Entrepreneurship Specialization

If you plan to earn a bachelor's degree in business, adding a specialization in entrepreneurship to your plan of study is an excellent choice.

Marian University’s entrepreneurship curriculum is designed for students who:

• Will join a small, independent or family-owned business after college.
• Want to start their own business, whether as a part-time enterprise or a full-time career.
• Plan to work at a start-up company in a business sector like technology or pursue a career in the venture capital field.
• Want to buy a national franchise and open their own store, shop, or operation.

Why choose the entrepreneurship program at Marian?

Savvy entrepreneurs with a strong business knowledge and skills who are capable of launching, managing, and expanding small businesses of all types have a great deal of opportunity.

The School of Business curriculum is experiential in nature, meaning you will graduate with real-world, hands-on skills like building sound business plans, conducting market analyses, researching funding requirements, developing financial projections, creating sales strategies, and producing operations and management plans.

In short, at Marian you will learn business by doing business, getting significant experience from your first semester of freshman-level courses.

• In our nine-credit BUS 109: Business Plan Competition, you’ll get first-hand knowledge about financing a small business by developing an original business concept and pitching your idea to Indianapolis executives with a financial stake in the outcome.
• You and your team members will develop a comprehensive business plan for a real product or service that you’ll market and sell to the campus community. You’ll launch the business, operating it until you’ve made a profit and can repay your loan with interest.
• Along the way, you’ll get a great introduction to basic business concepts, theories, best practices, trends, and tools in finance, accounting, economics, marketing, and management—everything needed for a successful business.

Thanks to our strong liberal arts tradition, you’ll also develop key communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and other proven skills that employers value and seek in their employees. And you’ll be provided with opportunities to put our Franciscan values into action by serving others, both locally and globally.

What will you study?

Our 12-credit specialization in entrepreneurship is available for business majors who plan to earn a bachelor’s degree in marketing, management, or another business field. Beyond BUS 109, you will choose from a variety of general education, required, and elective courses, like:

• MGT 301: Foundations of Entrepreneurship
• MGT 358: Employment Law
• MGT 372: Creativity and Change 
• MKT 344: Marketing Research

MGT 301 introduces the concepts of opportunity scanning and recognition, using a variety of entrepreneurial ventures as examples for study and discussion. You’ll also complete a self-assessment to help you better understand your values, aspirations, and goals as an entrepreneur. 

What are your career paths?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that about 15 million Americans, or 10 percent of the total workforce, identified as self-employed in 2014.

Yes, being your own boss offers greater independence and flexibility—along with long hours, risk, and hard work. But if you’re passionate about bringing your ideas to fruition, being an entrepreneur may be right for you. Even if your business concept never becomes as ubiquitous as Uber, some experts believe there is a lot of opportunity in today’s global market.

According to a March 2018 report by Inc.com, for example, the next wave of opportunities for entrepreneurs includes products, services, and goods like these.

• Disaster relief: Natural and manmade emergencies around the globe are causing increased demand for services.
• Alternative-protein food products: Consumers want great-tasting food from nontraditional sources.
• eSports: Amazon’s acquisition of Twitch and possibility the NCAA will allow collegiate gaming is driving growth.
• Influencer agents: Social media superstars who turn their Instagram followers into cash.
• Beauty technology: Integrating technology into manufacturing new, innovative beauty products.
• Canned wine: The product remains the same but the packaging is gaining popularity.
• Elder care: The number of aging Baby Boomers needing care will grow by 42 percent through 2022.
• Women’s reproductive healthcare: Fertility-tracking apps and services were worth between $3 and $4 billion in 2015.