Lead with values. Learn by doing.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s 3+Co-op program is the flagship undergraduate experience of the Center for Humanity in Business in Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Martha and Spencer Love School of Business. In this selective four-year program, students spend three years on campus and their fourth year working full time in Charlotte, earning a paycheck and learning to lead ethically and deliver results.
Program Benefits
Build a close community of purpose-driven business leaders.
Reside in a Living-Learning Community (LLC) during your first year and move through key experiences with your peers over four years. Cohort-based courses emphasize the sustainable practices of stakeholder capitalism, ethical reasoning, leadership, values discernment, systems thinking and global awareness.
Develop a personal leadership philosophy grounded in values and consequence.
Through reflective exercises, mentorship, dialogue and real-world case analysis, you’ll explore what it means to lead responsibly in environments where competing stakeholder interests, financial pressures and ethical complexity often collide.
Experience one-on-one mentorship from nationally respected business leaders.
Industry leaders will mentor you throughout the program, modeling what it means to succeed with integrity and impact:
- Noah Bopp, founder and head of The School for Ethics and Global Leadership
- Mike Faircloth ’86 P’16, former president of global operations for Hanesbrands Inc.
- Andrew Greenfield P’24 P’29, retired CEO of AbioMed
- Bill Johnson, retired CEO of Progress Energy
- Christina Peterson ’10, head of Search Ads 360 | U.S. Pharma, Healthcare and Travel at Google
- John Replogle P’18 P’25, partner at One Better Ventures and former CEO of Seventh Generation Inc.
- Jack Ryan P’17, senior adviser at Rockefeller Capital Management
- Kevin Trapani P’08 ’23 ’24, retired founder and CEO of The Redwoods Group and founding director of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Center for Humanity in Business
Learn from faculty experts in business and society.
Engage in rigorous coursework that challenges you to balance people, sustainability, innovation, profit and shareholder value while developing the analytical and strategic skills required of high-performing business leaders.
Build fluency in AI, analytics and decision-making.
Interactive workshops, simulations and applied client experiences help you develop expertise in AI applications, data collection, analysis, communication and strategic problem-solving.
Engage directly with visionary organizations.
Interact with leaders from organizations such as Patagonia, REI, Habitat for Humanity, JetZero, Toyota and Unilever to explore how organizations create long-term value while navigating complex societal challenges.
Explore humane business practices around the world through immersive January-term travel experiences.
Examine the intersection of business, labor, public policy, sustainability and human flourishing through faculty-led international experiences in Prague, Lisbon, Portugal, Madrid, Singapore and Thailand. Programs include visits to organizations and social enterprises where students will study stakeholder capitalism, workforce well-being, responsible supply chains, manufacturing practices and the evolving role of business in society. These experiences are designed to deepen cultural agility while helping you understand how organizations navigate tensions among profit, people and purpose in very different economic and political environments.
Spend your fourth year living and working in Charlotte.
The co-op experience, a structured program that alternates academic study with full-time, paid work, is a cornerstone of the Center for Humanity in Business. In your fourth year, you will live and work full-time in Charlotte while completing remaining coursework in a flexible format.
Co-op placements may include consulting, finance, analytics, strategy and management roles with organizations such as EY, Bank of America and Atrium Health. You’ll gain significant professional experience while exploring how business decisions affect employees, customers, communities and long-term organizational performance.
Charlotte’s dynamic business environment becomes an extension of the classroom, offering exposure to corporate leadership, entrepreneurship, civic partnerships and emerging models of responsible business.
Graduate ready to lead in consequential environments.
Complete the program with substantial professional experience, a strong ethical and analytical foundation and the ability to lead thoughtfully in competitive and rapidly changing organizations.
Scholarship
Up to 30 students receive a $12,000 Presidential Scholarship renewable annually as long as they remain in good standing. Note: Presidential Scholarships may be awarded at the time of admission. This award serves as the program scholarship as well. Students, who do not receive a Presidential Scholarship upon admission but are later selected for 3+Co-op, will receive the award at that time.
Who should apply?
The 3+Co-op program is competitive and accepts only a limited number of incoming first-year students. Students with a record of leadership and service — and a minimum 3.8 GPA — who plan to major in accounting, business analytics, economic consulting, economics, entrepreneurship & innovation, finance, financial technology, human resource management, international business, marketing, project management or supply chain management are encouraged to apply.
The program is designed for students who aspire not only to succeed in business, but also to shape organizations and systems that contribute positively to society.
Students interested in the 3+Co-op program may also apply to the Business Fellows and Honors programs.
How to apply
Apply for first-year admission to Â鶹ÊÓƵ
Complete and submit the Common Application or an Â鶹ÊÓƵ application, along with the $60 application fee, official high school transcript(s) and the completed Secondary School Report Form no later than the following dates.
Early Decision: November 1
Early Action: November 1
Regular Deadline: January 10*
*Submit your first-year application by Nov. 1.
Submit the 3+Co-op application by November 10
Students applying to the 3+Co-op program may access the application via their Â鶹ÊÓƵ Acorn Account (admissions.elon.edu/status) following submission of the first-year application. Students applying via the Common Application will receive their Acorn Account log-in information one day after submitting the first-year application.
Finalists will be notified through their Acorn Accounts in mid-December at the same their first-year admission decisions are released. Interviews will take place in early February.
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