Curriculum

From the classroom to the boardroom.

The immersive, real-world project experience that serves as the foundation of Accelerator sets it apart from other undergraduate business programs. Students assume the role of consultants and are challenged to deliver the best solutions possible for the participating organizations. You’ll find yourself interacting directly with the key decision makers, often dealing with upper-level managers, including CEOs, whom you might never meet in internships or even in entry-level positions.

Learning Business by Doing Business
With over 100 hours of "just-in-time" classroom learning at the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management, you can immediately apply this practical instruction and successfully immerse yourself in each project. In partnering with a diverse mix of international companies and regional businesses, Accelerator opens doors to an array of networking opportunities for participants. Most project launches take the students on-site to company headquarters, providing unparalleled access and exposure to resources.

A Rewarding Experience
The competitive drive for each consulting project is also fueled by the highly attractive reward for each project’s winning team. For example, Sony Music flew the entire 2009 winning team out to Detroit for front-row tickets to a Kenny Chesney concert. The Nashville Chamber of Commerce hosted a social mixer for the 2009 winning team, with over 50 local entrepreneurs and businesspeople in attendance.  Additionally, the team presented to the mayor of Nashville, Karl Dean.

Plenty to Learn
The Accelerator program's faculty teach a vast array of topics and skills.  Here's just a taste:

• Strategy: How does a business create and sustain a competitive advantage?
  
• Financial Accounting: How does a business measure and monitor its financial performance?
  
• Managerial Economics: What are the basic market and industry forces impacting a business?
  
• Marketing: How does a business decide what the customers are for its product or service and how to best reach those customers?
  
• Finance: How does a business raise money to finance its goals and objectives?
  
• Operations: What are the methods and systems used to provide customers with products and services?
  
• HR/Organizational Behavior: How does a business find, attract, train, reward and retain the right people?
  
• Problem Solving: How do you break down complex business problems to drive improvement?
  
• Communication: How do you deliver your ideas for real impact?
  
• Teamwork: How do you work in collaborative business teams?
  
• Career Planning: How do you market yourself to get the job you really want?