{"id":1962,"date":"2026-08-26T17:12:40","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T17:12:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/graduate-studies\/?p=1962"},"modified":"2026-08-26T17:12:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T17:12:40","slug":"not-just-an-elective-msils-practicum-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/graduate-studies\/not-just-an-elective-msils-practicum-course\/","title":{"rendered":"Not Just an Elective: MSIL\u2019s Practicum Course"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Among the many opportunities available to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/graduate-studies\/innovation-and-leadership\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">M.S. in Innovation and Leadership<\/a> (MSIL) students, the practicum course stands out as one of the program\u2019s most transformative learning experiences. It\u2019s an elective that gives hands-on experience in innovation and leadership. The course has become a defining part of the program, with students being able to complete up to two practicum experiences. Students choose a site that matches their interests, and they spend the semester completing a tangible project. Those in the course bring an outside perspective to the organizations they work with, helping solve problems from a new angle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou&#8217;re spending enough time in an environment to really learn what it&#8217;s like to be in that space and to see the real challenges that come up when people are trying to implement a new program or push through a new idea in an organization,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/people\/janna-pennington\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Janna Pennington<\/a>, director of the MSIL program, said.<\/p>\n<p>Practicums include around 120 hours of work throughout the semester, which breaks down to around eight to ten hours per week.<\/p>\n<p>Practicums can take on many different forms. Examples include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A student athlete who worked on grant proposals for funding initiatives for the athletics department.<\/li>\n<li>A working professional student who ran a grassroots leadership development program and used her knowledge from the MSIL program to rewrite curriculum.<\/li>\n<li>A student who worked in an insurance office to gain insight into leadership practices within the insurance industry.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Many students draw on prior professional and life experiences to enrich their practicums. Joshua Ghansiam M&#8217;26 had an interest in healthcare and completed an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/graduate-studies\/community-engaged-medicine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">M.S. in Community Engaged Medicine<\/a> before enrolling in the MSIL program. That background played a key role in selecting his practicum site. Pursuing an opportunity that aligned with his healthcare interests, he completed his practicum at Prisma Health, rebuilding and modernizing a leadership development program for enterprise and commercial use. His placement was unique since he was able to apply what he learned in both the MS-CEM and MSIL programs. His healthcare background gave him valuable insight into how the leadership development curriculum would be perceived by healthcare professionals. The MSIL program taught him to apply a human-centered, innovative approach that enabled him to remain flexible and see beyond individual challenges.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was thrilled knowing that I could take my innovation and leadership knowledge and apply it to a real-world organization of this size and caliber,\u201d Ghansiam said.<\/p>\n<p>Through this placement, he developed a comprehensive evaluation plan, engagement score framework, retention and long-term tracking tools, a leadership competency alignment map, communication and stakeholder engagement plan, and logic models.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI began the practicum thinking leadership was about how I could make an impact. I finished my practicum understanding that leadership is about how I can help others make an impact too,\u201d Ghansiam noted.<\/p>\n<p>Students also interact with stakeholders, build workplace communication skills and understand how to accept and provide feedback to others. They collaborate and build relationships with individuals in the organizations where they are placed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a great opportunity to connect theory with practice,\u201d Pennington said. \u201cIt\u2019s one thing to learn about innovation and leadership in the classroom, but it&#8217;s another thing to actually be in a space where you&#8217;re practicing that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For students with little experience, the practicum offers a starting point. It gives them a chance to build their resumes while developing real-world connections outside the classroom. Working alongside professionals in the field, they gain the kind of exposure that expands on their classroom learning.<\/p>\n<p>Every practicum placement is different, but the outcome is still the same. No matter the organization or project they complete, each student leaves with more than just a finished deliverable. They leave with the confidence to walk into any organization and lead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Among the many opportunities available to M.S. in Innovation and Leadership (MSIL) students, the practicum course stands out as one of the program\u2019s most transformative learning experiences. 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