Q4 Internship Flash - LMU Munich

LMU Q4 Internship Flash on Friday

For the past 10 years, we have been offering the Q4 Internship Flash to students at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and all other public universities in Munich.

As part of an interdisciplinary team, you will complete a one-day micro-internship at one of our partner companies. Over the course of one day, you will work with an interdisciplinary team to solve an exciting business case, working independently while receiving technical guidance from the company. This case is closely based on real-world scenarios or drawn directly from the company’s day-to-day operations.

The Q4 has often served as a stepping stone to the next career move for students.

At the end of the year, the Q4 series will conclude with a local career event on December 5, 2025, where all teams and companies will meet in person to expand their professional networks.

Q4 is a collaboration between the LMU Career Service and the participating companies. You will, of course, receive a certificate for the event. We always take care to ensure—and provide guidance as needed—that students participate in cases that match their fields of study and level of experience.

The Q4 is also suitable for international students, as you will coordinate with one another within the team and decide among yourselves which language to use for collaboration. We nevertheless recommend a B2 level of German, ideally C1.

Dates

The Q4 workshops are usually held on Fridays from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. during the semester. You can find all the dates on our overview page.

Q for Career Changers on Wednesday

Business Case Challenge – Seven Days, One Case, Your Solution

Would you like to see how strategic consultants approach complex problems? In the Business Case Challenge, you’ll work on a realistic business case—either on your own or with other students.

You don't need a degree in business administration or consulting experience for this. What's most important is structured thinking, creativity, good judgment, and a willingness to engage with an open-ended decision-making situation.

You have seven days to complete the assignment. Afterward, you'll receive personalized, structured feedback on your solution.

What's it about?

Companies and organizations often have to make decisions even when not all the information is available. For example, they ask:

How can we address the shortage of skilled workers?
Where can artificial intelligence be put to good use?
Should a new product be launched?
How can we reduce costs without compromising quality?
What strategy is best suited for a changing market?
How can technological and organizational changes be integrated?
...

A business case models such a decision-making situation. You analyze the initial situation, work with qualitative and quantitative information, develop options for action, and ultimately formulate a well-reasoned recommendation.

There isn't always just one correct solution. What matters is that your line of reasoning is clear and that your recommendation aligns with the information in the case.

Who is this format suitable for?

The Business Case Challenge is open to bachelor's and master's students from all academic disciplines starting around the third semester.

It is also specifically designed for students who have little or no prior experience with business issues, consulting, or case interviews.

Students of the humanities, cultural studies, languages, and social sciences bring important skills to the table: They can shift perspectives, make sense of complex information, evaluate arguments, and take different interests into account. These are precisely the skills needed to solve business cases.

In-depth knowledge of business administration, mathematics, or computer science is not required. The necessary technical terms and calculations are explained in the case study.

How the Business Case Challenge Works

In our online briefing, you'll receive a brief introduction to solving business cases and to the case itself. The case describes a fictional company and a realistic strategic challenge.

All companies, individuals, and figures are fictional and created for educational purposes. However, the case studies are based on typical issues encountered in the workplace.

Working alone or as part of a team

You can work on the case on your own or as part of a team of your choice. Feel free to try both options on different dates:

On your own, you'll gain a particularly good understanding of how to break down problems and make decisions.
As part of a team, you'll see how different academic perspectives can lead to new ideas and better solutions. You can work in a team with students from all departments—you don't have to be in the same degree program.

Set aside seven days (about 90 minutes total for the case)

You have seven calendar days to complete the assignment. You decide for yourself when and how intensively you work on the case. As a guideline: A total of 90 minutes of actual work time should be sufficient.

The focus isn't on speed or perfection. Use this time to:

to understand the task clearly,
to organize the most important information,
to understand some of the calculations,
to develop different solutions,
to formulate a recommendation,
To critically examine her argument.
...

Submit Solution

You can submit your solution in German or English. Possible formats include, for example:

a presentation with up to five slides,
a brief solution document,
An executive summary with supplementary calculations.

Please submit your solution as a PDF. You'll find the upload link in the briefing.

Get Personalized Feedback

After submission, you will receive a structured evaluation of your solution. The feedback will focus in particular on:

Have you identified the key decision-making question?
Is your analysis structured in a way that's easy to follow?
Did you make good use of the case data?
Are the calculations and assumptions plausible?
Have you considered different options?
Does the analysis result in a recommendation?
Do you take into account implementation, risks, and potential counterarguments?
What perspectives does your solution bring to light—and which ones might it overlook?

The feedback does not include a grade. The point is not to compare your solution with a supposedly "correct" model answer.

Instead, you'll learn:

which it already does quite convincingly,
where the argument can be further refined,
whether any calculation or interpretation errors have crept in,
what alternative perspectives are possible,
what your most important next step in learning might be.

Can you use D and AI?

You decide for yourself whether you want to use AI when editing. For example, AI can help with:

to examine a problem structure,
To formulate counterhypotheses,
to consider additional stakeholder perspectives,
to check a calculation,
to formulate critical objections to a recommendation.

However, the AI shouldn't just solve the case for you. Use it as a partner for thinking and reflection.

You remain responsible for:

whichever problem definition you choose,
what assumptions you make,
which numbers you'll use,
what options for action you outline,
what recommendation you support.

What can you take with you?

The Business Case Challenge helps you develop skills that are in demand in many job application processes and professional situations:

structure complex problems,
Distinguish between what is important and what is less important,
how to handle incomplete information,
combine qualitative and quantitative data,
develop creative options,
Justify decisions,
Present recommendations in a clear and understandable way,
Address questions and counterarguments.

This format is ideal for preparing for case interviews and assessment centers, as well as for familiarizing yourself with typical tasks from strategy, IT, AI, marketing, and HR projects.

When & where? Online, on several Wednesdays each semester, 3:00–4:30 p.m. You can find the dates in our overview.