Braven is a course and community empowering college students with the tools for a strong career. Learning from professionals in small cohorts, you’ll gain in-demand skills and networks. Post-graduation support after graduation and an alumni network ensure your ongoing success. Braven offers courses through colleges and nonprofit partnerships.
Braven helps Fellows create a strong professional portfolio (resume, cover letter, LinkedIn) for internships and jobs, ensuring competitive applications.
Braven expands your network for job prospects. With employer partners, volunteers, and a strong alumni network, you’ll have support and connections.
As a Fellow, you’ll bond with peers in a small cohort, facing challenges and learning together. Your coach will guide you personally and professionally.
Braven’s experience hones leadership skills through real-world challenges and classroom exercises, preparing you for success in work and life.
When students are given access to information capital and networks as well as the opportunity to practice professional skills, the American promise is attainable within semesters.
75% of Braven graduates make more in their first job out of college than either of their parents did at the same age.
By comparison, by age 30, Americans have a 50-50 shot of outearning their parents.
OF Braven GRADS MAKE MORE IN FIRST JOB OUT OF COLLEGE THAN THEIR PARENTS AT THE SAME AGE
Fellows on the path to American Promise
uplift in ANNUAL earnings for Braven Grads IN THEIR FIRST JOB compared with PEERS NATIONALLY
You are a student at one of our partner universities
Ideally, you are a sophomore, junior, or transfer student
You can commit about 4-6 hours a week semester-long course
You are in good academic standing
As with any rigorous college course, the Braven Accelerator requires dedication, focus, and a time commitment—generally about 4-6 hours a week. But unlike in many college classes, much of that time is flexible. Around 80% of your coursework is done independently, on your own time and online, and 20% is a hands-on learning opportunity facilitated by your coach.
Braven isn’t just a course — it’s a community and an experience. After you finish the Accelerator, you have access to ongoing support from Braven that lasts through six months after graduation.
Many Fellows begin their Braven experience unsure of what they want to do after college graduation. If you aren’t yet sure of the career you want to pursue, Braven can help you find your path.
Course Description
The Braven Leadership Accelerator is a 3-credit foundational course designed to begin preparing students to become leaders in an increasingly competitive, globalized career marketplace. Students will define their own leadership by leveraging and highlighting their identity, values, strengths, talents and experiences via multiple formats of communication, networking, project-managing, and teamwork activities. This course, which is ideal for sophomores and juniors, will support students who seek to attain a strong post-graduation leadership opportunity, whether that be graduate school or a strong first job.
Course Section
The course is listed as:
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
Locations
There will be three (3) sections of the course. Select the one that best fits your personal preference: 1) Fully virtual or 2) Hybrid (you will attend 3 in-person classes).
Course Description
The Braven Leadership Accelerator (UNIV 291) is a 3-credit foundational course designed to begin preparing students to become leaders in an increasingly competitive, globalized career marketplace. Students will define their own leadership by leveraging and highlighting their identity, values, strengths, talents, and experiences via multiple formats of communication, networking, project management, and teamwork activities. This course, which is ideal for sophomores and juniors, will support students who seek to attain a strong post-baccalaureate leadership opportunity, whether that be graduate school or a strong first job.
Course Section
The Braven Accelerator is a 3-credit elective course that meets Tuesdays, Wednesdays (virtually) from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm ET, or Thursdays (virtually) from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm ET. The course is listed as:
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
Dates/Times
There are three options available for the course in Spring 2025, which are fully virtual:
DSU Contacts
Danielle K. Craig – danielle.craig@bebraven.org
General Information – DSU@bebraven.org
Eligibility:
Course Description
This 3-credit course prepares students with the essential skills, networks, and confidence to land internships, jobs, and prepare for grad school. In this course, you’ll:
Course Section
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
Dates/Times
There are two virtual options available for the course in Spring 2025:
NIU Staff Contact
Eligibility
Course Description
This is a foundational course, designed to begin preparing students for the increasingly competitive, globalized job marketplace. It is aimed at students in their sophomore year who have a hunger to attain a strong post-grad opportunity. Through online and peer learning, interactive experiences, and reflection, students will build meaningful networks, discover their innate leadership, and cultivate the “hard” and “soft” skills and habits of mind needed to thrive in twenty-first-century workplaces and make a positive impact through their careers upon graduation.
This course will require your commitment. Nothing good comes easy, but this course will be equally rewarding as it is challenging. What you get from this course will depend on what you give, and you need to want to give to this course to get the most out of it.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
Eligibility
Students can take the Braven Career Accelerator at any time. All RU-N students will be auto-enrolled in either their sophomore year or early in junior year to ensure that you have enough time to get a strong internship experience before your senior year. This will give you more time to apply the skills, confidence, and networks gained during the course to inform your choices in college and beyond, and make the most of the rich opportunities that RU-N has to offer. Learn more here: The RU-N Braven Experience
Course Description
This course prepares students for the increasingly competitive, globalized job marketplace. Through online and peer learning, interactive experiences, and reflection, students will build meaningful networks, discover their innate leadership, and cultivate the “hard” and “soft” skills and habits of mind needed to thrive in twenty-first-century workplaces. This course will require your commitment. Nothing good comes easy, but this course will be equally rewarding as it is challenging.
Course Section
The Braven Leadership and Career Accelerator is a 3-credit elective course.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
Date/Time
*The Braven Leadership and Accelerator course offers a hybrid format, with only the first and last sessions held in person. All other sessions will be conducted virtually.
Eligibility: Open to all undergraduate years; ideal sophomore, juniors, and new transfer students
Course Description
The SF State & Braven Career Accelerator is a 3 credit course open to all majors; that is ideal for sophomores, juniors and new transfer students. Starting with registration for Spring 2025, advisors will add the SF State & Braven Accelerator course to the shopping cart for sophomores and new transfer students. Students who enroll will:
AU220 also counts as a major elective within Family, Interiors, Nutrition & Apparel; Public Health; and General Business.
Course Section
AU220: SF State & Braven Career Accelerator is hybrid, and students can enroll in either the Tuesdays 4:00-6:00 pm PT (2 sections available) or or Wednesday 5:00-7:00 pm PT. You can add this course via MySFSU.
Hybrid: Mainly virtual, with two in-person, on-campus sessions in the semester
For more information or questions about AU220: SF State & Braven Career Accelerator, please reach out to career-accelerator@sfsu.edu
Eligibility:
Open to all undergraduate & graduate students; preferably sophomore, juniors, and first-year transfer students
Course Description
This 3-credit course prepares students with the essential skills, networks, and confidence to land internships, jobs, and prepare for grad school. In this course, you’ll:
Course Section
SSCI 101 Leadership and Career Accelerator course is hybrid, and meets only on Tuesdays (hybrid) from 6:00-8:45 pm PT or Thursdays (hybrid) from 3:00-5:45 pm PT. You can add this course via MySJSU.
Learning Outcomes By the end of the course, students should be able to:
Course Description
Spelman-Braven Leadership Accelerator (SLDR 275) is a foundational course, designed as preparation for the competitive, globalized job marketplace and includes the formation of professional networks, communication in multiple formats, teamwork, development of career skills, and project management. Students will define their own leadership by leveraging and highlighting their identity, values, strengths, talents and experiences. This course, which required for the Sophomore Year Experience at Spelman College, will support students who seek to attain a strong post-baccalaureate leadership opportunity, whether that be graduate school or a strong first job.
Course Section
Spelman-Braven Leadership Accelerator (SLDR 275) is a 3-credit elective course that meets Tuesdays or Wednesdays from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm ET (hybrid). The course is listed as:
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
Locations
There will be two sections of the course. The first Learning Lab is in person at Spelman College. Learning Labs two through fourteen are executed virtually.
Braven’s course is open to all students, and part of our mission is to expand opportunity and access for students from diverse racial and economic backgrounds. You might be a good fit if you are:
As a Fellow, you’ll gain strong career preparation, leadership development, personalized advising, a supportive community, and an expanded professional network.
The Braven experience is offered as a two-part experience that begins with a credit-bearing college course that includes weekly meetings in a small cohort (either in-person or virtually, depending on your campus) and independent work. After the course itself, Braven offers post-course supports that last through six months after graduation. Once you graduate, you’ll also be a part of our strong Alumni Network.
As a Braven Fellow, you meet with your cohort each week for 2-hour “Learning Labs,” and there is independent online coursework each week that can be done on your own schedule. To succeed in Braven’s course, you should be able to commit about 4-6 hours a week for a semester.
We work with higher education partners and nonprofits to offer the format that’s best for their students. Most of our higher-education partners offer their class in-person on campus, but we have a number of virtual partnerships as well. Some partners offer both options.
While we partner with faculty advisors to offer Braven on your campus, the course itself is taught by working professionals called Leadership Coaches. They serve as instructors and mentors throughout the course.
The Braven course is offered at no additional costs to students enrolled full-time (that is, students taking 12 or more credits). If you are enrolled part-time or are an international student, then you will need to pay per credit.
