Entrepreneurship

Director: Fiona Ji

The entrepreneurship minor provides students interested in either starting a business or working at a startup the opportunity to explore that career path and acquire the skills to succeed. Students completing the minor should develop an understanding of the venture creation process, including generating and developing a new business concept, applying analytical tools to identify and evaluate entrepreneurial opportunities, creating and evaluating a business plan, and analyzing different funding sources for a new venture. A critical element of the program is an internship with an emerging for-profit or social-benefit organization.

The entrepreneurship minor is open to all students through an application process administered by the Management and Entrepreneurship Department. F-1 international students are advised to consult with International Students and Scholars in the Global Engagement Office before applying to ensure they meet the government immigration requirements for academic internships due to the internship requirement. Accepted business school students can begin the minor after earning 60 units. For students outside the business school, prerequisites for the core courses should ideally be completed in the sophomore year. Students in the entrepreneurship minor are required to engage in at least one non-course program hosted by the Ciocca Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Requirements for the Minor

Students must complete the following requirements for a minor in international business:

  • MGMT 164. Introduction to Entrepreneurship (prerequisites: ACTG 11 or ACTG 11A)
  • MGMT 165. Building a New Business (prerequisite: MGMT 164)
  • MGMT 198E. Internship in Entrepreneurship* (pre- or corequisite: MGMT 165)

Two courses from the following list:

BUSN 197. Business/Engineering Project Collaboration

ECON 129. Economic Development

ECON 185. Economics of Innovation and Intellectual Property

ENVS 145. Environmental Technology

ENVS 148. Solar Revolution

FNCE 141. New Venture Finance

FNCE 143. Entrepreneurial Finance

FNCE 150. Intro to Fintech

FNCE 170. Business Valuation

MECH 144. Smart Product Design (co-requisite: MECH 144L lab)

MGMT 110: Global Microfinance for Entrepreneurial Development

MGMT 167.  Venture Capital Essentials

MGMT 172. Social Entrepreneurship or HRNS 120A. Entrepreneurship for Social Justice

MGMT 177/ENGR 161 Globalization and Cultures of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

MKTG 175. Internet Marketing

MKTG 177. Social Media Marketing

MKTG 182. Marketing Analysis

MKTG 187. Innovation and New Product Marketing

PHSC 157. Social Innovation in Public Health

SOCI 130. Design Thinking for Sustainable Social Justice

SOCI 150. Immigrant Businesses in the United States

SOCI 172/PHSC 172. Management of Health Care Organizations

*The internship must run concurrently with the course, and students cannot use past experiences toward credit in this course.

At least one non-course program requirement from the following*:

  • IdeaLab
  • BVA Cafe Events
  • Ciocca Center field trip event
  • Demo Day

IdeaLab

Idea Lab is a one-day, hands-on Saturday workshop offered every quarter that helps students learn entrepreneurial skills such as turning their ideas into compelling stories and confident pitches, and applying design thinking.  Students who complete the workshop will receive a digital certificate of completion.

BVA Cafe Events 

Bronco Ventures Networking Nights are monthly events designed to help students build one of the most important assets in entrepreneurship (and in life) - your network. These gatherings are open to the Silicon Valley community and hosted by Bronco Ventures at SCU. Held on the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm in Lucas Hall, these events are casual, welcoming, and beginner-friendly. Expect food, relaxed conversations, and the chance to connect with entrepreneurs, mentors, investors, faculty, and fellow undergraduate and graduate students. Whether you are exploring entrepreneurship, building a startup, or just curious about the world of innovation, these events are a great way to meet people, learn from real-world experiences, and grow your professional network.

Ciocca Center field trip event

Periodically, the Ciocca Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship hosts a “field trip” to an event that is relevant to entrepreneurs. Past trips have included events such as the Plug and Play Conference and the San Francisco Startup World Cup.

Demo Day 

Bronco Ventures Demo Day features a Shark Tank–style pitch event showcasing the latest ventures from the Bronco Ventures Accelerator (BVA), founded by SCU students, alumni, and faculty. At the event, you will watch founders pitch their startups in fast, two-minute presentations to Silicon Valley investors. Past BVA founders have collectively raised over $100 million from angel investors, venture capital firms, and the Bronco Venture Fund. Following the event, students will be required to write a reflection from an investor's perspective, analyzing the startups they observed and evaluating them against investment criteria such as team strength, problem–solution fit, scalability, and overall risk-return potential. Demo Day also concludes with a networking reception, giving students the opportunity to connect directly with founders, investors, and members of the SCU entrepreneurship community. Must attend and write a reflection.

* Attendance at Ciocca Center events must be confirmed by Ciocca staff and communicated to the director of the minor to satisfy this requirement.