New Courses Broaden Access to Entrepreneurship Education at NC State

At NC State, Anyone Can Be An Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurship classes designed specifically for non-business majors are now available from the Department of Management, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship. MIE 209: Survey of Entrepreneurship and MIE 309: Entrepreneurship Skills for Non-Majors are currently offered as electives in the Spring 2024 semester, and are slated for general education course credit in Fall 2024.

Entrepreneurship is not just about starting businesses. Entrepreneurship is learning to think about how to create value and that is useful in whatever career students choose. Employees in a large corporate firm or small boutique startup benefit from skills that help them identify ways to create value, explore how to do it and then make it happen.

Unlocking the entrepreneurial mindset enables students for a lifetime of success in any industry.

Fold Entrepreneurship into Your Academic Career

Building an entrepreneurial-mindset at NC State is enhanced through classroom engagement. Students across all academic disciplines have the opportunity to explore entrepreneurship through education.

MIE 209: Survey of Entrepreneurship 

The course introduces non-Poole College students to entrepreneurship, both its history and contemporary applications. This course will provide a base upon which students can become informed about the competencies that entrepreneurs need to develop, how entrepreneurs approach identifying, exploring, and implementing ideas, as well as the career path of entrepreneurs both pre- and post-graduation.

• Identify and describe the different career paths related to entrepreneurship, including opportunities in small businesses, startups, social enterprises, and corporate innovation.
• Describe and employ the competencies necessary for successful entrepreneurship, including creativity, critical thinking, risk management, leadership, and financial literacy.
• Analyze entrepreneurial cases to understand how decisions were made and how opportunities evolved over time, using relevant frameworks and concepts to evaluate the strategies, challenges, and outcomes of real-world entrepreneurial ventures.

MIE 309: Entrepreneurship Skills for Non-Majors

The course introduces non-Poole College students to the contemporary entrepreneurship world, including essential entrepreneurship skills, principles of marketing, accounting, economics, finance, market research, opportunity identification and exploration, and opportunity implementation. This course will provide foundational concepts in the above areas and will help students to develop needed skills related to budgeting and finance, applications of technology, effective communications, leadership and teamwork and risk assessment.

• Students will be able to demonstrate effective communication and interpersonal skills through an individual presentation, during which they pitch their competencies to mock employers and investors and receive feedback on their abilities and communication style.
• Students will be able to identify and describe key elements of a venture’s life cycle.
• Students will be able to apply proven management strategies and ethical principles to a realistic business scenario during an in-class simulation exercise, demonstrating decision-making and problem-solving skills.
• Students will develop a comprehensive entrepreneurship skills portfolio that includes evidence of their ability to engage in marketing, budgeting, finance, and human resource management-related activities.

Questions about these courses? Contact Jeffrey Pollack, the Lynn T. Clark II Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship.