• About the Entrepreneurial Curriculum
• Sample Program of Study for an Entrepreneurial Student
• Suggested Elective Courses by Area of Study
• Suggested Area Elective Courses with Some Entrepreneurial Content (pdf)

About the Entrepreneurial Curriculum
The basic set of entrepreneurial course offerings build upon the MBA program and the required courses that constitute the first year core. These courses provide knowledge and perspective about entrepreneurial processes. A carefully articulated internship and appropriately selected field study, designed to complement student interest, complete the suggested course of study.

The first offering, Entrepreneurship and Venture Initiation--Mgmt 295A, provides a strong and cohesive educational foundation. We suggest this course be taken in the Spring of the first year or Fall of the second year in the MBA program. The additional elective courses within particular functional field orientations complement this offering and enhance the sharp differences between traditional managerial administrative education and the "can do" or "make it happen" orientation of entrepreneurial managers. This focus is not vocational education; the course materials emanate from fundamental analysis and systematic thinking. Elective courses in finance, operations, marketing, organization, information systems, strategy, and new venture development continue to highlight this paradigm and give the program offerings a unique interdisciplinary focus.

In the current structure of the MBA curriculum, students enroll in a total of 24 courses. The management core is comprised of 10 required courses that provide a solid base of general management skills. The remaining 14 elective courses afford ample opportunity for students to choose offerings with entrepreneurial content, as well as other areas of academic interest. The Sample Program and Suggested Electives illustrate a model program of study and the Elective Courses with Entrepreneurial Content summarize the entrepreneurial electives.

Sample Program of Study for an Entrepreneurial Student
The program of study below assumes that an entrepreneurial student might elect to take courses in marketing and finance, and complete a field study project with an entrepreneurial flavor. Beyond the core requirements of 10 courses (including the two-course field study sequence), the sample plan shows the student taking four advanced marketing courses, four advanced finance courses, and four electives with entrepreneurial content, plus an economics course and the negotiation course. Total courses required for graduation is 24, although entrepreneurial students are encouraged to challenge themselves and may therefore take as many as 28 courses.

Note that the student takes the Entrepreneurship and Venture Initiation course in the Spring of his/her first year in the MBA program and elects to do an internship (as a fifth course) at the same time. For his/her finance emphasis, the student takes Mgmt 231, and for marketing studies, takes Mgmt 261 in the Spring. The entrepreneurial student has considerable flexibility because these two courses are scheduled every quarter.

The second year curriculum develops the ability to manage the finance function, operations, and marketing activities in the entrepreneurial environments. This student also takes the business plan development course during the second year. He/she completes the field studies consulting project in an entrepreneurial organization during the Fall/Winter quarters of the second year in the program. The more ambitious students could consider actually creating a business under the new business creation option within the Management Field Study.

The student could consider a fifth course each quarter of the second year as a suggested overload. This possibility is shown in italics on the sample program of study. Bold indicates entrepreneurial courses.

Suggested Elective Courses by Area of Study
This list includes entrepreneurial course offerings with other pertinent electives in various areas of study within the school.