Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is a complex process because it challenges so many of the pre-existing structures and processes of each organization. It is the objective of this major to provide the student with a stronger perspective on the entrepreneurial mindset that is currently pervasive in many organizations and to underscore the importance of new business creation as an economic engine in our society.

Objectives of the Entrepreneurship Major

• To provide a personalized, career-oriented and practical education that embraces leadership, innovation, private enterprise and entrepreneurship.
• To equip students with the tools to think critically, communicate effectively and responsibly, make successful decisions, and prosper in a diverse work environment
• To develop students ability to practice “ownership” in a real-world environment and come to understand the dimensions of entrepreneurial behaviors or innovativeness, creativity, and risk-taking.
• To emphasize quality classroom instruction within the parameters of ethical principles.

Requirements for the Entrepreneurship Major (see descriptions below)

The Entrepreneurship major requires 21 credits as noted below.

Required courses (18 credits)
ET 340: Foundations of Entrepreneurship (3) (name change)
ET 360: The Art of Entrepreneurship (3)
ET 361: The Art of Entrepreneurship: Where are you going? (1)
ET 362: The Art of Entrepreneurship: What do the numbers mean? (1)
ET 363: The Art of Entrepreneurship: How do we get there? (1)
ET 350: New Venture Creation: Entrepreneurial Finance (3)
MK 320: Marketing Research (3)
ET 440: Entrepreneurial Management and Strategy (3) (new course)

One of the following electives (3 credits)
ET 400 Small Business Consulting (3) OR
ET 410 Entrepreneurial Consulting: An international experience (3) OR
MG 471 Internship (3) (must be entrepreneurially focused)

Course Descriptions - Entrepreneurship

340. Foundations of Entrepreneurship (3)
Exploration of the creative process and help students identify their own creative problem-solving styles. Students will have to develop innovative solutions to a wide range of business problems that center around new product, service, and process development. Emphasis will be placed both on individual creativity and creativity in teams in a work context. Prerequisite: junior standing.

350. Entrepreneurial Finance: New Venture Creation (3)
The course introduces the theory, knowledge and financial tools needed by the entrepreneur in starting, building, and finally harvesting a successful venture. The successful entrepreneur also must know how and where to obtain the financial capital necessary to run and grow the venture. The course will focus on understanding, from an entrepreneur’s perspective, the types and sources of financial capital and the related investment processes. Finally, the course will develop models for the valuation of the entrepreneurial venture.
Prerequisite: junior standing, FI 340 strongly recommended.

360. The Art of Entrepreneurship (3)
A course team-taught each fall by members of the Arts and Business faculties. The course focuses on understanding the process of creativity and provides experiential exercises designed to translate creative ideas into unique products or marketing venues. Students are then charged with evaluating the products and venues in terms of their potential profitability for The Blue Connection, the student run art gallery. This course is the foundation of the A & E program and is generally considered a prerequisite for the three 1-credit courses listed below.

361. The Art of Entrepreneurship: Where Are You Going? (1)
A course where students in A & E develop and implement business strategy for The Blue Connection. This course develops skills in analyzing the business numbers and market information. The class then makes decisions about future products and markets based on this analysis. During the semester the students are actually applying their decisions to the business in conjunction with the other two management groups. Prerequisite: MG 360 or consent of instructor.

362. The Art of Entrepreneurship: What Do The Numbers Mean? (1)
A course in which students learn how to measure the various business functions. During the semester they will collect and organize the numerical business data into reports that can effectively be used by The Blue Connection management to determine their best course of action. Prerequisite: MG 360 or consent of instructor.

363. The Art of Entrepreneurship: How Do We Get There? (1)
A course designed to develop the skills necessary to run a business on a daily basis. It focuses on control, personnel management, customer relation skills, sales and promotion, and display and design functions. Prerequisite: MG 360 or consent of instructor.

400. Entrepreneurship - Small Business Consulting (3)
Designed to help students integrate previously studied business disciplines by consulting with firms seeking management assistance. Students work with assigned members of SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), applying theoretical knowledge to the solution of real business problems. May be taken independently of Management 340 and 350. Prerequisites: senior standing and consent of instructor.

410. Entrepreneurial Consulting: An International Experience (3)
Provide students with the opportunity to apply concepts learned to real world situations. Operating in teams, students will provide consulting to small/ medium-sized business enterprises under the direction of a faculty team. Students will explore potential markets in the U.S. for international businesses not presently importing to the United States. Pre-requisite: senior standing and consent of the faculty.

440. Entrepreneurial Management and Strategy (3)
This course will require students to formulate appropriate strategies needed to solve the problems encountered during the life cycle of a business, from start-up through harvest. Students will use their knowledge of relevant cost techniques, budgeting methods, cash flows, present value concepts and financial statement analysis to formulate strategies that integrate marketing, pricing, operating, financing, capitalization and valuations considerations.