At Babson, we know experience is the best teacher. Why wait until graduation to begin making an impact?
From your first to final years at Babson College, experiential learning stands at the forefront of your academic and professional pursuits. The ample hands-on learning opportunities and projects offered throughout the Babson undergraduate curriculum provide a well-rounded education that's rooted in both business and the liberal arts and sciences, practical real-world experience, and team work.
We designed our hands-on education to give you problem-solving skills and career insight you can take into any field. You will analyze professional problems in real-time, evaluate market trends, and create value-added solutions.
Experiential learning starts day one. You and your classmates will build a business from the ground up in your first semester (we call that FME, more on that below). From there, your journey is your own.
Get the inside scoop about Babson College—direct from our students! Follow Emily Truszkowski ’26, CEO of FME venture "Oh Dam!", as she and her team prepare for the FME Expo (Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship annual showcase).
Watch video on YouTubeExperiential education at Babson isn’t just classroom opportunities, either. Our students raise their own seed funds, run their own investment programs, take on leadership roles in clubs and organizations, intern globally, and engage in volunteer work that boosts their communities. They do independent research, teach their own courses, and use their entrepreneurial leadership acumen to tackle global problems.
Plus, regardless of what opportunities you pursue, you will have concrete examples of creativity and adaptability to discuss in interviews and utilize at internships and first jobs. You will only enhance your marketability, goals, and personal brand in the process!
It’s your education to take out into the world and make something of it. We make sure you’re prepared.
of students had internships while at Babson*
of Babson alumni were employed or in grad school six months after graduation*
*Based on responses from the class of 2022 within six months of graduation and based on a knowledge rate of 83%
What is hands-on learning at Babson? It’s how we mix the theoretical with the practical. In Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship (FME), you work on a team with first-year students to turn an idea into an actual venture. That means everything: designing the packaging, ordering inventory, running your brand’s social accounts. Through this tactile learning style, you gain insight into what you might want to do professionally while building a list of experiences that prepare you for that career.
Global challenges demand complex solutions. Socio-Ecological Systems (SES), a cornerstone liberal arts and science course in the Babson curriculum, teaches you how to think in a system. Learning how to think in systems and how humans and nature are connected is fundamental to making the world more hospitable and sustainable.
Your Babson experience for the following three years can go anywhere from field trips to learn about the environment to partaking in the Ultimate Entrepreneurial Challenge to back to FME as a mentor. This four-year hands-on learning experience culminates in our advanced experiential courses. Maybe you want to try consulting? Or heard about how we let students manage a portion of the Babson endowment? Or want to help a company solve problems while learning about branding?
Whatever you choose, you cap off your college experience by tackling real business challenges confidently.
Babson helped shape my interest in brand building and what brands can do and having a full understanding of how a business works. In my marketing and social media marketing classes, we did simulations. We actively tried to sell products and build a reputation. I can directly translate the work I’m doing in my classes to the work I’m doing now. This felt very unique to Babson.
A true experiential education means having a place to actually practice. In between classes, you will test your skills and knowledge in numerous other real-world situations which our centers, institutes, and campus partners help you facilitate. There are hubs and communities across campus designed to help you grow, create, and thrive as you explore experience-based learning.
The Foundry is a design studio Babson students can use to create prototypes, pursue creative goals, and collaborate on hands-on projects across Wellesley and Olin colleges. This space, which includes a woodshop, digital fabrication studio, and textile and electronics studio, is open to all of our students. Come expand your knowledge of technological concepts such as AI and Blockchains, learn about crowdfunding, and get your start in the fashion industry.
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The Arthur M. Blank School for Entrepreneurial Leadership is a playground for Babson students. It’s the place to test out ideas and get real-time feedback to guide your next approach (aka: entrepreneurial leadership in action). Practice your "Shark Tank" pitch. Win the B.E.T.A. Challenge or Rocket Pitch. Meet entrepreneurial leaders like you and support others in their pursuits.
Learn MoreIt’s also home to many of our centers and institutes, where you can participate in fellowship and leadership opportunities, engage in special projects and programming, and take advantage of Babson’s vast network of business and entrepreneurial leaders.
Finance is one of the largest concentrations at Babson, and for good reason. Our resources and opportunities offer a road map to a career in finance, with emphasis in analytics and hands-on learning activities. The Stephen D. Cutler Center for Investments and Finance provides students with access to tools such Bloomberg and FactSet and the chance to participate in trading and fintech competitions.
Learn MoreHands-on learning experiences are more than just time in the classroom. We want you to make sure you’re pursuing opportunities that interest and challenge you beyond our curriculum.
The Hoffman Family Center for Career Development (CCD) helps facilitate internship and job shadow opportunities to help foster your early-career growth and exploration. Starting in your first year, you’ll have resources to help you explore career and internship opportunities, such as access to Peer Career Ambassadors, First-Year Friday career programming, and introductory career workshops.
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Become an expert. The Babson Honors Program, which you can apply to as a sophomore, is an opportunity to do an independent study. Your capstone is an extensive, self-motivated research project that encourages you to explore topics within and outside of business, including creative pursuits. You oversee your project, with help from a faculty advisor, and experience an exercise in problem solving and self-motivation.
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You can opt to spend an academic year, semester, or summer abroad through one of Babson’s 100+ approved global-study opportunities. You can participate in an intensive global “classroom” experience during your academic break on an Elective Abroad, where you travel to explore a new culture and build your global network.
You also can take the semester-long International Consulting Experience courses to immerse yourself in a foreign business landscape.
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The Institute for Social Innovation, which is part of the Blank School, provides experiential learning programs for you to gain real-world experience in creating social value. You can become a Natalie Taylor Scholar and use your entrepreneurial skills to complete an independent social change project. You can participate in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program to help your community during tax season or other community action programs. You can use your spring break to partake in a service immersion trip. All these experiences add to your professional and personal portfolio and expand your understanding of the world.
Watch video on YouTubeWant a college with experiential learning opportunities that prepares you for a global career? Learn more about Babson.
