Major in Entrepreneurship and Innovation [Business]

Description of Field

Entrepreneurship and innovation are vital to economic development, wealth creation, and societal well-being. Dynamic socioeconomic systems encourage and support the creation of new businesses and social enterprises, as well as the entrepreneurial renewal of and innovation in existing organizations. The Entrepreneurship and Innovation major aims to help students develop an entrepreneurial mindset—the cultivation of attitudes, knowledge and skills needed to transform ideas into products or services, solve challenging social problems, create and work effectively in new enterprises, as well as spur collaborative innovation efforts in existing organizations. Our curriculum is complemented with cocurricular activities organized via entrepreneurship HUB (eHUB). Students will learn how to:

1. Identify and evaluate business opportunities, mobilize resources, and create an organization;
2. Manage the transition from an entrepreneurial start-up to a more complex business entity;
3. Understand how entrepreneurship can spur economic growth, as well as help solve social problems and revitalize existing organizations (from for-profit, to non-profit and governmental).

Career Opportunities

The highs, lows, and personal rewards of founding or owning a business are well-documented in the media. A number of exciting, challenging, and rewarding careers are available to students who specialize in Entrepreneurship. Three distinct career paths include:

1. Creating, owning and/or managing a business venture or social enterprise (either immediately upon graduation or after obtaining experience in other firms);
2. Becoming an innovative member of an existing start-up, family business, large firm, social enterprise, non-profit or government agency.
3. Facilitating entrepreneurship and innovation as a management consultant or service provider (e.g., technology transfer agency, accelerator, government agency)

By specializing in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, students will also develop more informed answers to such career-defining questions as, “Do I have what it takes to become an entrepreneur?”, ”Do I want to launch a new venture to solve a major social or economic problem?”, “How do I create and build a new entrepreneurial organization?”, and/or, “How do I foster an entrepreneurial orientation within a new or existing firm?”

Sequence of Courses

Minors

1. Students with a declared major in Entrepreneurship and Innovation may choose to do a minor in any subject area of Business. See Minors for Business Students  . Minors are not required.
2. Students with a declared major in another area may complete a minor in Entrepreneurship  and Innovation as specified below: