Accelerator
FAQ

No. Your academic track record, your essay, your short video, and your references will be sufficient for our Admissions Committee.

Complete and submit an online application.

Students will be placed in teams of roughly eight people and also paired with a Vanderbilt Owen MBA student, who will act as a coach and mentor for the team. During the course of the program, multiple organizations will present the students with a real challenge facing them. Together, the Accelerator teams will develop and present their solutions to top executives. The executives will rank the projects, give feedback to the participants and select a winning team. Past partners include Starbucks, Nissan, American Airlines, Bridgestone, Humana, Coca-Cola, and Sony Music.

Participants will be better able to present themselves to employers as well-rounded candidates ready to make contributions on-the-job from day one. Students will have a wealth of experiences to draw from during interviews and will be able to list globally recognized companies with whom they have worked.

Accelerator is not a pre-MBA program. The program is designed to provide an overview of business fundamentals and does not specialize in a specific topic area. However, students will complete more than 50 hours of MBA class work and MBA-level projects for multiple companies. Students will finish the program with a more distinct idea of their future career paths and a strong understanding of a traditional MBA program. In addition, Owen faculty and Accelerator staff members are available throughout the program to help students develop their resumes and networking skills and prepare for interviews.

The Accelerator courses are taught by a variety of distinguished Vanderbilt University faculty members, most of whom are from the MBA program at Owen Graduate School of Management. Faculty members are available to students throughout the entire program to serve as mentors and help lay a foundation for a career in business. See our Faculty page for more.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through the fall and spring. Accelerator is a competitive program and spaces are limited. We encourage you to apply early for priority in the application review and interview process. Find application deadlines here.

The program operates six days a week over the span of three weeks. A day typically starts with classes that will be directly correlated to an upcoming or existing project. A typical afternoon/evening will have students participating in project launches or breakout sessions with teammates to work as consultants for the participating companies. Students will ultimately present their strategic business recommendations to top executives from the participating companies at the conclusion of a project. Additional activities include networking opportunities and guest speakers.

Accelerator is an intensive 3-week business boot camp for undergraduates and recent grads from all majors who are looking to gain insight into the intricacies of the business world through 40 hours of business classes and 150 hours of consulting for leading companies. In three weeks, you will help resolve real-life issues in marketing, logistics, finance, operations, and branding.

Accelerator offers participants the unique opportunity to build critical business skills that cannot be learned in a typical summer internship and you'll receive career coaching and leadership development to help you grow personally and professionally. During the program, you will utilize "grab it and go" business learning by applying what you learn in the classroom to solve real problems for a variety of companies. Upon completing the program, you will emerge with an understanding of different career paths, business knowledge, a professional network, and the confidence to enter the business world.

The Accelerator program will be held during the summer. The program operates six days a week over the span of 3-weeks. Accelerator is held in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management.

Yes, limited scholarship awards are available for candidates demonstrating exceptional potential in their application and financial need.

Sallie Mae and Wells Fargo have established loans for the Accelerator program. For additional information, please email us at accelerator@vanderbilt.edu.

You can find the program costs here. Students are encouraged to stay in Vanderbilt on-campus housing for an additional cost. Additional expenses may include your travel to and from Nashville, as well as dry cleaning and laundry.