with faculty guidance, work to address a business challenge for their client over the course of 12 weeks.
Approach
A successful engagement requires the client and student team work in close partnership. The FCCP program staff match a student team to a project based on their diversity of skills and interests, but the MBA Engagement Managers are also a key voice into the client selection process.
The first step is for a manager in your organization to complete an application, which asks for a brief profile of your organization and the problems for which you are seeking FCCP assistance. The deadline is September 7 for the 2022-23 academic year. After submission, an Engagement Manager will review your application and arrange a call with you early in September to review the project scope and further ensure alignment between team capabilities and your desired project goals.
If your project is matched with a student team, you will work directly with them to further refine and finalize a scope of work. Building on this discussion, the student team will develop a problem definition (work scope) memo which will be jointly signed-off by the client and the student team. The student team will then work with your organization to specify and carry out the activities required to complete the agreed-upon scope of the engagement. You should plan to meet weekly, or at least every other week, during the course of the engagement.
An oral presentation and a written report detailing the team’s findings, conclusions, and recommendations will be prepared and delivered to the client organization in late February. Active participation of the relevant leaders in your organization in the final presentation is expected, as it will allow the students to assess your reactions and you will benefit more from the exchange of ideas.
Application
Application forms exist for different types of organizations. Links for each of the current forms are provided on the right side of this page. You can also download this supplementary document to learn more about working with an MMS team and the types of projects that are a good fit for this program.
The primary information requested in the application form includes:
- Business name, description and contact information
- Summary data on organizational size (# of employees and revenues)
- Identification of organizational goals – short term and long term
- Description of specific problems for which you are seeking FCCP assistance
- Anticipated managerial commitment in support of the FCCP project
If you are interested in participating as a client organization, please submit your application. You may also reach Fiona Behm by e-mail at fiona.behm@duke.edu or by phone at (919) 660-7991 with questions about our application process.
Administrative Fees
There are no fees to participate in this program. In return for the research and actionable set of recommendations you will receive, we seek clients that can use their experience and guidance to promote learning experiences for the student team, along with providing the necessary levels of access and data to ensure a successful project.
Confidentiality
All engagements conducted under the FCCP are done in strict confidence. No confidential information is released to the student consultants until a team is assigned and each student has signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement. Faculty and student teaching assistants involved with the project also sign the Non-Disclosure Agreement. We recognize the sensitivity of your marketing and financial information, and we emphasize confidentiality.