Public, private, and nonprofit organizations partner with our master’s degree students to address real‑world challenges.
Working closely with clients, student-consultant teams produce high-quality, evidence-based reports that can inform legislative agendas, assess program funding, support programmatic improvements, or determine areas of future focus. Students analyze existing data, search for data and information in the research literature, and collect information through interviews with experts. These partnerships provide students with practical experience and offer clients valuable deliverables.
There is no cost to clients, but the organization must have a dedicated point person with the capacity to be responsive to the student team throughout the semester. Our staff can work with you to determine which student effort is best suited to your needs.
"The student team produced a cost-benefit analysis on par with what I would expect from professional consultants. They are overseen by experts in their field and produce professional quality analyses."
Kate Battiato, Vice President of Workforce Development, Wisconsin Health Care Association
Types of projects
Cost-benefit analysis project
Timing
Clients submit projects in the spring; students work on projects each fall.
Deliverable
Clients receive a cost-benefit analysis of proposed policy alternatives, along with recommendations for additional studies or next steps, if appropriate.
Best suited for
Projects requiring a pure cost-benefit analysis to determine the least-cost or highest-cost alternative among identified policy options.
Capstone policy project
Timing
Clients submit proposals in the fall; students work on projects each spring.
Deliverable
Clients receive a final report with policy recommendations and supporting documentation, along with recommendations for additional studies or next steps, if appropriate.
Best suited for
Program evaluations, policy analyses, literature reviews, and comparative analyses that have a sufficient amount of existing data to inform the research.
Is my project a good fit?
What makes a good project?
- Clearly stated problem, challenge, or opportunity and clearly defined deliverables that can be accomplished in approximately 14 weeks
- Dedicated point person with capacity to respond to the student team (time commitment of point person is approximately 4-6 hours during weeks 1-4, 10-12 hours during weeks 5-10, and 6-8 hours during weeks 11-14)
- Available data and/or documentation
- Support of organizational leadership
- Openness to unexpected analysis results
- Interest in sharing results with policymakers and public
Questions teams helped answer
- What are different heat mitigation strategies the City of La Crosse should explore?
- Is there a difference between the estimate and actual revenue collected from the extractive industries in Cambodia?
- Which areas in sub-Saharan Africa should be prioritized for immediate electrification investment to improve health outcomes?
- What are the costs and benefits of increasing public access to AEDs in Milwaukee County?
- What costs and benefits should the City of Madison consider when evaluating whether to electrify its vehicle fleet?
- How does the frequency at which a water utility files for rate increases impact its overall performance?
Project proposals
Applications for cost-benefit analysis projects will open in spring 2025.
First-time applicants are encouraged to contact outreach@lafollette.wisc.edu before submitting project proposals to determine if the project scope and focus is a good fit for our courses.
Selection and timeline
This is a competitive recruitment process. Our faculty select projects based on several criteria including student interest; clearly stated problem, challenge, or opportunity; and clearly defined deliverables.
2024-25 capstone timeline:
- October 25: Deadline for proposals
- Mid-December: Clients notified of proposal status
- December 2024 or January 2025: Client intake meeting with faculty advisor
- Mid-January 2025: Initial meeting with organization and student team members
- February–May 2025: Client works with student-consultant team
- May 2025: Final presentation to organization and promotion of reports to policymakers and public
2024 cost-benefit analysis timeline:
- May 17: Priority consideration deadline
- Mid-June: Clients notified of proposal status
- September 4: Fall semester instruction begins
- December: Analysis delivered
Stories about partnerships
Seeking project proposals for capstone course
October 16, 2023
Contact
Have questions about your potential project?
Email: outreach@lafollette.wisc.edu.