Augustana introduces entrepreneurship certificate

This spring, Augustana's Department of Business Administration will introduce its Certificate in Entrepreneurial Studies, available to students of all majors upon completion of four required courses and a related hands-on learning experience.

Developed by Dr. Gregory Tapis and Dr. Amanda Baugous of the Department of Business Administration and Dr. John Delaney of the Department of Accounting, the program is designed to give non-business students the opportunity to pursue their dreams of starting their own business. The theme of the certificate is "Entrepreneurs Recognize Opportunities."

"So often, students in any major have a passion and recognize an opportunity, only to stop because they feel entrepreneurial opportunities are only for business students," Dr. Tapis said. "This certificate was specifically designed for non-business majors and the certificate requirements demonstrate this."

Megan Funke '15, an international business major from Mapleton, Ill., can see why students from other majors would want to learn more about entrepreneurship.

"I signed up for the entrepreneurship class fall term, and I fell in love with the idea of creating my own business and getting to make the business into everything I wanted and dreamed of," she said. "I wanted to be the one in charge and making decisions, and have my own autonomy in how my store, department or business was to be run."

The required course work is followed by an experiential component, which may be an internship or another project that helps students apply what they have learned in their courses to a professional setting. The program also includes academic fellows, faculty members from various departments who act as resources for students during the experiential phase of the certificate program.

"We hope this combination offers students the knowledge, skills, and abilities to pursue their dreams and gain exposure to entrepreneurship," Dr. Tapis said.