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Barney School of Business

Entrepreneurial Studies

At a Glance

The digitalization of our modern economy has fundamentally changed the options available to contemporary entrepreneurs, empowering entrepreneurship in both theory and practice. We recognize that entrepreneurship is not merely a method for upward social mobility; our role is to provide experiential learning opportunities so students can become comfortable with the process.

Full Time
Rolling Admission

Degrees Offered

Total Credits

Bachelor of Science

120

Minor

12

Overview

Entrepreneurship instills a system-based perspective of business in contrast to traditional business curriculum that typically stays within the scope of a functional area. The entrepreneur must create the system being aware of all parts such as marketing, accounting, finance, supply chain logistics, among others.

About the Major

Student is talking in the trading lab

This program combines an interdisciplinary curriculum structured to facilitate hands on involvement with firm operations. Students will we weave together concepts from cognition, psychology, strategy, organizational theory, supply chain logistics, law, micro-economics, and accounting.

The core skillset that we teach draws a line through the following dots:

  • Theoretical awareness as correlated with the ability to define an abstract market
  • Strategic architecture and competitive positioning correlated with the ability to envision a firm’s future operations
  • Operational understanding correlated with the ability to solve problems when in the field
  • Financial awareness correlated with the ability to understand the impact of one’s actions when in the field

Degree Requirements

The program combines core classes, specialized courses, electives, and an internship. You will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

For course descriptions and complete list of requirements, visit our course catalog.

Featured Entrepreneurship Courses

MGT 282 - Small Business Practicum: Experiencing 1-on-1 live-client interactions as part of a firm diagnostic exercise with a real local business as facility by our partnership with Upper Albany; and to mimic the consultancy experience, the course pays you $20.00 per hour for a 5-hour work week.


ENT 314 - Principles of Entrepreneurship: Developing one’s own commercialization strategy alongside its financial rendering to then engage the alumni in an in-person presentation


ENT 414 - Seminar in Entrepreneurship: Understanding group dynamics and operational decision-making in two environments: (1) engage a live-client as a consulting team to scope a project, diagnose the firm, and offer strategic recommendations, and (2) engage business operations and strategic decisions while running a simulated business unit.


FIN 484 - Financing a Small Business: Develop acumen with financial tools to assess the value of a business and to better evaluation strategic options.

Career Outlook

The majority of new job openings in the United States today are in small businesses, and most successful business leaders have strong entrepreneurial skills. But you won’t be limited to starting your own business. An Entrepreneurial Studies major will also prepare you for careers as managers, consultants, advisors, and many others.

About the Minor

We also offer an Entrepreneurial Studies minor. Visit our course catalog for specific requirements for Barney students and non-Barney students.

The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Innovators Group

The Innovators Group (IG) is a student-club that leverages the power of collaboration and strategic alliances. One prime example is the working relationship developed between IG and UHart’s FSAE Racing Team.  This relationship is growing in real-time:
  • Developing the business plan presentation worth 1/8th of all racing competition points
  • Overseeing the fundraising effort via the sale of ads on the car

Alison Ho '24

Entrepreneurial Studies Major, Project Management Minor,

Alison credits Barney, as well as the Career Studio, to having a significant impact on her professional career. Access to the abundance of career ready events helped Alison to land a position at Nassau Financial Group during the Summer of 2022 as their Human Resources Intern. Her experience at Nassau was nothing short of amazing. She was able to practice real-world recruitment, administrative and interpersonal skills within this program. Read more.

“Building meaningful relationships and connections with those you work with is just as important as your work product. A lot of times during your first internship or work opportunity, you focus your time and effort on accomplishing tasks and being productive. You might even feel shy at first coming in as a new hire but coming out of your shell and introducing yourself to everyone in the office is what will make a lasting impression, and even benefit you in the future.”

Admissions

Applications for admission are considered on a "rolling basis." We look forward to welcoming you to Barney!

Above: Four Winners and Professor Oksoy

Barney Business Plan Competition Congratulates Four Winners

The event had record-breaking participation for the 21 years that it's been running, with 56 students developing plans and presenting them at the initial competition on Dec. 1, 2024. Not only were Barney students a part of this, but it also spanned across the University with students from CETA, ENHP, Arts & Sciences, HAS, and Hartt.

Learn more

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