Business Institute
Swim with the sharks who know how to create and seize business opportunities in ponds, large and small.
The Business Institute is a summer experience at Wake Forest University that allows students to develop practical skills and the ability to think critically while gaining valuable exposure to important business topics and methods of analysis. Students will be exposed to the essential aspects of business needed to launch and run a company, including finance, human resources, management, marketing, technology, and operations. In addition to working alongside experienced faculty and collaborating in teams, this institute ends with a team presentation, in which students pitch ideas showcasing the knowledge they gained throughout the week.
At a Glance
2026 Dates: Week of June 7-12 and week of June 14-19
Program Length: Sunday – Friday, overnight
Who Can Apply?: Current 9th – 12th grade students
Tuition: $3,500
*Tuition is subject to change per year
Location: Winston-Salem, NC – Wake Forest University Reynolda Campus
*Courses carry no secondary school or college credit. Upon completion of the program, an official Wake Forest University Certificate of Completion will be awarded to all Business Institute participants.
What You’ll Experience
Institute Topics Covered:
- Business Management
- Finance
- Strategy and Innovation
- Marketing
- Operations
- Business Analytics & Technology
- Networking and Teamwork
Hands-On Experiences:
- Work with WFU business professors and experts
- Analyze and explore business case studies interactively
- Improve team-building and project management skills
- Presentation of team project
- Network and visit with business leaders
- Visit and tour with local businesses and organizations
*Hands-on experiences are subject to change.
A Day in the Life
Typical Daily Schedule
- 8:00 am – Morning Meeting and Breakfast
- 9:00 am – Welcome from Academic Leader- Professor Justin Martin
- 9:30 am – Session 1 Topic: Live Panel of Business Leaders
- 10:00 am – Session 1: Q and A
- 11:00 am – Session 2 Topic: Introduction to Marketing and Case Studies
- 12:00 pm – Lunch
- 1:00 pm – Workshop: Introduction to Business Modeling
- 2:00 pm – Financial Analysis in Business
- 3:00 pm – Networking and Team-Building Workshop
- 4:00 pm – Business Project Team Planning Session
- 5:00 pm – Dinner
- 6:30 pm – Evening Activities
- 7:30 pm – Free Time
- 9:00 pm – Prepare for Bed
- 10:30 pm – Lights Out
*The “A Day In the Life” sample schedule is subject to change.
Meet Your Academic Leader
Dr. Justin Martin
Academic Leader, Business Institute
Justin Martin is an Associate Teaching Professor of Information Systems & Analytics and the Coca-Cola Faculty Fellow at the Wake Forest University School of Business.
Prior to his career in academia, Dr. Martin worked as a software developer and business technology analyst with Bank of America and served as a Regional IT Director for Eclipse Automation, a custom industrial automation company. His industry experience spans a wide variety of areas, including software and web development, information technology management, healthcare informatics, and logistics technology. Dr. Martin teaches courses in information systems management, programming/application development, operations management, and analytics.
In 2018, he was awarded the “Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award” for the 2017-2018 academic year by the Belk College of Business at UNC Charlotte. In 2025, he was awarded the “Winston-Salem Evening MBA Teaching Award” for the 2024-2025 academic year by the Wake Forest University School of Business MBA Students. His research interests are of an interdisciplinary nature and currently focus on the application of machine learning methods for developing advanced forecasting/prediction models within the Emergency Medical Services industry.
Dr. Martin earned a PhD in Computing and Information Systems (Machine Learning/AI Concentration), a MS in Systems Engineering (Engineering Management), and a BSBA degree in Management Information Systems & Operations Management from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
