PACE is offered each spring and fall semester. The course is not offered in the summer, as each project consumes 14 weeks.

PACE is not open to all students. To be eligible, students should:

• Be currently enrolled within the Robinson College of Business
• Have an overall GPA of 3.35 or better
• Have completed at least two of their Junior Business Core classes

PACE is an invitation-only course. Each semester an email will be sent to all Robinson students describing the course and asking that interested students fill out the application attached to the email. If the student is eligible, he/she will be given authorization to register during the normal registration period.

Yes. PACE (BUSA 4500) is a 3.0-credit-hour Robinson elective.

Most students will tell you that PACE requires more work than most other undergraduate courses.

Like most other Robinson classes, you will meet twice a week for class.

During the first class, your professor will describe each of the projects available during that semester. The professor will then ask you to prioritize your favorites and will try to assign you a project that’s at or near the top of your list. Most students get their first choice, but it’s not guaranteed. The professor will make the final assignments. Team sizes are typically between three to five students.

Maybe. However, students will be asked to prioritize their favorite projects, and the professor is the one that sets the teams.

In addition to your class meetings, your team will meet with your professor once per week at a time that is convenient to everyone on your team. The professor is there to guide you through your project, help you think through your ideas, come up with ways to find information, and to work through any other issues that surface.

This varies, but typically your team will arrange a time to speak with your company no less than once every two weeks. Often, meetings/calls are scheduled weekly.

Each project is unique. While some initially appear to be focused on one area, most will use your collective knowledge gained from taking courses in several disciplines. In other words, often the company’s problem is symptomatic of a larger issue. Your job is to figure that out and offer recommendations.

While PACE is not an internship, it certainly looks like one. You will be working with a company at a very high level and will interact with senior employees.

Hiring managers usually will ask these two questions:

• Tell me about yourself
• Tell me about something you’ve done

Your PACE experience will be something that the hiring manager will want to discuss with you. PACE will give you an advantage over someone without this life experience.

Currently, no. However, in time PACE may be modified to allow a graduate school section in the future.

Case studies are very valuable. However, with a case study, all the information you’ll need to evaluate the problem is given to you. With PACE, none of the information you need is provided to you. You’ll either need to find the information or create it. Additionally, with PACE, you’ll need to work with other humans, which may create other issues. PACE is much more “real-world” than a case study.