School of Business Administration

Entrepreneurship Minor

Offered by the Department of Management in the School of Business Administration, the entrepreneurship minor allows business and non-business majors to have a concentration in entrepreneurial studies. To earn an entrepreneurship minor, chose from six of the courses below. There are a wide variety. Take the opportunity to learn a new skill or polish up your leadership and presentation talents. 

Most courses only require that you have completed 54 hours of coursework. If you’re a Junior in any major on campus, you probably do not need to have completed any special courses to enroll in one of the classes below. Pre-reqs are marked where there are any.

Any  six of the following:

• ACCY 201 – Accounting Principles 1
• ACCY 202 – Accounting Principles 2
• MGMT 371 – Introduction to Management (Only for Specialized Business Majors) AVAILABLE ONLINE
• ENT 321 – Entrepreneurial Pitching
• ENT 331 – Social Influencing in Sports AVAILABLE ONLINE
• ENT 351 – Design Thinking AVAILABLE ONLINE
• ENT 352 – Entrepreneurial Law AVAILABLE ONLINE (New Fall 2023)
• ENT 356 – Quickbooks AVAILABLE ONLINE   Get QuickBooks User Certified!
• ENT 381 – Arts Entrepreneurship AVAILABLE ONLINE 
• ENT 382 – Franchising AVAILABLE ONLINE 
• ENT 386 – Digital Marketing 1 AVAILABLE ONLINE  Get Google Garage Certified!
• ENT 387 – Digital Marketing 2 (Requires Digital Marketing 1) AVAILABLE ONLINE 
• ENT 388 – e-Commerce Strategy for Entrepreneurship AVAILABLE ONLINE 
• ENT 396 – Business Venturing
• ENT 411 – Project Management for PMI Certification AVAILABLE ONLINE  Get PMP or CAPM Certified!
• ENT 412 – Basics of Applied International Trade AVAILABLE ONLINE Get Nasbite CGBP Certified!
• ENT 422 – Blockchain and the Modern Economy AVAILABLE ONLINE
• ENT 426 – Venture Ideas (Requires MGMT 371)
• ENT 436 – Business Modeling and Strategy (Requires MGMT 371)
• ENT 446 – Corporate Innovation (Requires MGMT 371)
• ENT 451 – Biomedical Entrepreneurship AVAILABLE ONLINE (New Fall 2023)
• ENT 456 – Venture Finance (Requires MGMT 371)
• ENT 466 – Regulating Small Business and New Ventures (Requires MGMT 371 or GB 370) AVAILABLE ONLINE
• ENT 476 – Entrepreneurial Leadership (Requires MGMT 371 or GB 370)  AVAILABLE ONLINE
• ENT 486 – Family Business Management (Requires MGMT 371 or GB 370)  AVAILABLE ONLINE
• GB 350 – Essentials of Marketing   AVAILABLE ONLINE (Will not count for business majors)
• GB 370 – Entrepreneurship and Management AVAILABLE ONLINE  (Will not count for business majors)
• Any other ENT prefix course will count for the minor as well as approved BUS 380 & BUS 400 courses (study abroad and internships) at management department discretion

 

(We are working on adding more courses, so check back next semester if these courses do not fit your schedule or the skillset you’re trying to build. We’d love your ideas.)

Entrepreneurship Course Descriptions

GB 370
Entrepreneurship and Management
This course is designed to explore the entrepreneurial mindset and culture that has been developing in companies of all sizes in virtually every industry. Students will examine the entrepreneurial process involved in both pursuing an entrepreneurial venture within a large company and the creating and managing a new enterprise for implementation of an entrepreneurial venture. They will review the dynamics of participating on a business team and the power inherent in a team relative to individual effort. The course will also provide the background and tools necessary to understand and participate in the entrepreneurial process within a large company, in a new venture or as an investor. Enrollment restrictions – have completed 54 credit hours. May not be used to satisfy a management major field elective or business elective.

ENT 321
Entrepreneurial Pitching
Study of the pitching and selling in a small or startup organization, development of techniques for making an effective pitch for potential investors, a sales presentation, and developing and maintaining account relationships. The course also will review presentation and selling techniques and other sales functions including organization, allocation, recruitment, selection, training, motivation, compensation, and sales force evaluation and control.

ENT 331
Social Influencing in Sports
The goal of this course is to learn how social media influences today’s sports industry. The course will review how social influencing in sport can be leveraged into entrepreneurship opportunities for its participants and consumers. The discussion will review various trends in sport to include but not limited to social activism, brand development, and college athletics’ name, image, and likeness laws.

ENT 361
Design Thinking for Innovation
In this course, we provide an overview of design thinking and work with a model containing four key questions to help you understand design thinking as a problem-solving approach. Learn how to identify hidden customer needs and improve the customer experience through interviews, journey mapping, and prototyping. Through interactive lectures, dynamic discussions, readings, in-class exercises, and a real-world team project challenge, you’ll be encouraged to reflect on your insights and learn the design thinking skills, techniques, and strategies you need to successfully develop your own road map for implementing innovations.

ENT 356
QuickBooks
An introductory course of the QuickBooks Pro accounting software, including setting up a new company and chart of accounts; recording transactions with customers, vendors and employees; managing lists; running reports and customizing them; changing forms and generating letters.

ENT 381
Arts Entrepreneurship
The goal of this course is to provide students with the tools necessary to become effective arts leaders and to understand what is required to succeed in entrepreneurial arts ventures. The course will cover topics such as mission statements, personnel analyses, financial analyses including income and expense projections, marketing plans, and legal issues. For each of these topics, students will examine the challenges and changing nature of entrepreneurship and innovation that are unique to the arts. The course will explore special topics from the music, film, television, theatre, live performance industries and others.

ENT 381
Franchising
The goal of this course is to provide students with the tools necessary to become effective arts leaders and to understand what is required to succeed in entrepreneurial arts ventures. The course will cover topics such as mission statements, personnel analyses, financial analyses including income and expense projections, marketing plans, and legal issues. For each of these topics, students will examine the challenges and changing nature of entrepreneurship and innovation that are unique to the arts. The course will explore special topics from the music, film, television, theater, live performance industries and others.

ENT 386
Digital Marketing 1
This course provides students with an introduction to digital marketing topics, and addresses ethical and regulatory factors that heavily influence organizational strategy in today’s marketplace. This course enables the student to construct and deliver a web-based and social media-based marketing campaign. The course will focus on specific and actionable information and prepare the student to complete Google Digital Garage certification or equivalent.

ENT 387
Digital Marketing 2 
Builds on the foundation of Ent 386: Digital Marketing I by further exploring selected tools for effective digital strategy. This course provides a more detailed study of search engine optimization (SEO) and paid search advertising, two key components of contemporary entrepreneurial/small business digital marketing. The course first addresses each component individually, identifying practices to achieve their respective positive business outcomes in isolation. Next, the course guides students through the process of evaluating search engine strategies with web analytics for the purpose of combining SEO and paid search tactics to achieve optimal results.

ENT 388
e-Commerce Strategy for Entrepreneurs
Most of today’s organizations must integrate some degree of e-commerce into their operational frameworks. E-commerce is not limited to the sale of tangible products online, although this is a popular business model. It extends to all entities seeking online transactions with target customers, including subscription services, non-profit and charitable organizations, and governmental entities, among others. This course introduces important concepts, skills, and tactics that are necessary for successful e-commerce strategy. Covered topics include content creation, inventory management, popular transaction platforms, e-commerce performance metrics, brand promotion, payment solutions and the particulars of common online platforms (Amazon, Etsy, etc).

ENT 396
Business Venturing
Focus is on the special problems and skills involved in small business. The course will integrate the skills and concepts developed in accounting, finance, marketing, management, personnel, and production. Enrollment restrictions – FIN 331 (Minimum grade: D); MKTG 351 (Minimum grade: D); MGMT 371 (Minimum grade: C). May be used to satisfy a management major field elective or business elective.

ENT 411
Project Management for PMI Certification
Central to modern organization is the flexibility and customer focused embodied in modern project management. Regardless of a student’s destination career, the speed of modern organization and commerce demands strong organizational skills. This course serves as a foundation for those skills and prepares the students for a CAPM or PMP certification exam administered by the Project Management Institute that employers will value.

ENT 412
Basics of Applied International Trade
This course will have focus on international trade through the lens of entrepreneurship and small businesses. One of the central cross-cutting themes of this course is that “Going Global” requires an understanding of diverse dynamic concepts such as: international market research & selection; global marketing; mode of entry into foreign markets; international pricing; payment terms; international trade finance; tax & accounting issues; cultural intelligence; compliance with laws and regulations; shipping and logistics; management; business continuity; and strategic planning. The course also strives to improve the ability of students to become international trade practitioners either as employees or owners of their own businesses with the requisite levels of knowledge and professionalism required in today’s competitive and rapidly changing environment. Finally, it will serve to help Prepare students to successfully obtain the NASBITE Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP) certification

ENT 422
Blockchain and the Modern Economy
From uncertain origins, blockchain technology has grown to underpin a considerable portion of the world’s financial infrastructure and no small part of investor imaginations. This course will examine blockchain technology focusing on its fundamental functioning, its applications in current investment instruments and how this technology will impact the functions  of modern banking and the rationale of the world’s financial system.

ENT 456
Venture Finance
This course explores the financial issues facing entrepreneurial business ventures. It focuses on understanding internal financial operations to determine financial resource requirements, methods for obtaining the required resources, and maintaining those resources. The course will emphasize cash flow management and accounting acumen. Enrollment restrictions – FIN 331 (Minimum grade: D); MGMT 371 (Minimum grade: C); and Junior Standing. May not be used to satisfy a business elective or as a substitute for required accounting or finance courses.

ENT 466
Regulating Small Business and New Ventures
This course evaluates the current regulatory environment of employee and labor relations in small and family business whose growth eventually brings them under various statutes and regulations. This course addresses such employment issues as handbooks, employment contracts, employee discipline, employee benefits, labor relations, workplace privacy, dress codes, and workplace compliance laws, such as the Civil Rights Act, ACA, ADEA, ADA, FMLA, and sexual harassment.   Enrollment restrictions – MGMT 371 (Minimum grade: C) and Junior Standing. May be used to satisfy business elective. May not be used to substitute for MGMT 582 (Employee Relations) or MGMT 583 (Labor Relations Management).

ENT 476
Entrepreneurial Leadership 
This course examines the key human resource functions necessary to execute the business plan. It will examine the roles and activities required for growth and success including HR (establishing company culture, roles, and duties of employees, compensation for retention, establishing HR policies, and analyzing benefit options) and leadership in new ventures, small businesses, and family businesses. Enrollment restrictions – C or better in MGMT 371 or GB 370. May be used to satisfy business elective.

ENT 486
Family Business Management
This course focuses on the opportunities and the problems characteristic of family businesses: creating new businesses, maintaining existing businesses, management succession, transfer of ownership, mixing family and business roles, family conflicts, personnel issues, non-family employees, innovation, transgenerational wealth creation, and the use of outside advisers. Enrollment restrictions – C or better in MGMT 371 or GB 370. May be used to satisfy business elective.