Accelerator Viewbook

IMMERSE YOURSELF. BUSINESS FUNDAMENTALS. LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. RÉSUMÉ-BUILDING EXPERIENCES.

Gain a competitive advantage.

WH Y AC CE L E RATO R AT VAN D E RBILT ?

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Accelerator® Business Immersions at Vanderbilt offers three immersion-based certificate programs that equip students with business knowledge, hands-on experience, and career preparation. Discover your potential and expand your network with a 4-week Summer Business Immersion, a 5-day Finance Bootcamp, or a 7-day Global Immersion focused on solving real-world problems through entrepreneurship. These distinctive programs provide a transformative experience for undergrads and recent college graduates (especially those who did not major in a business-related field).

Immersive instruction

Learn from the best

Gain business insight and exposure to real-world scenarios with a curriculum that is hands on and puts your critical-thinking skills to the test. The Accelerator team will support you every step of the way and encourage you to reach your full potential.

Experience classroom instruction from world-class Vanderbilt MBA faculty. You’ll learn business fundamentals, enhance your professional skills, and build lifelong relationships in and out of the classroom.

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One-on-one career preparation

Everyone is welcome.

You belong here

Build your résumé as you solve real business-related problems and learn how to leverage your experiences. A team of career coaches and mentors will guide you as you explore career paths and will prepare you for your next step in the professional world.

We’re committed to an inclusive and diverse learning community, because we believe that we thrive best with a wide variety of perspectives and experiences. Expect to meet people from many different regions, countries, cultures, and walks of life.

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Business School The Princeton Review for Best Professors (2019)

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Best Colleges in the National Universities category U.S. News & World Report (2020)

The Vanderbilt Advantage Accelerator® Business Immersions at Vanderbilt are part of the Owen Graduate School of Management. You’ll quickly learn that Owen is a different type of business school. We’re competitive, not cutthroat. We’re interested in your ideas and invested in your success. Our global Vanderbilt Business alumni network of 10,000+ is a close-knit family and collaborative community. #owenlife #anchordown

“This program is so well catered to people that don’t have any background in business. I hadn’t taken a single finance, economics, management, or human and organizational development class before this program, but now I feel quite comfortably versed in all of them.”

ALEX KINTZER Duke University PA RT I C I PA N T I N A C C E L E R AT O R ® FINANCE BOOTCAMP AND A C C E L E R AT O R ® S U M M E R BUSINESS IMMERSION

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Accelerator® Summer Business Immersion is designed to help undergraduate students or recent grads learn business by doing business. In four intense weeks, you will immerse yourself in the business world with fundamental coursework—from marketing and branding to finance, operations and logistics—taught by worldclass Vanderbilt faculty, and successful practitioners. Then you’ll take that knowledge and put it to work on four consulting projects for real companies. It’s like gaining the experience of multiple business internships in just 28 days.

“Accelerator is an excellent way to learn about business fundamentals through hands-on experience.

My daughter has been equipped with skills that will help her to succeed in any field she chooses. She has gained confidence in communication skills, teamwork, leadership skills, and résumé building, and learned how to broaden her professional network. It has also given her clarity on which direction she will go with her business major. This program exceeded our already high expectations, and I would highly recommend it to everyone!”

SUE FISHER Parent of Accelerator ® student 4 ACCELERATOR ®

THE

EXPERIENCE

DIFFERENCE. Designed for any major If you did not major in a business-related field, this certificate program will be the perfect fit for you. The program combines classroom learning with hands-on projects that allow you to act as a consultant, solving real business problems for companies and presenting your ideas to management. Between the knowledge and experience gained, you’ll undergo a personal transformation while also building your résumé.

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R E A L P R O J E CT S .

R E A L C O M PA N I E S .

R E A L R E S U LT S .

Accelerator® students gain real-world experience that leads to real opportunities. Instead of working on case studies or simulations, you’ll work as consultants for four different companies to develop real-life business solutions and you’ll present those ideas to each company’s key executives. They will evaluate your presentation and provide your team with feedback, which is an invaluable experience and critical to your growth as a young professional.

“You learn very quickly and are exposed to a great deal of information. I learned so much about business and about working in groups.

I feel like I will be ahead of the game compared to those in my [undergraduate] class.”

RASHAD TOWNSEND Morehouse College A C C E L E R AT O R

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SUMMER BUSINESS IMMERSION

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Discover some of the notable companies that employ our alumni: American Express Aspire Health Asurion Bain & Company Bread Ventures Citi Coca-Cola Deloitte Delta Air Lines EY FedEx Goldman Sachs Google Grant Thornton GS&F HCA Huron Consulting Group KPMG Kraft Heinz McKinsey & Company Microsoft Morgan Stanley One Acre Fund PwC Red Ventures Reebok ReviveHealth SunTrust Banks The Home Depot Uber

Nurturing team environment Applying what you learn in class, you’ll work in different teams and fulfill different roles 76% of the time. Your professors, coaches, mentors, and classmates will not only provide unique perspectives and skills, but they will evaluate you along the way to help you grow personally and professionally.

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The number of real projects students work on for companies

Relationships with faculty The most hands on summer business immersion in the country

Gain a competitive advantage In less than a month, you’ll learn business fundamentals, work with real companies to solve business problems, and discover how to leverage your experience through personalized career coaching and networking support. Do more than you ever imagined.

AMPLIFYING THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

IDENTYFYING GROWING THE NEXT THE STEM BIG PRODUCT WORKFORCE

Warner Music Group

Society6

redpepper

Accelerator teams consulted with the client and were challenged to develop ideas on how to increase paid streaming subscriptions.

Accelerator students had the opportunity to ideate concepts and define a go-to-market strategy for a new physical product. They presented their ideas to a panel of executives, directors and managers from Society6, and Leaf Group.

Accelerator students had the opportunity to meet with executives from redpepper and one of their major clients in the consulting field. Students were tasked with developing ideas for attracting STEM students to work in this arena.

Just a few of the companies that have sponsored Accelerator projects over the years:

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A W E LC O M I N G C O M M U N I T Y. Learning at a world-class university in one of the best cities in the U.S. will provide a great balance of possibilities and fun. Vanderbilt’s hometown of Nashville is a friendly, vibrant, and engaging city known proudly as “Music City, USA.” The park-like campus is conveniently located about a mile from downtown. Eclectic and diverse, Nashville offers live music every night of the week and boasts some of the region’s best restaurants and parks. You’ll easily see why The New York Times, Forbes, and CNNMoney rank Nashville high among places to live and do business.

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“Their Students Love These Colleges” category in The Princeton Review’s “2020 Best Colleges”

Vanderbilt also received high marks in several other categories, including Best Quality of Life (No. 1), Happiest Students (No. 2), Most Beautiful Campus (No.4), Best College Dorms (No. 17), and Best College Library (No. 18).

The Princeton Review (2019) 8 ACCELERATOR ®

Vanderbilt is designated as an arboretum and home to more than 300 trees on 334 acres.

Southern Living named Nashville one of “The South’s Best Food Cities.” (March 2019)

Nashville was named in the Top 15 Cities in the U.S. in Travel + Leisure’s “World’s Best” awards.

(July 2019)

Nashville has more than 180 live music venues throughout the city, and less than a third play country music.

Y O U ’ L L F E E L R I G H T AT H O M E .

Walker Management Library Students have access to librarians and resources at Owen’s state-of-the-art study and research library. You can enjoy a cozy, welcoming environment (including a gas-lit fireplace) and choose between private group study spaces or a variety of quiet nooks, and crannies.

Check out the databases, reports, specialized market software, and data, as well as business bestsellers.

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Discover if finance is the right career path for you. Accelerator® Finance Bootcamp is designed for college students interested in a broad area of finance, including careers in corporate finance, equity research, investment banking, and private equity. Over the course of five days, students take foundational finance and accounting classes, gain insight and exposure to real-world scenarios through case studies, explore different career paths within finance, and earn a certificate. This program is perfect for students who have not had the opportunity to take finance or business classes.

“The Finance Bootcamp program provided a comprehensive overview of corporate finance, accounting, and financial statements. The combination of incredible professors, stimulating case studies, and useful career advice made the program an unparalleled and unforgettable experience.”

CALEB DEAN Yale University A C C E L E R AT O R

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FINANCE BOOTCAMP

Added value: Earn a Bloomberg Market Concepts certificate

Accelerator Global Immersion is a 7-day certificate program that takes place at a host site in another country. The unique program combines classroom instruction from renowned Vanderbilt faculty with hands-on projects led by international business leaders. It equips students with business tools to solve real-world social problems through entrepreneurship. Students will immerse themselves in global and cultural experiences while gaining an understanding of careers in international business. ®

What is social enterprise?

Social enterprise is an important new movement in business and entrepreneurship. A social enterprise is a cause-driven business whose primary purpose is to improve social objectives and to serve the common good. Sustainable revenue differentiates a social enterprise from a traditional nonprofit that relies on funding from donations or grants.

“Accelerator® Global Immersion is an exciting program that immerses students in a new culture and provides them the opportunity to engage with and learn from experts and thought leaders in entrepreneurship and social impact.”

GREG HARVEY Director A C C E L E R AT O R

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BUSINESS

I M M E R S I O N S AT VA N D E R B I LT

In partnership with

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TRANSFORMATIONAL How can we help you?

615.322.6795 accelerator@vanderbilt.edu Hours: 8 AM – 5 PM U.S. Central Time

business.vanderbilt.edu/accelerator

401 21st Avenue South Nashville, TN 37203-2422

CHALLENGING

REWARDING PROFESSIONAL SKILLS REAL EXPERIENCE LIFE-CHANGING