Entrepreneurship and Innovation Major

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Department Chair: Sun-Young Park, Ph.D.

The San Francisco Bay Area is the global epicenter of new venture creation, technology innovation, and venture capital, and the USF Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Program has been recognized among the top 20 in the nation (U.S. News 2017/2018).

The USF Entrepreneurship and Innovation Major (E&I) takes advantage of USF’s strategic location in Silicon Valley and is designed to prepare students to become creative, thoughtful, and determined professionals who are able to apply their analytical skills in developing well-planned and socially responsible innovations and ventures which they can persuasively present to executive audiences. If your goal is to join a venture-capital backed startup, take on a business development role in a larger corporation, contribute to a social enterprise, support your family business, or launch your own venture, the USF Entrepreneurship and Innovation Major may be a great start.

Entrepreneurship and Innovation students will develop skills in physical and on-line design, strategic and financial entrepreneurial planning and communication, and gain professional entrepreneurial and innovative experience with E&I faculty guidance. Students will be able to tailor their Entrepreneurship and Innovation Major with course selections that include Family Business, Social Entrepreneurship, and Thought Leadership in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, among others. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to pitch a new business venture plan before a professional panel of Silicon Valley executives and investors in the capstone entrepreneurial management class.

Program Learning Outcomes

Entrepreneurship and Innovation students will build capability in following areas:

Creativity, innovation, and applied design for products and services
Technology and online business expertise (e.g. business website development and on-line tools)
Entrepreneurial planning - financial, marketing, strategic (e.g. business plan)
Entrepreneurial and Innovative experience in area of interest (e.g. technology start-up, social venture, family business)

Curriculum

Business core plus 20 or more units of E&I electives, and minimum of 100 hours E&I internship practicum experience as approved by Entrepreneurship and Innovation Faculty.

Major Requirements (72 units)

Business Core

The business core and foundation courses cover the basic business topics needed for a career in business. Consistent with the direction of business today, the business core at the McLaren School of Management highlights issues related to the global business environment, diversity and ethics. Oral and written communication, quantitative reasoning, information literacy, and critical thinking are also stressed throughout the curriculum.

All Business majors must complete a set of business foundation and core courses, as well as the required University Core Curriculum . Students admitted to the McLaren School of Management’s Honors Program take the Honors Program core. Please see School of Management Honors Program . The required foundation courses are also used to satisfy University Core Curriculum requirements (see faculty adviser). Students must maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average in their foundation and business core coursework.

Entrepreneurship and Innovation Major Courses

Required Courses (8 units)

Entrepreneurship and Innovation Electives (12 units)

Select three (3) or more classes from among the following:

Internship/Practicum Requirement

Complete a minimum of 100 hours E&I internship/practicum experience, approved by Entrepreneurship and Innovation faculty mentor if BUS 373 - Entr & Innov Practicum is not completed.