THE BELMONT Entrepreneurship Program prepares students for careers as entrepreneurs, for working in entrepreneurial ventures as part of the team, for family business careers, and for applying their entrepreneurial knowledge and skills in more traditional corporate environments. The students in Belmont’s Entrepreneurship Program are shaped by practice and experiential learning and grounded in values.
Students are prepared to launch and grow successful ventures through Belmont’s unique combination of experiential classroom application and co-curricular programming. Graduates of this program are known not only for their financial success, but also for their strong sense of integrity as leaders guided by values and principles.
Co-Curricular Programming
Belmont students are provided with a comprehensive array of co-curricular programming that is designed to enhance the experiential nature of the program. Practicing entrepreneurs can gain support from the:
- Student Business Hatcheries provide students access to basic business infrastructure (desks, computers, phones, faxes, copiers, etc.) to support students as they develop their entrepreneurial ventures. Students are advised by faculty, staff and local entrepreneurs, who are part of the Belmont Entrepreneur Network, and meet regularly during the semester.
- The Student Business Grant Fund, made possible through a generous donation, is designed to assist students with small needs as they are starting their companies.
- The Business Plan Competition takes place during the spring semester of each year. In order to promote entrepreneurship across Belmont, this competition is open to all undergraduate students from across the university’s campus. Students submit written applications and finalists present to a panel of community and alumni judges. Prizes awarded include $5,000 to first place, $2,000 for second place and $1,000 for third.
- Accounting and Legal Clinics are available to Entrepreneurship and Social Entrepreneurship majors and minors and Practicing Entrepreneurs free of charge. These clinics are made possible by the generosity of local law firms and the support of accounting faculty and graduate accounting students enrolled in Belmont’s MACC program.
- The Belmont Entrepreneur Network is made up of Nashville-area, practicing entrepreneurs and Belmont alumni who have generously offered their time to mentor students and speak at campus events and meetings. Students involved in this program are assigned mentors either by themselves or within a group.
- Campus-Based Businesses are student-created and student-run businesses that are collaborations with other programs on campus. Examples include a graphic design and photography studio, a designer clothing and accessories store, and a newly created candy shop. These businesses offer experiential learning opportunities for students who do not have a business of their own.
Entrepreneurship Curriculum & Courses
Undergraduate – Belmont’s undergraduate curriculum has a common core of entrepreneurship coursework. Starting next fall, all business students will be required to enroll in a foundational entrepreneurship course. Students can begin taking core courses in entrepreneurship without barriers to entry from pre-requisites. Eliminating barriers encourages freshman and sophomores to begin examining entrepreneurship as a career path for their chosen field of study.
Entrepreneurship Across Belmont – Belmont seeks to serve any student with entrepreneurial aspirations. This is possible through the comprehensive and flexible approach to reaching students from all over campus. The Center has developed relationships with a variety of programs and majors across campus, such as: music business, music, audio engineering, video production, graphic design, occupational and physical therapy, and computer science, just to name a few.
Students can elect to:
- Major in Entrepreneurship, BBA in Entrepreneurship
- Minor in Entrepreneurship
- Major in Social Entrepreneurship, B.A. or B.S. in Social Entrepreneurship
The Entrepreneurship curriculum at Belmont University is project based, and is designed to encourage the applications of the concepts, models and tools students are learning in each course to: an actual business, owned by the student; an idea they are developing for a new business venture; or, to a family business venture.
Social Entrepreneurship – Belmont University’s Social Entrepreneurship Program prepares students to engage and transform the world through the formation or expansion of ventures that create social change. Belmont’s Social Entrepreneurs are grounded in faith and values, shaped through experiential education and practical experience, and informed through the knowledge and skills drawn from diverse academic areas of study. Graduates of this program earn a Bachelor’s of Science or a Bachelor’s of Arts as opposed to the Bachelor’s of Business Administration earned through the College of Business Administration.
