This semester, seven marketing seniors were given $2,500 from Honda to develop a campus marketing strategy for Honda’s 2008 Accord Coupe. MSU is one of 19 schools participating in the program, sponsored by EdVenture Partners, a professional advertising agency.

Emily Niemann, who will be working for Starcom Worldwide after graduation this year, said the class has been a useful resource for her.

“It really is a full-fledged marketing campaign on our campus,” she said. “We had to come up with a slogan and get materials together, and it gives us a lot of experience.”

There are two other sections of the class, essentially the final class in the undergraduate program, but Carter’s class will be the only one involved in the EdVenture Partners program.

“I’ve been wanting to get a more formal opportunity for students to get more experience-based learning,” he said.

Carter, an associate marketing professor, said the class isn’t at the level of a professional internship — but it’s close.

“This is kind of the next best thing,” he said.

Scott Hedges, a student in the course, said the class has been taking preliminary surveys of students to judge their awareness of the car. They also have been holding events to increase awareness, including sponsoring a beanbag tournament at the Izzone campout — with the car on display.

Hedges added that the classroom experience has been a great supplement to his previous internship.

“I think it’s provided the same experience of real world work, and it’s definitely measurable to the same challenges I’ve experienced in my internship,” Hedges said.

Because the class wasn’t approved until July, Carter said, most seniors already had their schedules locked in.

“If we had been able to do this in the spring, I’d have no doubt we would have 30 or 40 students,” he said.

Carter said the program represented an effort by the department to provide internship experience to the students.

“Internships are the best things for students, but given the size of our department, not everyone has that opportunity,” he said.

“We’re trying to bring internships to campus.”