Entrepreneurship minor now offered for business and non-business students
Students scheduling for classes this spring may want to keep in mind that a new minor in entrepreneurship will be offered in the fall semester of 2010 and, considering the continuing economic state, ask themselves whether they can afford not to.
Both business and non-business majors at the University of Indianapolis have been enquiring about the creation of an entrepreneurship minor and, with the encouragement of Stanley Osweiler, instructor of marketing and entrepreneurship, the addendum passed the final phase of approval in December. The program will offer two separate entrepreneurship minors for business and non-business majors.
“More and more students, both business majors and non-business majors, have approached me with the following kind of request: one, it’s becoming more and more apparent to me, the student, largely because of the economic environment, that I should prepare myself perhaps to depend upon my own devices when I graduate,”
Osweiler said. “Out of that grew the request whether it was possible for me, the student, to take some entrepreneurship courses to learn about business planning and funding business operations.”
The business department already offers an entrepreneurship major, and the minors draw upon pre-existing courses. Courses deal strictly with conceiving of a business idea and developing an operational business plan, as well as how to find funding for this business idea. A practicum also offers students the opportunity to work with three separate types of companies—a for-profit manufacturer, a for-profit service provider and a not-for-profit organization of some kind.
“Entrepreneurship programs in general are growing at an incredibly rapid rate throughout the country,” Osweiler said.
Junior Keith Smith believes that this addition is long overdue.
“For a school of business not to have an entrepreneurship minor is kind of silly, and I’m glad they decided to add it,” Smith said. “I thought it would be a good idea to add it to my repertoire since I have some extra credits to fulfill in my last year here. I would much rather obtain another minor than take ‘filler’ classes. I’m interested because at some point of my life I would like to own my own health and fitness facility and this minor will be a good foundation.”
Junior Kendra Geiger also cited the current economy as motivation for adding the new minor.
“There is always a possibility that with the way the economy is that people may not just give you a job; you may have to become a self-starter and create your own job,” Geiger said.
Osweiler assures all who add this minor that it will prove beneficial.
“When students exit the university, particularly business majors, whether or not they end up owning their own business or going to work in a corporation, learning the business plan process is an incredibly valuable skill to develop,” Osweiler said.
Geiger agreed.
““Corporations are constantly revamping their business plans, and if you are someone who has had experience in creating business plans, it is highly likely that you will be hired/promoted because of this,” Geiger said. “Corporations need people who understand business plans.”
