Innovation and Entrepreneurship

This foundational course introduces creative ideas, an entrepreneurial mindset, and a team approach to problem-solving. Throughout the semester, students will learn the technical, business, artistic, writing and speaking skills necessary to promote innovation. Students will apply models of innovation to develop and ptich their own original ideas.

This course offers an immersive experience in Design Thinking as a tool for innovative ideas and strategy development. Design Thinking draws on methods from engineering and design, and combines them with ideas from the arts, tools from the social sciences, and insights from the business world. Students will complete readings and independent activities that support collaborative group work. Student teams start in the field, where they discover the needs of the target audience with a real world problem. Then then iterate ideas to develop a range of promising possible solutions (product or service or system), create rough prototypes to take back out into the field, and test with real people in the target audience. The course culminates with a public pitch contest. Typically taken in the sophomore year. Normally offered in the fall and spring.

First-hand experience working in startups, businesses or nonprofits alongside innovators, entrepreneurs and intrpreneurs. The students will work with the director of the program to arrange the internship. Typically completed in the junior year. No Pass/Fail. Prerequisite: INNOV-2000 and junior standing or permission of the program chair.

Students will develop a project that corresponds with their career goals. Examples could include innovating new processes and policies, reimagining existing structures and paradigms, and developing new businesses and startups. The course culminates with a public pitch or presentation. Students will process and refect upon this experience with other students in the corequisite INNOV-4990 Capstone. Typically completed in the senior year. No Pass/Fail. Prerequisite: Senior standing and permission of the program chair. Corequisite: INNOV-4990

This is a course taken as part of the signature work (INNOV-4980:Final Project) done by students at the end of their degree program. Students will acquire fundamental knowledge to establish a startup, business or nonprofit including how to identify necessary financial, legal, and human resources. Students will connnect their previous learning in the Archway Curriculum, both in their liberal arts and Innovation and Entrepreneurship major, with the Final Project. They will engage in discourse with other students about their work and prepare for the next stage of their career. No Pass/Fail. Prerequisite: Senior standing and permission of the program chair. Corequisite: INNOV-4980.