Entrepreneurship and Innovation (E&I) Minor

24 credits

The highly experiential Entrepreneurship and Innovation minor offers an interdisciplinary education spurring remarkable transformation, agency and growth for all students personally and professionally. We believe entrepreneurship and innovation is for everyone: all majors, ages, geographical areas and cultures. Together we create accelerated growth, excitement with students, and practical lifelong learning skills. We also believe that entrepreneurs, innovators and changemakers are essential to addressing our world's most pressing challenges as we move into the future.

Students learn customer discovery, venture/business modeling to identify needs, generate opportunities and link people and resources together for practical and innovative solutions. Students will experience entrepreneurship in a variety of contexts including non-for profit, social enterprise and commercial purposes.

Why Consider an Entrepreneurship and Innovation Minor?

The Entrepreneurship and Innovation minor provides a diverse community to discover your passions and focus with purpose into your professional life. We hold that entrepreneurship and innovation are skills that can be taught to everyone who is eager to learn. The minor empowers students to integrate entrepreneurship and innovation with their major areas of study, creating a powerful combination for success in the professional world. While the minor is highly useful for those desiring to start and grow their own ventures, it is also valuable for those who desire to be intrapreneurs and drive innovative change inside existing organizations. With options for a focus on leadership or founders tracks; students experiment and gain the specific knowledge and skills related to their interests.

With its interdisciplinary approach, the minor enhances every student's potential. Everyone can be entrepreneurial and innovative regardless of their chosen paths from founding new ventures to being entrepreneurial innovative small business, corporate, nonprofit and governmental leaders.

How to Declare

Students must complete four credits of ENTR 246 with an average grade of 2.50 or higher, and fill out Academic Declaration and Change Form. Open to all WWU students.

Grade Requirements

• A grade of C- or better is required for a student's major or minor courses, and supporting courses for majors and minors.
• A GPA of 2.50 or above is required in courses for the minor.

Required Core Courses (12 credits)

• ENTR 246 Entrepreneurship and Innovation Foundations
• ENTR 346 Intermediate Entrepreneurship and Innovation Experience
• ENTR 446 Advanced Entrepreneurship and Innovation Experience

Elective Courses

• Must complete a minimum of 12 elective credits from the following list:
• ENTR 398 Entrepreneurship and Innovation Practicum (variable topics and credits and repeatable up to 12 credits)
• ENTR 498 Advanced Entrepreneurship and Innovation Practicum (variable topics and credits repeatable up to 12 credits)
• MGMT 417 Social Entrepreneurship (4 credits, typically cross listed with ENTR 398, Social Entrepreneurship)
• MGMT 481 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Work (4 credits)
• MGMT 491 Small Business Entrepreneurship (4 credits, typically cross listed with ENTR 398, Small Business Entrepreneurship)
• MGMT 492 Entrepreneurial Problems (4 credits, typically cross listed with ENTR 498, Entrepreneurial Problems)

NOTES:

Independent studies may potentially substitute for courses above with Director permission.
MGMT 491 and MGMT 492 may only be count once toward the minor's total requirements.

Certificate Options if Completing the Minor

Students may earn and be awarded both the FOREST Certificate (XU03) and the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Minor (XU01). Students may not earn nor be awarded both the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Certificate (XU02) and the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Minor (XU01). These certificates serve different purposes and while FOREST differs significantly due to requiring significant RECR credits, the E&I Certificate overlaps significantly with the E&I Minor, with the minor requiring more advanced study. This restriction avoids creating issues with significant overlapping content and non-constructive double counting of courses.