SMART™ Students

Companies are looking for experienced talent that can provide fresh thinking and insight to address complex business issues. They are searching not just for educated talent, but people with hands-on experience. To help students meet employer expectations, we have developed the Strategic Management of Applied Research and Technology (SMART) capstone. This unique opportunity for students to act as management consultants to gain the skills they need to get hired or advance their careers.

We connect students with executives to address complex issues facing their organizations. We partner with global powerhouses, regional brands, non-profits and startups. As a result, students refine communication skills and develop creative thinking abilities at a pace and intensity that exceeds other programs.

How Does It Work? / What to Expect?

• Work with small student teams of no more than 5 people
• Gain insights into other departments and industries
• Receive support and guidance from faculty, executives, and mentors

I improved many soft skills such as presentation skills, professional communication and progress reporting skills with employers, and working within a team.

– Sneha Desmukh, MBA

The SMART Program provides this awesome opportunity to let us use what we learned in the classroom in a real-life case. For me, this is a really precious experience because we have a team and mentor working together. We can help each other and it helps me a lot with me communication skills and learning to work with a team.

– Xinyu Zhou, MBA

It was exciting working with the company, analyzing its problems and challenges, and working on discovering a solution in a real-world scenario.

– Nikita Mehta, MBA