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Experiential Learning

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Environmental and Business Economics Program


The Environmental and Business Economics (EBE) program requires three credits of Experiential Learning for graduation. Experiential Learning gives you hands-on experience through a project, whether it is an independent research study or an internship at a company. It is your opportunity to apply what you learn in the classroom to real world problems, strengthen your understanding through practical work, and gain new skills by learning on the job. Experiential Learning helps you connect theory with practice, build resilience and adaptability, and prepare for future academic or career paths. There are several ways to fulfill this requirement.

  1. EBE Courses
    You can take the following EBE courses to fulfill the Experiential Learning Requirement.
    • 11:373:402 Global Marketing
    • 11:373:403 Innovation and Entrepreneurship
  2. Research Project
    You can conduct a research project to fulfill the Experiential Learning (EL) requirement. You will need to complete the Learning Contract if you plan to use the research project for your EL requirement. If you only need elective credits from the independent research, you do not need to complete the Learning Contract. In general, the Learning Contract should be completed before you register for the course. Please download the Learning Contract at the bottom of this page.

    To complete the Learning Contract, you will work with a faculty member who serves as your EL mentor. This faculty mentor will help fill out the Learning Contract and will guide and oversee your research. You will also need approval from the EBE Undergraduate Program Director, who serves as the EL coordinator. The topic of your research must be relevant to the EBE curriculum.
    • EBE Independent Study
      You can register for one of the following three courses to earn three credits. To register, you must find a faculty mentor and obtain written confirmation that you will work with that faculty member on an independent study, as well as obtain an SPN from the Undergraduate Program Director. After that, please email advising@sebs.rutgers.edu to register for the course. In your email, please provide the following information: student full name, RUID, course number, index number, number of credits, SPN, and the written confirmation.
      • 11:373:491 Research Problems in Agricultural, Environmental, and Business Economics
      • 11:373:492 Business Issues
      • 11:373:495 Issues in Agricultural, Environmental, and Business Economics
    • Aresty Research Program
      You can register for the Aresty Research Program to earn Experiential Learning credits. Please note that the Aresty program awards 1.5 credits per semester, so you will need two semesters to fulfill the three credit requirement.
  3. Internship or Job Experience
    You will need to secure your own internship or job placement, the internship or job must be related to the EBE curriculum.
    • If the Internship/job is paid
      Once you have a position, you may register for the SPIN program to use your work experience to earn the 3 credits required for Experiential Learning. The SPIN program has specific requirements, please review the SPIN program site for detailed information. You can earn SPIN credits using a summer internship/job, or an internship/job during the spring or fall semester. You may ask your EBE major advisor to serve as your faculty sponsor for the SPIN program. For questions, please contact the SPIN program at https://sebsspin.rutgers.edu/contact/
    • If the internship/job is unpaid or minimally paid
      Please contact the EBE Undergraduate Program Director. You will need to complete a Learning Contract with your supervisor. In this case, you will register for 11:373:492 Business Issues. This option is available only during the spring and fall semesters, and not during the summer session.
  4. Study-Abroad Program
    You can use a Study Abroad Program to fulfill your EBE Experiential Learning requirement. You must consult the EBE Undergraduate Program Director before applying to determine whether a specific Study Abroad Program can count toward the Experiential Learning requirement.

    For example, the following Study Abroad Program has been approved for the EBE Experiential Learning requirement: Rutgers-Agribusiness Frontiers: Farm to Market Leadership
  5. First Year Interest Group Peer Instructor
    FIGS Peer Instructors are full-time juniors or seniors when they teach a FIGS course. Please see FIGS website for details.
  6. Other Options
    There are other options that can be used to fulfill the EBE Experiential Learning requirement. For example, you may use the I-Corps program or an externship program. To determine whether a specific program can count toward the Experiential Learning requirement, please consult the EBE Undergraduate Program Director.

Download Learning Contract
* Please do not remove any content from the contract. You may add additional information if needed.