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Program Description
Skills attributed to entrepreneurial behavior and innovative thinking are beneficial for students in most if not all majors, and are critical to career success in established companies and new organizations to address pressing needs around the globe. This interdisciplinary minor uses problem-based learning and other active learning pedagogies to prepare students to create value and be agents of positive change in their discipline and their careers. The courses develop skills, knowledge and values in problem solving, innovation, opportunity recognition, self-efficacy, leadership, ethics, communications and learning from failure. To meet the students’ broad range of entrepreneurship and innovation interests, core courses (9 credits) establish foundational knowledge, and then students select a concentration cluster aligned to specific contexts such as entrepreneurship in food and bio-innovation, technology, bio-tech, the arts, media, hospitality, digital, social entrepreneurship, advocacy or new ventures. Students who complete the ENTI minor will be better prepared to be innovation leaders in their chosen career path, such as being entrepreneurial in an existing company (intrapreneurship), engaging in a start-up venture full or part-time, finding avenues to leverage their art or craft, or creating alliances to meet social or business needs.
Advising for students in this minor and approval of curriculum exceptions will be available through the Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ENTI) adviser for each cluster.
Bio-Tech Cluster (Eberly College of Science)
This specialization prepares students to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and apply innovative strategies to find solutions that benefit humans, animals, and the environment. Students will also develop unique skills in career readiness such as teamwork, leadership and communication. Students who complete this cluster will be better able to take an interdisciplinary approach to solving problems through Biotechnology.
Digital Entrepreneurship and Innovation Cluster (College of Information Sciences and Technology)
This specialization prepares a student to harness digital technologies and digital business models to develop their own concepts into commercial concerns or to contribute to the innovation activities of existing organizations (i.e., intrapreneurship). The IST Digital Entrepreneurship & Innovation cluster focuses on the impact of Information Technology (IT)-driven innovation across multiple industry sectors including for-profit, non-profit and governmental organizations. IT-driven innovation has created new business opportunities for both entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs and is key to increasing efficiencies and expanding the linkage between user-centric products and services. Students who complete this cluster will gain a foundational understanding of emerging information technologies, the components of digital business models, and implementation and design techniques that meet or exceed user-centric requirements.
Energy Transition Cluster (College of Earth and Minerals Sciences)
This specialization focuses on the science and innovation related to the Energy Transition. Students can learn about aspects of changing energy markets, technological developments in materials, new approaches to Earth's resource management, and achieving sustainable development goals. Students will also develop unique skills in a diverse and multi-dimensional scientific approach to entrepreneurship - skillsets that have been shown to produce more sustainable business ventures. Students who complete this cluster will be better able to take an interdisciplinary approach to solving problems and take advantage of technological change within the Energy Transition landscape.
Entrepreneurship as Advocacy Cluster (College of the Liberal Arts)
This specialization empowers students to utilize the process of entrepreneurship as a form of advocacy to improve the human condition and enhance public life. The cluster leverages a critique of the business paradigm of "maximize shareholder value" to encourage students to create organizations that can be a force for positive change in society.
Food and Bio-innovation Cluster (College of Agricultural Sciences)
This specialization will develop future entrepreneurs and innovators to address opportunities and challenges in the agriculture and life sciences space. The cluster focuses on the cornerstone challenge for agriculture: producing food for the world with entrepreneurial activity and innovation to develop, convert and use biological materials and natural resources (plants, animals, ecosystems and organisms, etc.) to meet the material and energy needs of society. Students are encouraged to take a series of courses in the cluster that complement their personal venture interests and engage in a series of immersive venturing experiences that can range from creating new ventures to mentoring with seasoned entrepreneurs or working within entrepreneurial organizations.
Hospitality Management Cluster (College of Health and Human Development)
This specialization prepares a student to create and develop novel but sound entrepreneurial concepts related to the hospitality industry in such businesses as lodging and food service. For example, through this cluster, students could develop and refine entrepreneurial concepts related to hotels, motels, bed & breakfasts, quick-service restaurants, upscale restaurants, mobile dining such as food trucks, on-line travel agencies, and other on-line ventures. The minor is also designed to prepare students to be innovators within existing organizations. Students who complete this cluster develop skills in creating business plans, feasibility studies, competitive analysis, supply and demand analysis, market analysis and financial forecasting. Students in this concentration are expected to include a mix of majors, not only students majoring in hospitality management.
New Media Cluster (College of Communications)
This specialization examines opportunities and challenges in the creation and distribution of news, entertainment and information. The same technological innovations that make it easy to start a media enterprise have introduced a host of editorial and business complexities. Media production and distribution skills and knowledge of media business, technologies, law and ethics are critical.
New Ventures Cluster (Smeal College of Business)
This specialization helps students develop the skills and ways of thinking required to create, develop, innovate and manage entrepreneurial companies. Students learn about acquiring and balancing limited resources, changing business direction quickly, building a coherent team, managing intellectual property, and creating new markets. This cluster develops a wide range of managerial skills not usually demanded in one person within a larger organization.
Product innovation Cluster (College of Engineering)
This specialization develops skills and knowledge through a practical entrepreneurial experience in a technology based environment. Technology and engineering design topics form the practical content of the cluster. General entrepreneurial business topics and tracking current and emerging technologies provide additional foundation structure for this cluster. Students understand and apply fundamental engineering design skills, product feasibility analysis and marketing techniques to move innovative products toward commercialization.
Social Entrepreneurship Cluster (College of Engineering)
This specialization focuses on creating sustainable social impact within marginalized communities. The cluster grounds students in social business, user-centered design for extreme affordability, systems thinking and scholarly research to develop innovative and appropriate technology-based solutions to address compelling global challenges. Travel and fieldwork in which students work in multidisciplinary teams to research, design, test, and commercialize ventures are required.
What is Entrepreneurship and Innovation?
Entrepreneurship and innovation is an interdisciplinary field that deals with new enterprise creation and the process of change and transformation in methods, ideas, and products. It is about problem-solving and the creation of value and positive change in business and society.
You Might Like This Program If...
- You want to learn what entrepreneurs do and how innovators create and solve problems in any field. Whatever you’re majoring in or whatever career you’ve chosen, entrepreneurs and innovators are there already making a positive difference. You can learn to be one, too.
- You’re passionate about starting your own business, non-profit, or social enterprise (entrepreneurship) or pursuing a career as an innovator within an existing firm or organization (intrapreneurship).
- You want to learn the skills and develop the mindset of an entrepreneur and innovator.
Program Requirements
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| Requirements for the Minor | 18-19 |
Requirements for the Minor
A grade of C or better is required for all courses in the minor, as specified by Senate Policy 59-10. In addition, at least six credits of the minor must be unique from the prescribed courses required by a student's major(s).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Prescribed Courses | ||
| Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| ENGR 310 | Entrepreneurial Leadership | 3 |
| ENGR/IST/MGMT 425 | New Venture Creation | 3 |
| MGMT 215 | Entrepreneurial Mindset | 3 |
| Additional Courses | ||
| Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| Select 9 or more credits from one of the clusters listed below 1 | 9-10 | |
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In all clusters, students may substitute up to 3 credits of research topics, internship or independent studies courses focused on relevant entrepreneurship or innovation topics in consultation with an adviser. Each cluster is structured to provide a clear course "path" so any student from any major can complete the cluster and therefore the ENTI minor.
Bio-Tech Cluster
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| Choose one foundational course for the Bio-Tech cluster from the following list: | 3-4 | |
| Biology: Molecules and Cells | ||
| Honors Biology: Molecules and Cells | ||
| Molecular and Cell Biology I | ||
| Molecular and Cell Biology I | ||
| Introductory Microbiology | ||
| Introductory Microbiology | ||
| Choose one of the following advanced courses for the Bio-Tech cluster: | 3-4 | |
| Molecular Evolution | ||
| Biology of Aging | ||
| Ecology of Infectious Diseases | ||
| Ecotoxicology | ||
| Biology of Cancer | ||
| Ecological and Environmental Problem Solving | ||
| Seeds of Change: The Uses of Plants | ||
| Developmental Neurobiology | ||
| Reproductive Biology | ||
| Developmental Genetics | ||
| Practical Bioinformatics | ||
| Evo-devo: Evolution of Developmental Mechanisms | ||
| Biology of RNA | ||
| Human Genetics | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Science and Medicine | ||
| Molecular Basis of Neurological Diseases | ||
| Neurobiology | ||
| Plant Tissue Culture and Biotechnology | ||
| Advances and Applications of Plant Biotechnology | ||
| General Biochemistry | ||
| Laboratory in Proteins, Nucleic Acids, and Molecular Cloning | ||
| Cancer Development and Progression | ||
| Introduction to Computational Biology | ||
| Functional Genomics | ||
| Human Genomics and Biomedical Informatics | ||
| Environment Chemistry: Atmosphere | ||
| Chemical Spectroscopy | ||
| Chromatography and Electrochemistry | ||
| Advanced Synthetic Methodologies | ||
| Advanced Experimental Physical Chemistry | ||
| Biological Chemistry | ||
| Forensic Chemistry | ||
| Advanced Calculus for Engineers and Scientists I | ||
| Advanced Calculus for Engineers and Scientists II | ||
| Mathematics of Finance | ||
| Mathematical Modeling | ||
| Linear Programs and Related Problems | ||
| Mathematical Theory of Games | ||
| Microbial Physiology and Structure | ||
| Applications of Physics in Medicine | ||
| Network analysis of biological systems | ||
| Elements of Nuclear Physics and its Applications to Medical Imaging and Treatments | ||
| Choose one of the following capstone courses for the Bio-Tech cluster: 1 | 3 | |
| Microbial Biotechnology | ||
| Plant Tissue Culture and Biotechnology | ||
- 1
Note: if a course is taken to satisfy 400-level elective, it cannot also be used to satisfy capstone requirement.
Digital Entrepreneurship and Innovation Cluster
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| IST 237 | Digital Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| IST 337 | Technologies for Digital Entrepreneurs | 3 |
| IST 437 | Digital Design & Innovation 1 | 3 |
- 1
Energy Transition Cluster
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select 9 credits from the following courses (at least 3 at the 400 level) in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences: | 9 | |
The Earth System and Global Change  | ||
| Environment Earth | ||
| Analysis of Earth Future Scenarios | ||
| Introduction to Energy and Earth Sciences Economics | ||
| Global Finance for the Earth, Energy, and Materials Industries | ||
| The Great Energy Transition: Law, Economics, and New Frontiers | ||
| Oil: International Evolution | ||
| Global Energy Enterprise | ||
| Energy Crisis Leadership | ||
| Geo-resource Evaluation and Investment Analysis | ||
| Environmental Data Analytics | ||
| Human Dimensions of Global Warming | ||
| Resource Governance in Africa | ||
| Physical Geology | ||
| Planet Earth | ||
| Earth Materials | ||
| Chemical Processes in Geology | ||
| Physical Processes in Geology | ||
| Geoscience Data Analytics | ||
| Geology of Climate Change | ||
| Geosciences Entrepreneurship: Embrace Change | ||
| Natural Disasters | ||
| Geology of Oil and Gas | ||
| Principles of Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology | ||
| Planetary Geophysics | ||
| Petroleum Seismology | ||
| Satellite Remote-Sensing For Earth Observation | ||
| Introduction to Materials Science | ||
| Properties and Processing of Engineering Materials | ||
| Crystal Chemistry | ||
| Thermodynamics of Materials | ||
| Materials Process Kinetics | ||
| Biomedical Materials | ||
| Surfaces and the Biological Response to Materials | ||
| Processing of Ceramics | ||
| Thermal Properties of Materials | ||
| Solid-State Materials | ||
| Introduction to Glass Science | ||
| Electrical and Magnetic Properties | ||
| Computational Materials Science and Engineering | ||
| Corrosion Engineering | ||
| Processing of Metals | ||
| Aqueous Processing | ||
| Microstructure Design of Structural Materials | ||
| Non-Ferrous Structural Metals | ||
| Materials Characterization | ||
| Optical Properties of Materials | ||
| Mechanical Properties of Materials | ||
| Synthesis and Processing of Electronic and Photonic Materials | ||
| Properties and Characterization of Electronic and Photonic Materials | ||
| Materials Engineering Methodology and Design | ||
| Science and policy of global greenhouse gas emissions and management | ||
| From Meteorology to Mitigation: Understanding Global Warming | ||
| Introduction to Mining Engineering | ||
| Introduction to Mining Operations | ||
| Elements of Mineral Processing | ||
| Introduction to Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering | ||
| Rock and Fluid Properties | ||
| Introduction to Petroleum and Natural Gas Extraction | ||
Entrepreneurship as Advocacy Cluster
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| LA 202 | Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Liberal Arts 1 | 3 |
| LA 424 | Liberal Arts Venture Development 1 | 3 |
| Select 3 credits from the following: | 3 | |
| Black Freedom Struggles | ||
| Racism and Sexism | ||
| Race, Gender, and Employment | ||
| African American Women's History | ||
| Rhetoric and Civic Life I | ||
| Persuasion and Propaganda | ||
| Landmark Speeches on Democracy and Dissent | ||
| Persuasion | ||
| Foundations: Civic and Community Engagement | ||
| Rhetoric and Law | ||
| The Rhetorics of War and Peace | ||
| Communicating Care | ||
| Introduction to Disability Studies in the Humanities | ||
| Inequality: Economics, Philosophy, Literature | ||
| Exploring Work and Employment | ||
| Employment Relationship: Law and Policy | ||
| American Public Policy | ||
| Rights in America | ||
| Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies | ||
| Introductory Psychology | ||
| Introductory Sociology | ||
| Social Problems | ||
| Criminology | ||
| Population and Policy Issues | ||
| Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies | ||
| Living in a Diverse World | ||
| Global Feminisms | ||
Food and Bio-innovation Cluster
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| Select up to 6 credits of the following 200-300 level courses in the College of Agricultural Sciences: | 6 | |
| Interpersonal Skills for Tomorrow's Leaders | ||
| Leadership Development for Small Groups | ||
| Introduction to Agricultural Business Management | ||
| Food Product Marketing | ||
| Strategic Decision Making in Agribusiness | ||
| Agribusiness in the Global Economy | ||
| Animal Science | ||
| Swine Production and Management | ||
| Sheep and Goat Production and Management | ||
| Beef Cattle Production and Management | ||
| Dairy Cattle Production and Management | ||
| Poultry Production and Management | ||
| Value Determination of Meat Animals | ||
| Horse Production and Management | ||
| Animal Enterprise Analysis | ||
| Dairy Problem Solving | ||
| Communication Skills for BE and ABSM Students | ||
| Leadership and Ethics for BE and ABSM Students | ||
| Community, Local Knowledge, and Democracy | ||
| Basic Principles and Calculations in Environmental Analysis | ||
| Introductory Food Science | ||
| Forest Management Practices | ||
| Landscape Contracting Design/Build Principles | ||
| Select at least 3 credits of the following 400 level courses in the College of Agricultural Sciences: | 3 | |
| Foundations of Sustainable Business | ||
| Agricultural and Biorenewable Systems Analysis and Management | ||
| Foundations in Leadership Development | ||
| Farm Planning and Financial Management | ||
| Financial Decision Making for Agribusiness | ||
| Food Product Innovation Management | ||
| AgTech Entrepreneurship | ||
| Retail Horticulture Business Management | ||
| Managing the Food System | ||
| Advanced Dairy Herd Management | ||
| Advanced Beef Cattle Production | ||
| Dairy Farm Management Systems | ||
| Bioproduct Marketing and Sales | ||
| Power, Conflict, and Community Decision Making | ||
| International Community and Economic Development | ||
| Principles of Community Economic Development | ||
| Legal Aspects of Resource Management | ||
| Resource Systems Analysis | ||
| Case Studies in Ecosystem Management | ||
| Managing Food Quality | ||
| Arguing about Food | ||
| Food Innovation and Product Design | ||
| International Food Production | ||
| Forest and Conservation Economics | ||
| Issues in Landscape Contracting | ||
| Flower Crop Production and Management | ||
| Retail Horticulture Business Management | ||
| Case Studies in Turfgrass Management | ||
Hospitality Management Cluster
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| HM 484 | Hospitality Entrepreneurship and Innovation | 3 |
| Select 6 credits from the following: | 6 | |
| Franchising in the Hospitality Industry | ||
| The Sustainable Fork: Food Systems Decisions for Away-From-Home Eating | ||
| Hospitality Corporate Finance | ||
| Hospitality Real Estate | ||
| Advanced Meeting and Event Management | ||
| Hospitality Asset Management | ||
New Media Cluster
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| COMM 271 | Principles of Journalism | 3 |
| Select 6 credits from the following: | 6 | |
| Entrepreneurial Journalism | ||
| Podcasting | ||
| Telecommunications Promotion and Sales | ||
| Digital Magazine Production | ||
| Feature Writing | ||
| Telecommunications Product Development | ||
| Emerging Telecommunications Technologies | ||
| Internet Law and Policy | ||
| Entrepreneurship in the Information Age | ||
New Ventures Cluster
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| Select 6-7 credits from the following category: 1 | 6-7 | |
| Legal Environment of Business and Social and Ethical Environment of Business | ||
or BA 243 | Social, Legal, and Ethical Environment of Business | |
or BLAW 243 | Legal Environment of Business | |
or BLAW 341 | Business Law I: Introduction to Contracts, Liability Issues, and Intellectual Property | |
| Small Business Management | ||
| Negotiation Skills for Business Professionals | ||
| Social Entrepreneurship | ||
| Invention Commercialization | ||
| Managing an Entrepreneurial Start-Up Company | ||
| Managing an Entrepreneurial Start-up | ||
| Business, Ethics, and Society | ||
| Business, Ethics, and Society | ||
| Creativity and Innovation | ||
| Select 3 credits from the following category: 1 | 3 | |
| Invention Commercialization | ||
| Managing an Entrepreneurial Start-Up Company | ||
| Managing an Entrepreneurial Start-up | ||
| Business, Ethics, and Society | ||
| Business, Ethics, and Society | ||
| Creativity and Innovation | ||
- 1
Courses cannot double count in these categories.
Product innovation Cluster
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| ENGR 407 | Product Innovation Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| ENGR 411 | Entrepreneurship Business Fundamentals | 3 |
| Select 3 credits from the following: | 3 | |
| Design Thinking and Making | ||
| Prototyping to Launch | ||
| Leadership Principles | ||
| Launching Innovation: Ideas to Opportunities | ||
Social Entrepreneurship Cluster
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required courses to be taken in the following order: | ||
| ENGR 451 | Social Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| EDSGN 452 | Projects in Humanitarian Engineering | 2 |
| EDSGN 453 | Design for Developing Communities | 1 |
| EDSGN 454 | Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship Field Experience | 0.5 |
| ENGR 455 | Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship Reflection and Research Dissemination | 3 |
Academic Advising
The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.
Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.
READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY
University Park
Arts Entrepreneurship Cluster
Jonathan Gangi
Assistant Professor of Music and Arts Entrepreneurship
College of Arts and Architecture
104G Borland Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-9523
jjg27@psu.edu
Bio-Tech Cluster
Beatrice Sirakaya
Assistant Teaching Professor
201 South Frear Laboratory
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-8192
bxs205@psu.edu
Digital Entrepreneurship and Innovation Cluster
Betsy Campbell
Associate Teaching Professor and Undergraduate Studies Entrepreneurship Academic Program Coordinator
College of Information Sciences and Technology
E114 Westgate Building
University Park, PA 16802
bjc28@psu.edu
Entrepreneurship as Advocacy Cluster
Chris Spielvogel
Associate Teaching Professor
College of the Liberal Arts
227A Sparks Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-6260
jcs111@psu.edu
Food and Bio-Innovation Cluster
Mark Gagnon
Harbaugh Entrepreneurship Scholar
College of Agricultural Sciences
208A Armsby Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-0469
mag199@psu.edu
Hospitality Management Cluster
William Kidd
Instructor
School of Hospitality Management, College of Health and Human Development
228 Mateer Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-4847
wrk2@psu.edu
New Media Cluster
David Norloff
Assistant Teaching Professor
Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications
313 Willard Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-1616
dcn101@psu.edu
New Ventures Cluster
Jamey Darnell
Clinical Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship
417 Business Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-0740
jad961@psu.edu
Social Entrepreneurship Cluster
John Gershenson
Director of Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship
School of Engineering Design and Innovation, College of Engineering
213 Hammond Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-2952
jzg322@psu.edu
Technology Based Entrepreneurship Cluster
Ted Graef
Director of Engineering Entrepreneurship
School of Engineering Design and Innovation
213 Hammond Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-2587
jtg150@psu.edu
Abington
Peter Hornberger
Lecturer, Management & Entrepreneurship
Rydal Executive Plaza, 309
Abington, PA 19001
215-881-7388
pah224@psu.edu
Beaver
Ashu Kumar
Instructor in Information Sciences and Technology
100 University Drive
Monaca, PA 15061
724-773-3894
axk60@psu.edu
Berks
Sadan Kulturel-Konak
Program Coordinator, Professor
Gaige 329
Reading, PA 19610
610-396-6137
BKEntrepInnov@psu.edu
Erie
Linda Hajec
Assistant Teaching Professor of Accounting
281G Burke
Erie, PA 16563
814-898-6102
lla129@psu.edu
Mont Alto
Michael A. Doncheski
Director of Academic Affairs
212 Conklin Hall
Mont Alto, PA 17237
717-749-6051
mad10@psu.edu
Contact
University Park
UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION
Intercollege Minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
209H Barron Innovation Hub
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-7084
jad961@psu.edu
Abington
DIVISION OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
1600 Woodland Road
Abington, PA 19001
215-881-7388
pah224@psu.edu
Beaver
100 University Drive
Monaca, PA 15061
724-773-3894
axk60@psu.edu
Berks
EBC DIVISION
Gaige Building
Reading, PA 19610
610-396-6137
BKEntrepInnov@psu.edu
https://berks.psu.edu/academics/minors/enti-minor
Erie
BLACK SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
281 Jack Burke Research and Economic Development Center
5101 Jordan Road
Erie, PA 16563
814-898-6107
behrend-business@psu.edu
https://behrend.psu.edu/school-of-business
Mont Alto
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Mont Alto, PA 17237
717-749-6051
mad10@psu.edu