Beyond the books. Beyond the Ag Quad. Beyond Ithaca. That’s where the Dyson School experience will take you.
We take the “applied” part of applied economics and management quite seriously. At the Dyson School, hands-on experiences such as internships, study abroad, community engagement, and leadership development are embedded into our program.
Experiential learning, simply put, involves putting knowledge into action. At the Dyson School, experiential learning could mean providing financial analysis to an early-stage health care incubator in Kenya, performing an organizational audit of a sustainable beekeeping start-up, or designing and commercializing a 3D printed “smart” mask to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Being real-world ready is one of the greatest benefits of real-world learning.
We hear from employers and alumni all the time how Dyson School students are well prepared for higher-level positions after graduation—often better prepared than their counterparts from other institutions. (So skip over those entry-level job descriptions!)
Our hands-on approach gives you plenty of practical experience. Here are just a few examples:
At the Dyson School, experiential learning opportunities abound. Some are required, others are optional, and all are worthwhile.
You’ll not only have access to carefully curated Dyson School immersion experiences, but being part of the SC Johnson College of Business, the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), and the major land-grant research university that is Cornell opens you up to a wealth of experiential learning programs that span disciplines—and continents.
The Dyson School’s experiential learning opportunities include:
Use your business acumen for good by connecting your coursework to complex, real-world challenges.
Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Dyson Grand Challenges allow you to work with your peers, professors, and industry partners to tackle environmental, societal, and economic issues in our region and beyond. The Grand Challenges start your second year with a writing course, continue in year three with a pre-project immersion course, and culminate with a team-based capstone in your final year.
Gain real-world, on-the-job experience, get insider information, and make valuable connections through an internship with a local or global organization.
With the Dyson School’s reputation as a global leader in business education and our international network of alumni and partners, you’ll have access to paid and/or for-credit internship opportunities in the Ithaca region, across the US, and around the world.
Earning Credit for Internships
Because many businesses and organizations offer only non-paying internships for which a student must earn academic credit, we have established a special one-credit, satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) independent study option.
Please email the Office of Student Services and Advising for more information and the Internship for Credit Application.
Your opportunities for internships are as broad as the field of applied economics and management: nearly limitless. Learn more about Dyson School internships through the Office of Student Services and Advising.
Ready to get your passport stamped? We’ve got plenty of itineraries and destinations ready for you. Even if you don’t travel across an ocean, you’ll get plenty of international and cross-cultural experiences through courses, co-curricular, exchange programs, and campus events.
Part of Cornell University’s mission is to discover, preserve, and disseminate knowledge and to promote a culture of broad inquiry throughout and beyond campus. Dyson’s dedication to research is evidenced not only through our faculty’s significant contributions to business and society but also through continued student mentorship.
Why participate in undergraduate research?
Whether you want to work alongside a faculty member on their ongoing research or wish to pursue projects of your own (or both!), AEM research will enrich your Dyson experience in many ways:
As a Dyson student, you have several options to participate in AEM research:
Every student has the capacity to lead. Our program helps you unlock it. We invite the most ambitious Dyson School students to join this experiential opportunity designed to help future business leaders increase their capacity to make a difference.
The Dyson School invests in training a new kind of “systems leader”—someone who catalyzes social change by empowering others and prioritizing a deep understanding of the unjust systems they are trying to influence.
Create, connect, and collaborate with communities in Ithaca—and around the world—by enrolling in one of Cornell’s Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) courses. These rigorous, often cross-disciplinary courses address a range of issues and concerns through both classroom and immersive learning. Dyson-specific courses offered include Cooperative Business Management, Social Entrepreneurship Practicum: Anabel’s Grocery, and Business Design, among others.
(Note: This will take you to the CU-CEL course listings page; you may also use the keyword “AEM” to search the catalog for Dyson-specific CEL courses.)
Dyson immersion opportunities are plentiful—and new programs, collaborations, and partnerships are forming all the time. Here is just one example of other ways to immerse yourself in real-world learning at Dyson and beyond.
Spend a semester (or a year) in one of the European Union’s (EU) major financial centers—and one of Italy’s most cosmopolitan cities. Based in Milan, Bocconi University is one of Europe’s leading educational institutions for economics, management, finance, and law. Learn more about the Dyson-Bocconi Exchange.
A robust curriculum, broad course selection, and many opportunities to focus on the topics that matter to you add up to a well-rounded applied economics and management education at the Dyson School.
Develop specialized business knowledge with a Dyson concentration such as accounting, agribusiness, entrepreneurship, business analytics, or finance. You can choose one (but not more than two) concentration areas. Combine concentrations and even complement them with a minor to maximize your Dyson experience—and expand your opportunities after graduation.
Broaden your knowledge, build more skills, and boost your resume by choosing a minor. Dyson students can select a minor from one of the 120+ options across the university. What’s more, your chosen minor likely offers its own share of exciting hands-on experiences.
Dyson’s AEM program allows you to explore a range of topics—from energy to international trade—in your core coursework. You’ll also have some freedom with your specific course selections as you fulfill your general education requirements from CALS. Finally, you can choose your free electives from thousands of options across Cornell University.
Hands-on AEM research. Professional development through the Dyson Leadership Program. Internships and service learning. If these and other experiential learning opportunities appeal to you, we invite you to learn more about applying to Dyson.
Does the Dyson experience sound like the right fit for your academic and professional goals? Get started on your application today!