Top 5 Reasons to Consider a Minor in Business Consulting
From the opportunity to travel across the globe to the fulfilling challenge of advising businesses on strategic direction, careers in consulting have been a desirable path for many LeBow students. In fall 2019, in response to student feedback and interest, the College introduced an undergraduate Minor in Business Consulting in coordination with LeBow’s Dornsife Office for Experiential Learning.
“There was a demonstrated interest from students who were making room in their schedules for consulting courses, even though so many of them already had multiple majors or minors,” says Kelsey Skic, program manager for the Dornsife Office. “It made sense to offer an official minor.”
The Minor in Business Consulting was designed to develop students’ abilities to think critically and solve business problems and is based around three core required courses: For-Profit Business Consulting (MGMT 370), Nonprofit Business Consulting (MGMT 371) and Startup Business Consulting (MGMT 372). Students round out their minor by taking three additional courses, including regular elective options such as International Business Consulting (MGMT 380) and Domestic and Global Outsourcing Management (MIS 347).
Sound interesting? Here are five more reasons to consider adding the Business Consulting minor to your course of study.
1. Learn Across Disciplines: The business consulting minor is open to all undergraduate students across Drexel, so you’ll be working alongside students from other colleges, benefiting from their knowledge in subjects outside of business. Similarly, the faculty teaching each course come from various departments such as management, accounting and sport business, and they bring their own expertise and insights from careers as consultants or from projects outside of academia.
2. Work with Real Clients: In each required course for the business consulting minor, you’ll work closely with a client business, gaining familiarity with their needs and pain points and immersing yourself in their industry through a comprehensive literature review.
“Students learn about the business problem they’re solving, how to frame it and if they’re asking the right questions,” says Skic.
3. Explore a Variety of Industries: The industries covered in business consulting courses have always been wide-ranging: from food and retail to technology, transportation and nonprofit. As Skic says, the courses provide “different flavors of consulting with different companies.” Recent courses have brought students together to work with large corporations, like Comcast; small local businesses, like ice cream parlor The Franklin Fountain; and ambitious startups like Un Jardin Sur les Toits, a bioengineering company based in France.
4. Early Access to Consulting Courses: LeBow’s core consulting courses are open to pre-junior students and above, but it’s possible to start working toward fulfilling the minor earlier in your academic career. Electives in management information systems and organizational behavior make for an outstanding introduction and are open to first-year and sophomore students. Students can declare the minor as early as sophomore year once they’ve completed a minimum of 30 credits.
5. Build Your Résumé: Courses in the business consulting minor are excellent preparation for future co-op assignments and roles after graduation – even if you don’t end up working in consulting. Each course hones your skills in research, written and oral presentation, and teamwork, as well as flexibility and adaptability within a given role or project.
“You can turn every course into several talking points on a résumé,” Skic says.
For more info on the business consulting minor or on upcoming courses, contact your academic advisor or Kelsey Skic at kee43@drexel.edu.
