The School’s project-based approach pushes our students to learn while doing by working with industry professionals. Our students are immersed in carefully designed corporate projects from their first semester to their last. From cornerstone-to-capstone curricular experiences to co-curricular competitions, in any given academic year, there are dozens of class-embedded and external opportunities for students to be difference-makers with real impact.
MGMT 712: Sustainable Business Practices Project
One-Year MBA Delivers Strategic Consulting
During the Summer semester, the 2025-2026 One-Year MBA cohort demonstrated the power
of experiential learning through a high-impact consulting engagement with MassMutual
Pittsburgh.
As part of the Sustainable Business Practices course, students were challenged to reposition MassMutual Pittsburgh from its traditional identity as a life insurance provider to a comprehensive financial planning firm.
Working in teams, students analyzed the company’s current brand position, assessed competitive benchmarks, and engaged in strategic problem-solving. Their task culminated in presenting creative, actionable recommendations designed to support MassMutual Pittsburgh’s long-term growth and strengthen its relevance to evolving client needs. Students gained valuable consulting experience while contributing meaningful recommendations to a leading organization.
BUAD 103: First Year Innovation Experience
Experiential Learning from Day One
Every fall, the School offers our cornerstone course: First Year Innovation Experience (FYIE). As a core business class, all first year students participate as individuals and in teams, immediately being immersed in a real-world business challenge.
For the 6th year in a row, Ernst & Young (EY) has been the corporate partner for FYIE, once again asking our students to propose enhancements to improve the working world for Generation Z. The challenge focuses on four areas that include: AI and other emerging technologies; social impact/mission of the company; professional development and continuous learning; and well-being and workplace recognition.
MGMT 499W: Strategic Management Capstone
Integrative Learning and Strategic Decision-Making
Strategic Management serves as a culminating experience for all business undergraduates where they integrate knowledge from across their studies. Students apply academic theory to a hands-on consulting experience. The capstone course strategically reinforces what students have learned throughout their four years at the School while preparing them to enter the workforce as thoughtful, adaptive, and difference-making professionals.
In Fall 2024, WESCO’s Communications & Security Solutions Division challenged the student teams to identify growth opportunities in the cloud-based, next-generation security solutions market. The winning team developed a smart AI camera and sensor security solution.
In Spring 2025, students developed growth strategies for Edgewell Personal Care. Finalist teams had the unique opportunity to present their recommendations directly to Dan Sullivan (B’91), Chief Operating Officer of Edgewell, bringing their classroom learning into real-world dialogue with a senior industry leader.
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Partnerships and Projects that Transform Students
The following lists, while not exhaustive, provide illustrative examples of the range of course-embedded corporate projects offered across the School. Logos are included for firms that are official corporate partners in the School.
Fall 2024 Undergraduate Projects
BUBA 285: Foundations of Business Analytics
Excelitas challenged students to address global strategic sourcing. Grouping by vendor,
students focused on spend data across 20 categories of commodities and determined
which plants are most efficient and identified areas for improvement. (Faculty: Matt
Drake)
ISYS 489W: Information Systems Capstone
Students partnered with Pittsburgh Young Professionals to design and prototype an
app that streamlines event proposal submission, review, and approval. Through requirements
gathering, UX/UI design, prototyping, and usability testing, students delivered a
functional prototype that improves communication, transparency, and efficiency. (Faculty:
Karoly Bozan)
MKTG 373: Sales Fundamentals
Students partnered with Fastenal to create and execute realistic sales role plays,
culminating in simulated meetings with Fastenal representatives in Rockwell Hall’s
sim labs. (Faculty: Andrea DiBernardo)
MKTG 472: Digital Marketing
Students completed a digital marketing plan for Level Agency’s client Arcade Comedy
Theater. (Faculty: Christina Kuchmaner)
MKTG 474: Data-Driven Marketing
Students analyzed paid search data and campaign results for Pitt-Ohio, looking for
opportunities to optimize spending and ad placement for future campaigns. (Faculty:
Ryan Luchs)
SCMG 375: Supply Chain Process Improvement
Students partnered with Kraft Heinz’s Away From Home Division Integrated Business
Planning Process. Working in five teams, they analyzed current practices and delivered
recommendations for process improvements. (Faculty: Kathryn Marley)
Spring 2025 Undergraduate Projects
ENTR 485: Entrepreneurship Capstone
Students participated in techstars_ Startup Weekend, hosted at Duquesne University,
as part of the Entrepreneurship Capstone. Over 54 hours, they pitched ideas, built
prototypes, and validated business models in collaboration with InnovatePGH. (Faculty:
Staci Offutt)
ISYS 489W: Information Systems Capstone
The capstone team developed an inventory management app prototype for The Good Coffee
Company to track inflow/outflow of inventory and generate decision-support reports.
Along with the prototype app, deliverables included a database schema, role-based
access control, and testing with end-users. (Faculty: Karoly Bozan)
MKTG 374W: Marketing Research
Student teams designed and administered an online survey for the Pittsburgh Supply
Chain Institute to measure interest in supply chain professional training programs.
Their analysis provided actionable recommendations for new course offerings and alternative
delivery
formats such as hybrid learning. (Faculty: Georgiana Craciun)
MKTG 474: Data-Driven Marketing
Students analyzed Pitt Ohio’s business data across sectors and classifications to
identify growth opportunities and areas for divestment. They delivered a marketing
plan supported by data-driven insights to guide strategic expansion. (Faculty: Ryan
Luchs)
SCMG 499W: Strategic Supply Chain Management
Students partnered with Eos Energy Enterprises to tackle seven operations and supply-chain
projects to drive measurable gains in visibility, planning, and factory performance.
In the process, students applied analytics, lean/operations methods, and change-management
skills to deliver breakthrough, metrics-driven recommendations. (Faculty: Ryan Atkins)
SPMK 477W: Strategic Sports Projects
Students worked with Women’s Elite Rugby and The Women’s National Football Conference
(WNFC), both emerging professional sports leagues, to design strategic marketing plans
aimed at profitability and sustainability. (Faculty: Caroline Fitzgerald)
Fall 2024 Graduate Projects
ISYS 612: Data Querying
Dollar Bank asked students to examine the long-term decline in U.S. banks and its
effects on underserved populations, especially the under- and un-banked. Students
conducted research and data analysis to assess the impacts of this trend and developed
recommendations to address these challenges and better serve affected communities.
(Faculty: Jacqueline Gerber)
MGMT 722: Sustainable Business Practicum Project II
Students completed three consulting projects with local nonprofit and community organizations:
Grow Pittsburgh, Green Leap (Monmade’s business accelerator), and BikePGH. (Faculty:
Staci Offutt)
Spring 2025 Graduate Projects
FINC 650: Capstone Project in Finance
Students partnered with IronStrong Metal Fabrication to build a three-year financial
model that supports the firm’s expansion into a larger facility and strengthens its
financial discipline. By forecasting sales growth, cost savings, margin improvements,
and capital investments, students delivered actionable insights. (Faculty: Phil Baird)
Business Student Course-Embedded Projects
Left to Right: Martin Black, Curstin Carpenter, Carley Vedro, Heather Bonomi, and Samantha Dorundo
Congratulations to the Fall 2024 winning team, left to right, AJ Kolaris, Jared Kazmierski, Eli Kyle, Nicole Lamberson, and Julian Hargis who designed a smart AI guide that elevates the Gen Z new hire experience.
The Fall 2025 Strategic Management finalists preparing to present their findings at WESCO’s Pittsburgh office.
The Spring 2025 Strategic Management finalists with Dan Sullivan (B’91), seated in the center of the front row.
