UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State is launching a new pilot initiative this summer designed to expand access to hands-on, career-connected learning for undergraduate students, beginning with a pilot for students in the Smeal College of Business.
The Penn State Career Accelerator, delivered in partnership with Podium Education, is a credit-bearing course that integrates real-world projects, industry engagement and professional skill development into a single academic experience.
Open to undergraduate students in the Smeal College of Business, the Career Accelerator reflects Penn State’s commitment to preparing students not only for graduation, but for meaningful careers and lifelong impact. The fully digital format allows broad participation while connecting students to national and global industry partners.
“This pilot represents an important step in how we think about the intersection of academic learning and career preparation,” said Provost Fotis Sotiropoulos. “At Penn State, we are committed to ensuring our students graduate with both the depth of knowledge and the applied experiences needed to lead in a rapidly changing world. The Career Accelerator helps us extend that opportunity to more students in new and scalable ways.”
Expanding access to real-world learning
Rather than relying on traditional lectures and exams, students in the Career Accelerator engage in collaborative, project-based work aligned to real industry challenges. Participants build experience working with organizations such as Crocs, L’Oréal, OpenAI and the Grammys, while earning academic credit and skill-based certificates aligned with high-demand fields.
Each student completes the program with:
- Hands-on experience working on real projects with industry and nonprofit partners
- A portfolio of applied work demonstrating skills and capabilities
- Certificates of completion in areas such as AI (artificial intelligence), data analytics and digital marketing
The program also emphasizes durable skills such as teamwork, communication and career management, ensuring students are prepared to navigate increasingly complex and evolving career pathways.
“This course is designed to give students more than exposure. It gives them evidence of what they can do,” said Ashley Rippey, executive director of the Smeal Business Career Center and instructor of record for the Penn State Career Accelerator. “They are applying what they learn in real time, building confidence and leaving with a portfolio that demonstrates their readiness to contribute from day one.”
A Penn State approach to career readiness
Students will participate in a blend of asynchronous learning and weekly live sessions, known as LiveLabs, where they will collaborate with peers from institutions across the country. These experiences are complemented by access to career-focused programming, including employer events, coaching and pathways to internships and early-career opportunities.
The initiative aligns with Penn State’s broader focus on integrating academics, career preparation and community impact, while leveraging the University’s scale and multi-campus model to test and advance new approaches to expanding access.
“Smeal is an ideal place to pilot new approaches to experiential learning because of our rich history of connecting rigorous business education with real-world impact,” said Corey Phelps, John and Karen Arnold Dean of Smeal. “The Career Accelerator brings together applied coursework, industry projects and professional skill development in a way that reflects how business is practiced and equips students with experience they can carry directly into their careers.”
Pilot with an eye toward growth
The summer 2026 offering serves as an initial pilot, with the goal of assessing impact and informing future expansion to more Penn State students in fall 2026 and beyond.
University leaders said they see the pilot as part of a broader effort to reimagine how experiential learning, industry engagement and academic credit can come together to better serve students across the commonwealth.