Program Structure

The SoM Honors curriculum comprises two courses:  

This course introduces students to the common approaches that social scientists use to understand groups and individuals in organizations. The object of the seminar is to broaden students’ understanding of organizations, organizational life and the way organizations function by focusing on key research methods and topics in organization and management.

A major objective is to improve students' analytical thinking and data analysis skills, as part of preparation for graduate school, law school or a management career. The course covers research approaches such as interviews, observations, surveys, and design thinking. It also covers topics such as diversity, cooperation, culture, power, politics and resource dependency. Students are expected to immediately apply concepts and approaches to the analysis of a real organizational problem.

Student teams will work with nonprofit organizations to provide a rich analysis of a specific organizational challenge and a preliminary set of solutions that will be further elaborated during the second semester.

This course provides an applied practical experience under the supervision of a faculty member. This will involve working as part of a team of students with a nonprofit company. Using the insights from the analysis conducted during the Fall semester (Bus3 169A), students will propose, refine, and implement recommendations for the managerial effectiveness of nonprofit organizations. Participation in the project will be unpaid. The teams will meet once a week with the supervising faculty member. 

While Bus3 169A and B projects are normally performed in teams of two-to-four SoM students, they may also be asked to participate in cross-functional teams with other Honors Program students. Information for prospective sponsors can be found at the Business Honors Program web pages.  

In the past, Bus3 169A and B students have worked on projects for nonprofits and government agencies, including City of San Jose, Eclipse Foundation and SolarTech. They have also worked for a range of nationally known companies, including Accenture, Barnes & Noble, Cisco, IBM, Nike and Oracle.  

For more information on these courses, please contact Dr. Elisa Mattarelli or Dr. Matthew Maguire for details.