Consulting Academy: Combine your major and curiosity into a consulting career

Best Full-Time MBA programs, U.S. News & World Report 2025 Your Kelley MBA is recognized as one of the best full-time MBA programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report 2025. Typically, students from the following majors seek career development from the Consulting Academy:

Its suite of consulting services, including the Consulting Academy, Consulting Club, 1Kelley Consulting, and Global Business and Social Enterprise (GLOBASE), give you the skills and experiences that you’ll need to identify solutions.

Is a consulting career for you?

During the Academy, you’ll develop core consulting skills and gain a solid understanding of the industry and the different types of consulting careers and firms. You will:

Learn from professionals and executives from top consulting firms in addition to clients who speak candidly about their experiences working with consultants
Meet with companies and expand your professional network
Take part in a case competition judged by consultants from a Big Four firm
Gain real-world experience by conducting a consulting project for a client
Collaborate with Graduate Career Services on networking, interview practice, career discussions, and preparation for your internship. This includes ongoing mentoring by your Academy director, a career coach, a second-year mentor, and Consulting Academy alumni.

Learn about the Academy and consulting careers

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Gain insights about the Academy and career paths for consulting from Kelley Consulting Academy alumni and program leaders.

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Consulting Academy students gather together for a group photo in the William J. Godfrey Graduate and Executive Education Center.

“The Consulting Academy is a fantastic opportunity for students to practice the many lessons learned in the classroom on real-life consulting projects. We learn under the tutelage of a former consulting executive with 30+ years of experience who goes out of his way to bring the best out everyone. When I joined the Academy last year, seeing things from Academy Director Scott Laughner’s perspective blew me away. I’d never been in a fully immersive learning program like this, and my experiences solidified my decision to pursue consulting as a career after Kelley.”

Paulos Tewolde, MBA’23

Questions? Contact us.

J. Scott Laughner

Consulting Academy Director
jslaugh@iu.edu

J. Scott Laughner recently joined Kelley as a faculty member and director of the Consulting Academy. He brings over 30 years of consulting experience as a senior managing director at Accenture, where he was based in their Chicago, Atlanta, London, San Francisco, and Indianapolis offices. Scott worked on engagements with Global 2000 companies early in his career and spent the second half of his career leading some of Accenture’s business segments. His client delivery and internal leadership positions give him a unique blend of expertise across strategy, operations, consulting, and systems integration. Prior to working at Accenture, he received his BA in industrial engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame.

More opportunities to build your career

Check out the student-led Consulting Club for events, seminars, and workshops tailored to consulting. You’ll sharpen your consulting skills, prepare for interviews, and continue developing your network and new friendships.
Gain real-world consulting experience with 1Kelley Consulting, which enables MBAs to build their leadership skills as they make a positive social and economic impact locally.
Gain international leadership and consulting experience with Global Business and Social Enterprise (GLOBASE). Your team will work directly with entrepreneurs and nonprofits in Latin America, Africa, and Asia to address challenges and create positive social impact.