Experiential Education

Experiential education is a core dimension of the Gabelli School of Business. If you think you'll just be sitting in a lecture hall, think again. Our students go beyond traditional classroom learning to test their skills and knowledge in national competitions, through internships with major business, nonprofit and governmental organizations, and in a variety of study-abroad opportunities. We bridge theory with practice via real-world projects and challenges in which our students become deeply involved as consultants, problem-solvers and valuable team members focused on learning and fostering the success of the organizations with which they serve.

National Collegiate Business Competitions

Analytics team works on competition project
Members of the Analytics Team work with Professor Farhadi on their project for the 2018 National Analytics Competition.

Through recent major investments in technology and facilities,​ the Gabelli School provides state-of-the-art financial, analytical and marketing training where students build technical and strategic skills that enable them to challenge themselves at several collegiate business competitions. Our students have increased their involvement in regional and national collegiate business competitions over the past few years, consistently finishing in the top 10. 

Center for Advanced Financial Education (CAFE)

Students analyze stock trading data in Center for Advanced Financial Education.
Students manage two real-dollar portfolios in the recently renovated Center for Advanced Financial Education.

The students in our Center for Advanced Financial Education (CAFE) program challenge themselves and their financial analytical skills in a competitive real-world market, managing two real-dollar portfolios in real time using an actual trading account. The CAFE provides hands-on training in securities analysis and portfolio management inside a recently renovated center designed to replicate Wall Street's analyst pods and trading rooms and equipped with cutting-edge Bloomberg and Moneynet.com resources, real-time, large-screen stock ticker, desktop workstations and tablets.

Community-Engaged Projects

Walley School in Bristol
Just one example of project-based work through the CPC, Gabelli School students developed a business feasibility study for re-use of the former Walley School for the Town of Bristol.

Through our unique RWU Community Partnerships Center, our students dive into community-engaged projects where they put their skills and knowledge to the test solving real-world problems with community partners. The CPC's mutually beneficial mission enables our students to act as business consultants to nonprofit organizations – building the real-world skills and experiences employers seek in our graduates, while serving communities who may lack resources to get projects off the ground. These are a few examples of the project-based work students have completed:

  • Our students were tasked with creating a job training program for clients of Crossroads Rhode Island, a social enterprise non-profit which aims to combat homelessness. One particular challenge was to create a program which was financially sustainable and did not rely on Crossroads’ budget, but rather on grants and donations.
     
  • An interdisciplinary team of Business, Historic Preservation, and Construction Management Students met with the Bristol Harbor Commission and Harbor Master to formulate a feasible renovation plan, cost estimate and management plan for re-use of the town's former Marine Armory into a public maritime center. Read about their project in "Partners on a Port of Welcome."
     
  • Our students also created a business plan for re-imagining the abandoned Walley School in the Town of Bristol as a Community Arts Center. Read about how RWU and our students are partnering with Bristol's Arts in Common to make this a reality.

Learn more about the Community Partnerships Center

Internships

Class of 2016 Marketing major Kevin Cameron landed a job thanks to an internship through GSB.
Marketing major Kevin Cameron '16 landed a job with Zeal Hockey, thanks to an internship through GSB.

Nearly 100% of our students engage in one or more internships, many of them paid. Our students have access to an extensive range of internship experiences, and we consistently receive positive feedback from internship supervisors about their work. Internships provide additional credentials of distinction for students' first post-graduation professional opportunity, enhancing possibilities for positive career outcomes.

Study Abroad Opportunities

Students stand in front of screens that say Tokyo Stock Exchange Welcomes Roger Williams University Students
GSB CAFE students visit the Tokyo Stock Echange. 

Through the Spiegel Center for Global and International Programs, a substantial percentage of our students study abroad at some point, whether for a semester or the shorter timeframes offered by faculty-led programs in the summer, winter and spring breaks.

Learn more about study abroad opportunities

Student Clubs and Organizations

  • Business Fraternity – Delta Sigma Pi
  • Honor Society – Beta Gamma Sigma
  • Dean’s Student Advisory Board
  • American Advertising Federation – NSAC
  • Economics Club – Fed Challenge
  • Analytics Club – AIS Analytics Competition
  • Financial Management Association
  • Society for the Advancement of Management
  • Accounting Club
  • Entrepreneurship Club

Explore 70+ other club and organization opportunities at RWU