Entrepreneurial Studies course catalog

2024-25 catalog

Advisor: DAVID THORNBLAD, Associate Professor
B.A., Augustana College; M.M., University of Miami; Ph.D., Virginia Tech

The purpose of the experiential minor Entrepreneurial Studies is to help prepare liberal arts majors (specifically non-business majors) for either starting their own business or working in small business and to provide them with formal documentation of their competence for doing so.

Unlike traditional programs, a substantial fraction of the program involves an experiential component in which students work with either a faculty member in concert with the EDGE Center or at a small business in a role which applies the concepts learned in the academic component to a real-world setting.

The program offers a valuable, rigorous experience and, at the same time meets the need of our students who could benefit from entrepreneurial experience to realize their goals and aspirations. The course work and experiential learning opportunities incorporated in the minor are intended to develop professional leaders who can:

• Build and communicate a shared organizational vision. (Lead and Communicate)
• Use systems thinking to analyze and address complex situations from multiple perspectives (i.e. financial, ethical, and managerial).(Analyze, Interpret, Respond)
• Encourage collaboration and synergy among diverse constituents. (Lead and Relate)
• Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental objectives and operations of a business.(Understand)
• Question and evaluate assumptions and models that guide practice (Create).

*( ) indicate relationship of goal to college learning outcomes

The requirements are as follows:

A.  Core Academic Component: Three core area courses (12 credits) Students must receive at least a C in each of the three core area courses in order to be awarded the minor.

• Competent marketing and communication

BUSN 320 - Marketing for Non-Business Majors or BUSN 321 - Marketing

• Effective financial management

ACCT 200 - Accounting Fundamentals or ACCT 201 - Financial Accounting

• Knowledge of entrepreneurial skills

BUSN 308 - Entrepreneurship for Non-Business Majors or BUSN 309 - Entrepreneurship

B. Elective Academic Component: Students should take at least one four-credit course to explore an additional area of Augustana’s liberal arts curriculum to gain skills that can aid them in the area of entrepreneurship. Students may choose from the following courses:

• ACCT 314- Tax Accounting
• HIST 336 – A Consumer’s Republic
• PUBH 350 – Health Behavior and Promotion
• PHIL 301 – Game Theory
• PHYS 370 – Engineering Design
• REL 356 – Business Ethics

C. Experiential Component: To culminate the experiential minor, students will be expected to engage in a four credit experience to fulfill the requirements of the minor. This four credit component can be fulfilled by completing one of the two following options.

• The student writes an in-depth and extensive business plan. The plan will include extensive customer research, marketing plan, financial projections and break even analysis. The student will be expected to research the smallest details of their business, including insurance and utility costs for their enterprise. Students are also expected to validate their idea with bankers, investors, or SCORE throughout the planning process. This is expected to take 150 hours of work supervised by the director of the EDGE center. This will be considered an internship for credit purposes.

• The student can complete a four-credit internship at an entrepreneurial firm or organization. The firm is expected to be in the formative stage of the life cycle. Managers must agree to train the student and provide them a unique experience at the firm that they would not receive at a more mature organization. This must be pre-approved by the director of the EDGE Center.

Business Administration majors are eligible to complete the minor. However, a student does not automatically earn the minor by completing a Business Administration major.

For a complete list of the college policies and guidelines about minors, see the catalog section on Organization of the Curriculum.

Grade Point Average Notation: All courses listed in the catalog as required courses for any major and/or minor, including those courses outside of the department or with a different subject coding, are considered part of the minor and will count in the grade point average. Recommended supporting courses that are optional and not required may also count in the minor depending on the program. For more information see your department chair or the degree requirements for Bachelor of Arts and information on Majors/Minors.