Through the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, CU Boulder students enrolled in the Leeds School of Business as a major or minor in business may pursue a Certificate in Entrepreneurial Studies.

If interested, but not yet enrolled in the Leeds School of Business, you can apply for a business minor here.

Certificate in Entrepreneurial Studies

The Certificate in Entrepreneurial Studies allows students to

  • Study business theory and research,
  • Meet and learn from experienced business leaders inside and outside of the classroom,
  • Test their ideas by competing in contests and challenges,
  • Accumulate practical experiences through internships, and
  • Meet other entrepreneurial thinkers, doers, and changemakers from across campus.

Once completed, the Certificate in Entrepreneurial Studies will appear on your transcript.

The Certificate in Entrepreneurial Studies will help you strengthen your entrepreneurial foundation and toolset by offering you:

  • Compelling student experiences working with a cohort of entrepreneurial students

  • Entrepreneurship students learn the qualities to be “self starters,” disciplined workers, and capable team players who know how to find and use business information.

  • Entrepreneurship students graduate with a comprehensive understanding of the elements of a business through their business plan preparation experience. These graduates are attractive job candidates in all areas of business and are capable of creating new ventures either as start-up businesses or within existing corporate structures.

  • Some entrepreneurship graduates immediately begin work on their own businesses, while others work in existing entrepreneurial enterprises.

  • Graduates gain experience in larger businesses, learn an industry and its markets, and later find a niche to create a start-up business.

  1. Declare your intent to pursue the Certificate

  2. Meet with the Program Coordinator at the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship. Click here to email a meeting request.

  3. Complete the four courses listed in the next section with at least a 3.00 GPA

  4. Complete an entrepreneurship internship with a start-up company and complete a 2-3 page write-up about it

  5. Participate in at least 8 entrepreneurship-related extracurricular activities and provide a short write-up on your experiences

  6. Pass a final capstone exam in entrepreneurship at the conclusion of your studies

BUSM 2010 & 2011 – Principles of Marketing and Management

2010: Introduces students to marketing concepts that can be used in many types of organizations. Marketing activities are useful throughout business and society, for identifying, reaching, motivating, and satisfying people. The course covers both strategy and tactics. Marketing tactics include the well-known 4 P's framework: place, price, product, and promotion.

2011: Focuses on the knowledge and skills needed to effectively lead and manage individuals, teams, and organizations, leading to a more efficient workplace.

 

BUSM 2020 & 2021 – Principles of Accounting and Finance

2020: Focuses on the development and interpretation of companies' external financial reports. Topics range from the fundamentals of bookkeeping, to more complex accounting issues such as intangible assets, impairments, and stock-based compensation.

2021: Focuses on the role of finance in small and large businesses. Topics covered include financial statement analysis, time value or money, bonds and stocks (both their markets and their valuation), capital budgeting analysis, and investor expectations regarding risk and return.

 

BUSM 3010/3011 – Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Examines the organizational structures that support innovation and organizational change. Focuses on the role of effective teamwork in organizations and the tools needed during new product development to improve success.

 

BUSM 4010 – Professional Business Plan Development

The Business Minor capstone focuses on the development of an entrepreneurial business plan using principles learned in earlier Business Minor courses. The course supplements business plan development with segments on professional skills and business social responsibility.

Currently enrolled in our Certificate in Entrepreneurial Studies? You can review requirements and submit your documents here!

INTERNSHIP

  • You need to complete an approved 60-hour internship with a startup
  • Submit your internship for approval HERE
  • Read requirements for your final internship write-up and submit HERE

PARTICIPATE:

  • You must participate in the area’s entrepreneurial ecosystem
  • Attend 8 events or workshops in the Boulder/Denver area and write a short summary of your experience
  • Read requirements for write-ups and submit each HERE

FINAL EXAM

You must complete a final exam after all Certificate requirements are met / before your graduate.