Learn about entrepreneurship practice, not theory.
An entrepreneur is more than someone who is able to establish and operate a business venture. The entrepreneur operates at the heart of the process of disrupting status quo and creating new markets.
The entrepreneur possesses the ability to turn ideas into action. This requires creativity, intuition, passion and risk-taking, as well as the skills to plan and manage projects and work with collaborators and teams, in order to achieve objectives.
An entrepreneurial mindset provides individuals the confidence to navigate day-to-day life in innovative ways and makes employees more aware of the context of their work and better able to seize opportunities.
This is not unlike the processes that designers, visual and performing artists engage every day. We like to refer to the entrepreneur as a business artist.
Courses
VCUarts offers four courses that provide the groundwork for the practice of entrepreneurship, emphasizing creative and design methodologies. Undergraduate majors may enroll in any of these courses independently, or apply for admission into the undergraduate certificate program in Venture Creation for a deeper grounding in entrepreneurship and business development.
Semester course. 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Examines the contribution of creative ideas to the world economy with a focus on where, how and why creative ideas are produced and consumed.
Semester course. 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Introduces the language of the creative enterprise, focusing on intellectual property, contracts and negotiations, tracking business performance and using financial data to improve decision-making.
Semester course. 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Exposes students to the processes and methodologies used to transform ideas and opportunities into sustainable business models. Students evaluate business case studies, engage industry professionals and investigate the commercial potential of their creative ideas.
Semester course. 3 credits. 2 lecture and 3 studio hours. Provides a low-risk educational environment for students to develop their own ventures, including a product/service business model, legal considerations, financial and marketing plans and media presence (web, mobile, social). Students work with a network of mentors from the university and industry. Course may be repeated for up to 6 credits.