Entrepreneurship Minor
for the Undergraduate minor in Entrepreneurship
The Entrepreneurship Minor is an interdisciplinary program open to all undergraduate students and provides a comprehensive introduction to entrepreneurial thinking and processes. Students will develop entrepreneurial competencies and apply an entrepreneurial mindset across diverse contexts, with applications ranging from roles as startup founders to innovators within established organizations and leaders in mission-driven initiatives. Students will gain experience identifying opportunities, iterating through real-world challenges, designing solutions, and driving meaningful innovation- skills that are broadly applicable across disciplines. Students will also learn how entrepreneurship both shapes and is shaped by broader economic and social forces.
The program requires a minimum of 16 credit hours, including required foundational courses that introduce key entrepreneurial concepts and practices. Elective options from a variety of disciplines allow students to tailor their learning to individual interests and career goals.
The Entrepreneurship Minor complements any major and serves as a credential that enhances career opportunities in a wide range of fields.
To declare the Entrepreneurship Minor, students must submit their Statement of Intent to Pursue a Campus-Approved Minor (Statements) online.
for the Undergraduate minor in Entrepreneurship
The Entrepreneurship Minor requires students to complete a minimum of 16 credit hours including 5 hours of core coursework and a minimum of 11 hours of elective coursework chosen from 4 elective categories. Each elective category provides details of the number of courses to be chosen.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses Requirement | 5 | |
| BADM 346 | Introduction to Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| TE 250 | From Idea to Enterprise | 2 |
| Elective Courses Requirement | Minimum of 11 | |
| Entrepreneurship, the Economy, and Society (choose 1) | 3 | |
| Economy, Business & Society | ||
| American Economic History | ||
| Economics of the Digital Economy | ||
| Econ of Innovation and Tech | ||
| Introduction to Global Markets and Society | ||
| The Automobile | ||
| Technology in Western Society | ||
| Comparative Political Economy | ||
| Applications of Entrepreneurship (choose 0, 1, or 2) | 0-7 | |
| Experiencing Agritourism | ||
| Becoming an Influencer | ||
| Media Entrepreneurship | ||
| ANSC Leaders & Entrepreneurs | ||
| Sustainable Fashion Development and Branding | ||
| Research and Resources | ||
| iVenture Accelerator Seminar I: Topics in Entrepreneurship | ||
| iVenture Accelerator Seminar II: Topics in Entrepreneurship | ||
| Entrepreneurship through Acquisition | ||
| Edible Entrepreneurialism - Feeding Ideas for the Future | ||
| Entrepreneurial Information Technology Design | ||
| Social Entre & Social Change | ||
| Spanish and Entrepreneurship | ||
| Technology Entrepreneurship | ||
| Real Estate Development Fundamentals | ||
| Business, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (choose 1 or 2) | 2-8 | |
| Fundamentals of Accounting | ||
| Introduction to Sales: Principles and Strategies | ||
| Negotiation | ||
| Small Business Finance | ||
| Experiential Learning (Section AE: Applied Tools for Marketing Plan Development) | ||
| Creative Advertising for Non-Majors | ||
| Industrial Design III | ||
| Human-Centered Product Design | ||
| Disability Design | ||
| Product Innovation | ||
| Introduction to Fashion | ||
| Designing and Managing Orgs | ||
| New Product Development | ||
| Making Things | ||
| New Product Marketing | ||
| Mgmt of Innov and Technology | ||
| User Interaction/User Experience Design | ||
| Project Management | ||
| Special Topics (Section SMM: Social Media Marketing) | ||
| Human-Centered Design Across Disciplines | ||
| Introduction to Design Thinking | ||
| Entrepreneurial Finance | ||
| Introduction to Human Resource | ||
| Design Thinking/Need-Finding | ||
| Creativity, Innovation, Vision | ||
| Innovation and Engineering Design | ||
| Startups: Incorporation, Funding, Contracts, & Intellectual Property | ||
| High-Tech Venture Marketing | ||
| Complementary Competencies for Entrepreneurs (choose 0 or 1) | 0-4 | |
| Women, Money, and Power | ||
| Money and Happiness | ||
| Introduction to Multicultural Advertising | ||
| Graphic Design for Non-Majors | ||
| UI/UX Design for Non-Majors | ||
| Beginning Illustration | ||
| Brand Management | ||
| Information Systems & Operations Management Practicum | ||
| Special Topics (Section SUS: Sustainable Op & Supply Chains) | ||
| Introduction to Digital Learning Environments | ||
| Diversity and Organizational Leadership | ||
| Leading Organizations Inclusively: The Study and Practice of Critical Human Resource Development | ||
| Diversity in the Workplace | ||
| Development | ||
| Ethics of Artificial Intelligence | ||
| The AI Revolution | ||
| Developing Breakthrough Projects | ||
| Leading Sustainable Change | ||
| International Creative Placemaking | ||
| The Land Development Process | ||
| Minimum Total Hours | 16 | |
Other Requirements
| Minimum credit hours required | 16 |
| Minimum 300- or 400- level credit hours | 6 |
| Minimum hours of coursework distinct from credits earned for the student's major or another minor | 6 |
| Minimum GPA to earn the minor | 2.0 |
| All minor courses must be completed with letter grades. | |
| Course substitutions may be approved by the academic co-directors of the Entrepreneurship Minor. | |
| Repeated courses may not count for repeated credit towards the Entrepreneurship Minor. |
for the Undergraduate minor in Entrepreneurship
- Describe the components of the entrepreneurial process and essential business concepts related to entrepreneurship.
- Apply an entrepreneurial mindset that incorporates creative thinking, strategic decision-making, openness to informed risk-taking, and purposeful innovation.
- Identify how the entrepreneurial process can be applied across diverse contexts, including startups, established organizations, and social ventures.
- Apply entrepreneurial skills to identify opportunities, design and prototype solutions, gather user feedback, and refine ideas through iterative approaches.
- Evaluate how entrepreneurship both shapes and is shaped by larger societal forces.
for the Undergraduate minor in Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship Minor
eshipminor@illinois.edu
Gies College of Business, Origin Ventures Office of Entrepreneurship
Grainger College of Engineering, Technology Entrepreneur Center