The Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics is offering 28 UNH full-time Masters of Business Administration students the opportunity to complete capstone projects with participating businesses over the course of a five week period.

The annual Corporate Consulting Project (CCP) Program has been providing MBA students with this opportunity every spring since 2003.

Local, national, and even international businesses are being asked to submit their projects to the college online by March 1.

“Companies submit project proposals and we work to match their needs with the skill sets of the MBA students,” said Russell Miles, lecturer in decision sciences and faculty advisor.

Any sized business is welcome. Non-profit and start-up businesses are also encouraged to submit a project.

“UNH really has a goal to give our students real world experiences to enhance classroom learning,” said Kimberly Clark, faculty fellow for career readiness at the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics.

Miles collaborates with Robert A. Gough Jr., a senior lecturer in management, as the two UNH faculty members responsible for facilitating the CCP program.

Every full-time MBA student is required to take the CCP capstone course in order to complete the program with the university.

According to Miles, students will be graded based on how well they perform overall and also from feedback the businesses provide.

“This project gives our students a relevant MBA professional experience,” said Clark. “It’s to prepare them for their first job in the field,” she added.

“First we’re trying to give MBA students real-world experience and second we want to build tighter relationships with the business community and demonstrate what UNH has to offer,” said Miles.

During the course of the five-week period, students will be working closely with the businesses for 40 hours a week.

According to Clark, the CCP does not cost the businesses any money to participate, but they are asked to consider a $500 donation to offset the costs of transportation for the students.

Since 2003, over 350 students have completed over 175 projects with more than 100 companies.

This year, 10 firms will be selected and assigned to work with the 28 MBA students.

In the press release regarding the CCP Program Dean Deborah Merrill-Sands stated, “The CCP experience gives our MBA students a unique opportunity to apply their knowledge to solve real-world business problems while also strengthening Paul College’s connections and contributions to the business community.”