Housing one of the oldest entrepreneurship programs in the United States, Baylor University has long been a pioneer in the world of entrepreneurship education. While the breadth and depth of learning opportunities have expanded dramatically since Baylor began offering an undergraduate entrepreneurship major in 1977, the underlying purpose of the entrepreneurship program has remained constant: to foster the entrepreneurial spirit in all students by providing them the skills needed to build profitable entrepreneurial companies while simultaneously encouraging them to reflect on the core values and ethics that are necessary for building a meaningful life.
Baylor entrepreneurship is passionate about pursuing this vision, and over the past three decades has continued to be a leader in developing innovating programs and learning activities – receiving many awards and national recognition for its innovative style and rigorous curriculum.
Baylor Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Curriculum
Baylor’s award winning faculty has developed and teaches an entrepreneurship curriculum that is designed to provide all students a broad, highly applicable skill set. With over 20 undergraduate entrepreneurship courses from which to choose, students have the flexibility to pursue specialized concentrations in a number of important areas including:
- Family Business
- Technology Entrepreneurship
- Social Entrepreneurship
- Corporate Entrepreneurship
- Global Entrepreneurship
At Baylor, entrepreneurship is viewed as a multidisciplinary program and non-business students are also provided a variety of options for receiving entrepreneurship training. Engineering students can take a number of courses designed specifically to provide them with the training necessary to allow them to commercialize the technologies they have developed. Upon completion of these courses, engineering students can receive the Technology Entrepreneurship Certificate. Non-business students from other areas can earn an entrepreneurship minor. An 18-hour program, the entrepreneurship minor provides students with the skills necessary to start a business of their own in areas in which they have a passion.
Entrepreneurship Living and Learning
While much of the entrepreneurship coursework begins during a student's junior year, students can become involved in pursuing their entrepreneurial dream from the moment they first set foot on campus. Students have an opportunity to live in the Entrepreneurship Living and Learning Center.
This state of the art, apartment-style facility is specifically designed to house entrepreneurially-minded students from all majors including business, engineering, and music, to sociology, theatre or medicine. Students can live in the specially-designed residence hall as freshman, and will be able to continue as residents until graduation. As part of this residential learning experience, all first year students begin imagining and creating their business through a course that focuses on new venture creation. Students are then eligible to take their businesses into the student business incubator where resources are provided to help the student businesses grow.
Extracurricular Student Organizations and Activities
In addition, Baylor entrepreneurship students have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of other student organizations and activities that provide hands-on experience to help grow their entrepreneurial skill set and to foster long lasting relationships. Because Baylor faculty members believe that learning by doing is one of the best ways to hone entrepreneurial skills, a range of internship opportunities are provided with practicing entrepreneurs and angel investors.
Some of the activities and internship opportunities include:
- Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization
- Baylor Entrepreneurship Elevator Pitch Competition
- Baylor Entrepreneurship Student Case Writing Competition
- Students in Free Enterprise
- Baylor Angel Network Interns
- Venture Capital Associates Interns
- Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative Interns
