Minor in Technology Entrepreneurship

Courses

The 15-credit undergraduate minor may be fulfilled from nine courses. At least nine credits must be completed at the 400-level to earn the minor. While course options are available for several topic areas, application of 100 and 200-level courses is limited to a total of six credits.

1. Topic: Fundamentals of Technology Start-Up Ventures

Course Option 1: ENES 460: Fundamentals of Technology Start-Up Ventures
This course helps students learn the processes and skills needed to launch and manage technology start-up ventures. Students learn how to assess the feasibility of a startup venture, as well as how to apply best practices for planning, launching, and managing new companies. Students discuss a wide range of issues of importance and concern to entrepreneurs and learn to recognize opportunity, assess the skills and talents of successful entrepreneurs, and learn models and approaches that help them navigate uncertainty. 3 credits.

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Course Option 2: The second option to fulfilling this topic requirement is to complete two courses, a one-credit course and a two-credit course, as listed below.

(a) HEIP 143: Foundations of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
This course introduces foundational ideas and terms in entrepreneurship and innovation, with attention to developing students understanding of cultivating a business in diverse, global environments; leading and collaborating in a competitive world; developing an entrepreneurial mind for an entrepreneurial world; and industry dynamics of technological innovation. Restricted to students in the Honors Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program. 1 credit.

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(b) HEIP 241: Social Entrepreneurship Practicum
This capstone course is for enhancing strategic capabilities and leadership skills through the development of an innovative for-profit product or service concept with social benefits. Restricted to students in the Honors Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program. 2 credits.

Credit for the minor is awarded for only one of the above course options, not both.

2. Topic: Entrepreneurial Opportunity Analysis in Technology Ventures

Course Option 1: ENES 461: Advanced Entrepreneurial Opportunity Analysis in Technology Ventures
This course explores the factors that influence entrepreneurial opportunity analysis in technology-based ventures, to include, but not limited to, software, IT, biotech, and energy startups. Using a cognitive theoretical framework the course examines the integration of motivation, emotions and information processing modes to make complex entrepreneurial decisions in fast pace technology venture environments. The course is an informed and interesting exploration of entrepreneurial cognition with both theoretical and methodological contributions for active and aspiring student technology entrepreneurs. 3 credits.

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Course Option 2: ENES210: Entrepreneurial Opportunity Analysis & Decision-Making in Technology Ventures
This interdisciplinary course helps students learn the principles of entrepreneurial opportunity analysis and decision-making in an increasingly dynamic and technically-inclined society. Emphasis is placed on how aspiring technology entrepreneurs can develop their entrepreneurial mindset and opportunity recognition capabilities to develop winning entrepreneurial plans for future ventures. Restricted to students in the Freshmen Connection Program. 3 credits.

Credit for the minor is awarded for only one of the above course options, not both.

3. Topic: Marketing High-Technology Products and Innovations

Course: ENES 462: Marketing High-Technology Products and Innovations
Marketing of high-technology products occurs in turbulent environments, and requires rapid decision making with incomplete information.  Innovations are introduced at frequent intervals, research-and-development spending is vital, and there are high mortality rates for both products and businesses. The course will provide a balance between conceptual discussions (based on readings of concepts and practices) and applied/hands-on analysis (industry analyses, cases, guest speakers, and a semester project). 3 credits.

4. Topic: Strategies for Managing Innovation

Course: ENES 463: Strategies for Managing Innovation
This course emphasizes how the technology entrepreneur can use strategic management of innovation and technology to enhance firm performance.  It helps students to understand the process of technological change; the ways that firms come up with innovations; the strategies that firms use to benefit from innovation; and the process of formulating technology strategy. It provides frameworks for analyzing key aspects of these industries and teaches students how to apply these frameworks. 3 credits.

5. Topic: International Entrepreneurship

Course Option 1: ENES 464: International Entrepreneurship & Innovation
This course focuses on the need for every entrepreneur and innovator to understand the global market in today’s hypercompetitive world, and to appreciate how to compete effectively in domestic markets by managing international competitors, suppliers, and influencers. As an ever-growing number of countries become market oriented and developed, students explore how the distinction between foreign and domestic markets is becoming less pronounced. Students also develop skills to identify and manage opportunities on a global basis. 3 credits.

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Course Option 2: HEIP 240: Exploring International Entrepreneurship & Innovation
This course provides an introduction to the opportunities and challenges of entrepreneurship and innovation from an international perspective through lectures and guest speakers with international experiences. Restricted to students in the Honors Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program. 3 credits.

Credit for the minor is awarded for only one of the above course options, not both.

All courses counted toward the minor must be completed with a 2.0 or better.