Undergraduate Program at Deming

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Certificate in Entrepreneurial Studies

Elevate your experience and exposure to startups

This certificate requires undergraduate students - business majors or business minors - to focus on three key elements of entrepreneurship:

Academic expertise
Professional experience, and
Exposure to the startup ecosystem.

These are accomplished through elective course requirements, an internship with a startup, and attendance at networking and professional pitch events both on and off campus.

Students with a Certificate in Entrepreneurial Studies have a unique set of experiences that demonstrates to employers a familiarity with innovation and comfort in small, adaptable teams. In addition, many students pursue building their own startups while enrolled in the Certificate program, substituting this experience for an internship with an established company.

Certificate Requirements

Declare your intent
Meet with staff member at the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship
Complete the required courses listed below with at least a 3.00 GPA
Complete an approved internship with a startup and write a short paper about your experience
Attend eight entrepreneurship-related events on- or off-campus and provide a short write-up on each experience
Pass a written capstone exam in entrepreneurship at the conclusion of your studies

BCOR 2301 – Business Law (1.5)
BCOR 2304 – Strategic and Entrepreneurial Thinking (1.5)
ESBM 3700-3 Entrepreneurial Environments
Introduces entrepreneurship. Addresses opportunity recognition, target markets, industry analysis, business model identification, sources of funding, managing rapid growth and writing feasibility studies. Examines alternative forms of entrepreneurship such as franchising, corporate entrepreneurship, family business and social entrepreneurship.
ESBM 4570-3 Entrepreneurial Finance
Focuses on the financial concepts, issues, methods and industry practices relevant to entrepreneurial decision makers. Addresses a variety of topics including financial valuation, various sources of funds, structures and legal issues in arranging financing, the private and public venture capital markets, and preparation for, and execution of, an initial public securities offering. Provides an understanding of the segments of the capital markets specializing in start-ups and growth financing.
ESBM 4830-3 Business Plan Preparation
Work as part of a small team, with the focus on the process of creating a plan from the business concept and model through all of the elements of a professionally written business plan document.

BUSM 2010 & 2011 Principles of Marketing & 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 & 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.

The intent of an entrepreneurial internship is to gain access and insight into an entrepreneurial venture and build your skills needed as an entrepreneur or innovator.

Certificate Submissions

Entrepreneurship Events

You are required to attend eight events or workshops in the Boulder/Denver area to receive a Certificate. For each event your attend, we ask you to write a thoughtful 1-2 paragraph summary on the event. Include what you learned, how it relates to your future goals, or how it fits into your perspective on entrepreneurship. We will not be factoring in length/number of words, but instead your insight, personal perspective, and self reflection as it pertains to the event, the speakers and those in which you networked.

Submit an event summary.

Internship

Typically, startups need to be less than 5 years old and have less than 200 employees. However, we encourage you to submit a request if you feel that what you will be doing is entrepreneurial in nature; for example, a large Fortune-500 company may start a new "intrapreneurial" unit, or an older brand in the community may be attempting to scale after years of their status-quo. We keep the criteria intentionally broad because we want you to be able to whole-heartedly pursue an internship that aligns with your passions and goals.

Submit an internship for approval.

Read requirements and submit your internship final paper.

International Students

Note: Prior approval for any kind of off-campus employment is a requirement of the F-1 student visa regulations. International students in F-1 status who pursue the Entrepreneurial Studies Certificate are encouraged to reach out to International Student and Scholar Services as soon as possible to discuss options for requesting off-campus employment authorization. If off-campus employment authorization is not possible for fulfilling this internship requirement, other options are available that will work towards the successful completion of the requirements of the Certificate.

Capstone Exam

certificate capstone exam All students must pass a written final capstone exam in entrepreneurship after all Certificate requirements are met and before your graduate. Please email deming@colorado.edu to schedule a time to take your exam.