Undergraduate Applied Experience Overview

The Applied Experience is designed as a culminating learning experience for students majoring in Business and Marketing Education or Human Resource Development. The goal of the Applied Experience is to ensure that all students have opportunities to engage in real-life work experiences related to their major.

The Applied Experience is an opportunity to:

  • Test out a potential career and organization that aligns with your interests.
  • Develop skills and a network that can be leveraged for future employment or other post-graduation plans.
  • Make intentional connections between what you’re learning in the classroom and how that applies to the world of work.

Students have flexibility to seek out positions in alignment with their own personal and professional goals and can carry out work in a wide range of organizational settings including positions in industry, entrepreneurial startups, nonprofits, and government agencies.

An essential component of the Applied Experience is the practical application of theories and concepts learned through major coursework. While completing the Applied Experience, students enroll in OLPD 4696: Applied Experience in BME and HRD to facilitate this reflection and learning.

Examples of BME-related activities
Sales, marketing, customer service, event planning, finance, business development, consulting, management, business analytics

Examples of recent BME Applied Experience employers
Best Buy, Cargill, Polaris, Xcel Energy, U.S. Bank, City of Saint Paul, Minnesota Daily, UMN College of Liberal Arts, Ramsey County

Examples of HRD-related activities
training and development (developing, implementing, evaluating training, conducting needs assessment), organization development (coaching, assessing organizational culture, engaging in diversity and equity initiatives)

Examples of recent HRD Applied Experience Sites
Minnesota Department of Human Services, Medica, Minnesota Children’s Museum, UMN School of Public Health

Proposal forms

Current BME and HRD Students

Refer to the OLPD Undergraduate Resource Site for more information about the Applied Experience including prerequisites, strategies for securing a position, and registration in OLPD 4696.

Prospective Employers and Site Supervisors

Refer to the Guide for Employers and Site Supervisors for more information about our students, considerations for hosting a student for their Applied Experience, and expectations for site supervisors.