CMU students build career-ready skills through SAP

Technology changes quickly, and learning one piece of software can only take students so far. They also need to understand how businesses operate, how technology connects different functions and how to keep building their skills as systems evolve.

That philosophy shapes Central Michigan University’s approach to SAP education.

“At CMU, our goal is not simply to teach students how to use SAP,” said business information systems faculty member and Director of University Alliances & Corporate Outreach Vishal Shah. “We want them to take ownership of their own future in an ever-changing enterprise technology landscape.”

CMU has been a fouding member of the SAP University Alliance since 1997, giving students opportunities to work with enterprise technologies while exploring how decisions in finance, supply chain, operations, analytics and other areas connect across an organization.

“A central part of that approach is helping students understand that enterprise systems are not a collection of isolated transactions,” Shah said. “They need to see how sales, procurement and supply chain, production, accounting, analytics, technology and decision-making connect across an organization.”

Extending learning beyond the classroom

Students build that foundation through CMU coursework using university's on-premise SAP systems to gain hands-on experience with business processes including sales, procurement and production, along with SAP configuration and development.

SAP Learning Hub gives them another way to build on that experience.

The platform provides access to learning resources beyond what can be covered in an individual course. Students can follow structured learning journeys, explore technologies related to their interests and pursue SAP certifications and credentials.

For MBA student Rhea Mall, that meant discovering an experience that was more applied than she initially expected.

“My expectations at the beginning were that it might be very technical and theory heavy, but to the contrary, it turned out to be very practical and hands-on,” Mall said.

As part of a business process improvement certification, Mall worked through a simulation requiring her to analyze company data and identify potential solutions to a business problem. She also used the Learning Hub to explore areas related to her career interests.

“The two certifications that I took for SAP have definitely enhanced my confidence,” Mall said. “SAP tools definitely help me bridge classroom theory with real world applications because it gives me a deeper insight into how a company works with SAP.”

Students and faculty can access SAP Learning Hub at no cost. For Shah, its value goes beyond adding a credential to a resume.

“We do not view certification as a stand-alone objective,” Shah said. “Students first build practical experience and an understanding of integrated business processes, and then use SAP learning resources to deepen and validate that knowledge.”

Putting business knowledge into practice

That combination of classroom learning and practical experience extends throughout CMU’s SAP University Alliance.

In the SAP Lab, students can experiment with enterprise systems, automation and data while working on applied projects and real-world business challenges.

Students can also put their decision-making skills to the test through ERPsim, a business simulation built on SAP enterprise software. Teams manage virtual companies while making real-time decisions about inventory, pricing, forecasting, operations and strategy. Every decision affects company performance, requiring students to analyze results, communicate with teammates and adapt as market conditions change.

CMU’s 15th annual ERPsim Competition is scheduled for Oct. 22 and will move to the fall this year to better align with corporate recruiting cycles. Students will once again work alongside industry professionals who mentor teams throughout the experience.

Building a professional community

Students can extend those connections beyond the competition through CMU’s student-run SAP Student User Group and its relationship with the Americas’ SAP Users’ Group, or ASUG.

Students help identify topics they want to explore, connect with professionals and organize speakers and other professional development opportunities. They also attend ASUG Michigan meetings, where CMU students have explored AI tools, participated in workshops, presented alongside faculty and industry professionals and connected classroom learning with emerging technologies.

Together, those experiences create a progression: students learn the fundamentals in class, apply them through simulations and projects, explore areas of interest through SAP Learning Hub, earn credentials and build professional networks. SAP University Alliances has also expanded into process mining, which uses ERP data to reconstruct and analyze business processes, and robotic process automation, which can automate opportunities identified through that analysis. Annual events and case competitions give students additional ways to develop and demonstrate those skills.

For Shah, preparing students for continued change is the point.

“The goal is not just to prepare students for their first SAP job,” Shah said. “It is to prepare them to become adaptable enterprise-technology professionals who know how to keep learning, build their own networks, recognize where the industry is going, and take ownership of their careers as the technology landscape continues to change.”

Learn how SAP Learning Hub helps students and faculty explore new technologies, follow structured learning journeys and prepare for SAP certifications.

Watch the SAP Learning Hub video