The Field Team Study

An essential part of the practical curriculum is the capstone project, known as the “Field Team Study.”  Local businesses partner with us by identifying real business challenges and working with teams of Master of Science in Business students and faculty as they analyze them and make recommendations for improvement.  The teams apply the McKinsey Consulting methodology to the problem, review progress regularly with the client, and present their recommendations in a professional report during a formal final review.

Typical Projects

Many times we find that our clients have projects they've been meaning to do, but either didn't have the time or the resources to do it.  That's where we can fill a gap for them.  Our teams are focused on their project alone, and are driven to deliver a professional product.  Over the past 8 years our cohorts of young professionals have proven adept at a range of projects including:

Team Engagement and Faculty Guidance

You will get a dedicated team of 4-5 students who are energetic, creative and open-minded.  Over the semester they will spend about 400 work hours on the project.  They will be supported by 4 faculty members with over 120 years of combined global business experience with Fortune 100 firms.  

Past Clients

 We have worked with over 30 companies including some familiar large companies such as Microsoft, NetApp, AMTRAK, and City First Bank of DC.  We have also worked with some amazing startups such as The Perfect Gourmet, a prepared gourmet food company with a huge QVC following; Julia Ross Professional Tutoring, a 20-year old college prep and tutoring company in Fairfax Station; and Glovestix, an Ashburn, VA startup that makes a device that removes odor from sports equipment, like lacrosse gloves.  The owner appeared on the Today Show's “Next Big Thing” a couple of times, and sold a fraction of her company to Lauri Grenier and Alex Rodriguez on Sharktank.

To Become a Client

Contact business@cua.edu.