Students

Student projects provide HR solutions for Valley companies

In MGT 426: HR Consulting Projects, designed by Professor Eric Knott, students serve as HR consultants solving real-world challenges for businesses in the Valley.

Sharon Liu

2025-12-09

Undergraduate students at ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business can gain real-world human resources experience through MGT 426: HR Consulting Projects. This unique course, designed by Associate Teaching Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship Eric Knott, empowers students to act as HR consultants serving companies in the Valley.

This experiential learning course doesn't require textbooks or exams. Small student teams spend their time working on HR solutions with periodic check-ins, culminating in a final presentation to the company's leadership team. Knott brings in guest speakers, such as attorneys, training and development leaders, and other HR industry experts, who provide insights to help students overcome project roadblocks.

"The course provides the opportunity to learn strategic HR best practices, closely collaborate with industry professionals, and see what goes on in a typical HR department — all while receiving academic credits," says John Torgerson (BS Management '23).

After the course, students can list it as an HR internship on their resumes, giving them an advantage in the job market. "HR internships are highly coveted and can be difficult to come by," explains Kayla Prendergast (BA Human Resources/BS Management '24). "This class is the perfect way to get hands-on experience within HR and add it to your resume."

Students get a behind-the-scenes look at HR

The course has been running for nearly a decade, with many long-term corporate partners sponsoring student projects. Each semester, Knott adds one or two new companies that have an active HR issue to address and are hiring W. P. Carey students.

This variety of companies allows students to engage with a wide range of industries and HR functions. For instance, students revamped the employee onboarding process at CBIZ, a national insurance brokerage firm. Other projects have included helping the State Police differentiate itself to law enforcement candidates, helping family-owned Fairchild Freight out-compete national chains in the war for talent, and getting to the bottom of turnover concerns inside a large credit union call center.

"My team was tasked with developing a leadership development training program," says Torgerson, who worked with MidState Mechanical, a general contracting company. "We brainstormed strategies to craft and present a training program that would also address a concern with company culture that the CEO shared with us early on."

For Prendergast, who already had work experience in HR, it was interesting to work in a different environment, culture, and industry. Her team assisted Terros Health, a behavioral health provider and the longest-running corporate partner for the course. They tackled recruitment challenges in attracting and retaining top talent.

"We identified that a key issue was a lack of a realistic job preview, so we filmed 'day in the life' videos to be posted on the job application page and social media. This way, candidates can gain greater insight into the role than a written job description could ever provide," she says.

Jayda Ortiz (BA Human Resources/BS Business Entrepreneurship '24) echoes the sentiment. "I had been working in HR for about a year or two, so stepping into a consultant role was a great way to gain a fresh perspective," she says. Her team improved the performance evaluation process for the Arizona Coalition for Military Families, a veteran advocacy group. "We reviewed their current system and developed updated materials and recommendations to make feedback more consistent and meaningful."

Applying academics to the real world

As consultants working with actual clients, students learned how to fulfill the expectations of being in HR. "It helped me connect what I learned in the classroom to real HR work and gave me a clear look at how HR challenges are handled in practice," says Ortiz.

The alums credited the course for helping them develop project management and research skills, improving their ability to translate ideas into practical solutions. They also cultivated soft skills in relationship management and effective communication that employers highly value.

"Reading or hearing about recruitment and employee engagement from a textbook or lecture is one thing," says Prendergast. "Putting it into practice by engaging with employees and leaders, creating deliverables, and seeing improved organizational outcomes is another."

These student projects benefit both companies and students. Companies receive innovative and actionable solutions for their HR challenges at no cost. Meanwhile, students gain experience they can speak to during job interviews. "The projects help them answer questions engaging with leaders and employees about enterprise-level business concerns versus just the typical part-time college job students sometimes use as the context for their interview answers. This significantly adds to their employability," says Knott.

By hosting informal networking events, Knott facilitates relationships between students and all the company representatives. He estimates that nearly half of the students who complete the course secure interviews with a partner company, including firms that weren't their clients.

A lasting impact

"MGT 426 was by far the most impactful, memorable, and enjoyable HR course I took, as I can see firsthand how it has influenced my career," says Torgerson.

As a Senior HR Business Partner, he continues to apply skills he learned in the course, especially for client management. "During the course, my team was required to provide regular updates to our client before the client reached out — a phenomenal best practice that I continue to utilize every day," he says.

Ortiz also notes how the course impacted her career. "It directly influenced how I approach my current role as an HR Generalist by encouraging me to think strategically and look for ways to improve systems," she says. "It also confirmed my interest in HR consulting and development work."

While recruiting isn't a key part of Prendergast's current role as a Senior HR Coordinator, she reflects on how the course affected her career development. "The project revealed a greater passion for the employee experience and their development, which is something I look forward to exploring in greater depth on my HR career path."

Gaining HR experience across campuses

In addition to Knott’s consulting course, a focus on practical and applied aspects of human resources is a key part of the W. P. Carey School’s bachelor’s degree in human resources. The program provides a comprehensive education in the core functions of HR, teaching strategic frameworks for broader-level HR decision-making. Students take several courses at ASU's Polytechnic's campus, a dynamic global hub for innovation and discovery that emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration.

"I took all of my HR classes at the Polytechnic campus, and it definitely had a different vibe compared to Tempe. It was a lot more laid-back and quiet, which was nice for focusing, and I had a good group of HR friends that made it more fun and connected," Ortiz shares.

The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), which Ortiz and Prendergast were both officers in, is also housed at the Polytechnic campus. HR students can join SHRM to gain access to professional development and networking opportunities.

Ortiz adds, "I really appreciated the mix between the two campuses — it gave me a nice balance between calm and energy during my time at ASU.”

Partnerships Management and Entrepreneurship