Entrepreneurship Minor - Entrepreneurship Initiative

Description

Minor Program Information

Entrepreneurship Minor Program Description

The Entrepreneurship minor program aims to develop entrepreneurial competencies in our learners (both business and non-business majors) for effective local, national as well as global economic and social initiatives. This minor program prepares learners to integrate quantitative and qualitative business skills into creative potentials for real-world problem solving and value creation while focusing on experiential and action-oriented learning activities.

Entrepreneurship Minor Program Rationale

Connecticut is not only a historical entrepreneurship state but also a modern center of innovation in the U.S. It ranked number fourth for private R&D investment per capita, number sixth for academic R&D growth in the U.S. for the year 2019. In 2020, Connecticut has ranked number fourth innovative state in the U.S. according to Bloomberg’s annual state innovation index. Many top-notch start-ups have been seeded and scaled in Connecticut during the past decades. In order to keep up with the increasing needs for high-quality entrepreneurial human resources, developing entrepreneurship competence in Connecticut’s local talents has become important both strategically and economically.

To answer the calls to develop the entrepreneurial competences in Connecticut University Graduates (both business majors and non-business majors) for effective local, national as well as global economic and social initiatives, this entrepreneurship minor program aims to create a unique education value by supplying the entrepreneurial learning opportunities for undergraduate students at SCSU. Entrepreneurship is when people act upon opportunities and ideas and transform them into value for others. The value that is generated can be commercial, cultural, or social. This entrepreneurship minor program has been developed based on the requests of the students, faculty members across the campus, as well as the growth of Connecticut’s inter-institutional entrepreneurship ecosystem. The program learning (targeted assurance of learning) goals identified for this entrepreneurship minor are based on a general entrepreneurship competence framework published by scholars and practitioners (Bacigalupo et al., 2016) for developmental and educational purposes.

RoadMap

Entrepreneurship Minor Roadmap

Entrepreneurship Minor Course Roadmap for Non-Business Students

Entrepreneurship Minor Courses Road Map for Non-Business studentsPersonal Business Route

Entrepreneurship Minor Courses Road Map for Non-Business studentsVenture Creation Route

Entrepreneurship Minor Courses Road Map for Business students with B.S. BA

Entrepreneurship Minor Courses Road Map for Business studentsPersonal Business Route

Entrepreneurship Minor Courses Road Map for Business studentsVenture Creation Route

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Internship Opportunities

Entrepreneurship Internship Opportunities

The Southern Connecticut State University School of Business is committed to connecting students to the local business community. We know the power of quality internships in driving future success, and we know our students make great interns in corporations, nonprofits, and emerging businesses. We are proud to offer a three-credit internship course, BUS497, which allows students to receive credit for time worked in business-focused internships. Through our Business Success Center, our dedicated Internship Coordinator, Patty Conte, connects students with organizations. The host organization provides an internship advisor, and the school of business provides a faculty advisor. These advisors communicate, with each other and with the student, to ensure the work is completed to the satisfaction of the host organization and to ensure the student receives a strong learning experience.

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What is the BUS497- Interdisciplinary Business Internship?

The BUS 497- Interdisciplinary Business Internship is a supervised internship that students will participate in to earn experience as well as academic credits. The internship will be supervised by both the faculty at the School of Business as well the manager (or an advisor at the internship offering business). The internship is part of the “Entrepreneurship” minor program, and those enrolled in the program will participate in this internship.

Why is the BUS497- Interdisciplinary Business Internship necessary?

The internship is designed to provide participants with hands-on working experience at a start-up or small business. Critically, students will see the specific application of all the theories, concepts, and fundamentals learned in class at a specific business. Participants will have hands-on experience in the real world, will work on real problems faced by start-ups and small businesses on regular basis, and participate in the process of providing solutions. The primary objective is to allow students enrolled in the Entrepreneurship program to get a taste of real-world challenges faced by entrepreneurs.

Where will the BUS497- Interdisciplinary Business Internship take place?

The Business school faculty teaching in the entrepreneurship program (minor) will collaborate with the Business Success Center (BSC) to identify small businesses and start-ups in Greater New Haven Region. Further, the faculty and BSC will collaborate with the local businesses to create internships for our students. Students will visit the businesses, get training, and work experience at the business. Students will participate in assigned tasks and contribute to the business by providing solutions to the problems faced. Simultaneously, participants will regularly meet their faculty advisor at the School of Business to get guidance on the understanding of the application of learned concepts. Overall, the internship experience will occur at local start-ups and small businesses operating in the area.

How will the BUS 497- Interdisciplinary Business Internship be delivered?

As mentioned above, a business (start-up, small business, etc.) will be identified. The school of business will collaborate with the business to generate internship projects. The faculty teaching in the entrepreneurship program will collaborate with students for the internship. The student will be mentored by both the business and the faculty. Specifically, students will work at the business location on a regular basis (defined and agreed time). Participants will work on the regular tasks, participate, and contribute to specific challenges, propose solutions, etc.

In addition, students will regularly meet their faculty advisor to provide updates and discuss their learnings. The faculty will guide students regarding the conceptual component as well as help them understand the connection between the concepts and applications. A final report will be due to both the School of Business and the company.

What are the benefits educators and students will receive from this course?

The workplace is changing at a very fast pace. In recent times we saw that social environment, technology, and culture can rapidly change the whole makeup of the workplace. Business School’s mission is to provide quality business education to the local diverse population of students, we must understand and learn about our community’s local business needs. Additionally, is important for us to understand what the current and future direction of the industry is and how technology is changing businesses. The experience garnered from practical learning will improve the skills of our students and it will help us better prepare our students for real-world challenges.

How businesses could benefit from mentoring our students?

In 2020, Connecticut has ranked number fourth innovative state in the U.S. according to Bloomberg’s annual state innovation index. Various start-ups have been seeded and scaled in Connecticut during the past decades.

However, currently, we are seeing a skill gap in the industry. In this market, it is difficult to find skilled applicants for the job. This program can help train future employees and would prepare them to fill that gap without the necessity of additional experience for local business requirements.

In order to keep up with the increasing needs for high-quality entrepreneurial human resources, developing the entrepreneurship competence in Connecticut’s local talents has become important both strategically and economically.

Collaborating for an internship program can also provide an opportunity to the employees of the business to lead/mentor interns. It will provide employees with the value of new experience and a broader perspective of the ultimate goals of a business. Teaching an intern about company culture and work can give employees a holistic understanding of their role in the business. This program can bring collaboration at different layers opening doors for integration within the company.