Nov 21, 2024  
2023-2024 General Catalog 
    
2023-2024 General Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Entrepreneurship Minor


Entrepreneurship and the ability to recognize opportunities to create viable, sustainable solutions are skills needed across all disciplines. The Entrepreneurship minor gives students the opportunity to develop the mindset and behavior of successful entrepreneurs. Students explore the principles and concepts associated with entrepreneurship in startup, social, creative, and corporate endeavors. This minor complements majors in all of Valparaiso University’s academic colleges and schools and encourages the application of entrepreneurial concepts in support of students’ passions. The minor affords students the chance to explore entrepreneurship as a career option and acquire the skills that can ensure success.

Students completing the minor will acquire an understanding of the venture creation process including how to generate and develop a new business concept, apply quantitative and qualitative methods and analytical tools to identify and evaluate entrepreneurial opportunities, use data and analysis to create and evaluate a business plan, and evaluate different funding sources for a new venture. A critical element of the program is an entrepreneurship consulting opportunity in which students conduct an audit of an existing entrepreneurial firm in the local community.

Upon completion of the minor in Entrepreneurship, students will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the role of entrepreneurship in the contemporary global business environment.
  2. Identify, analyze, and evaluate viable entrepreneurial opportunities that create value in an ethical manner.
  3. Assess the risk and reward associated with each opportunity.
  4. Demonstrate an ability to work collaboratively in entrepreneurial contexts.
  5. Communicate effectively about themselves and their ideas.
  6. Construct a sustainable business model and identify the appropriate resources to pursue it.