Launch Your Dream Business, or Join Austin’s Exciting Startup Community
Entrepreneurship majors at St. Edward’s become strategic innovators and learn from the best in one of the country’s top cities for starting a business.
In our Entrepreneurship degree program, you’ll develop a solid foundation in finance, accounting and marketing while learning how to identify market opportunities and create a new product, service or venture. You’ll study design thinking, social entrepreneurship, and sustainable and ethical business strategies that resonate with your values. The resilience, creativity and strategic thinking that you gain will serve you in any work environment.
Why earn your Entrepreneurship degree at St. Edward’s?
Whether you want to get in on the ground floor at an Austin startup — or turn your dream company into reality, one thing is certain: The advantages of your St. Edward’s education will prepare you to succeed. You’ll find opportunities in and outside the classroom to learn, give back and achieve your goals. And your mentors will support you every step of the way.
Build relationships with your professors
Learn in small classes taught by award-winning professors with a wealth of business expertise. They’ll get to know you, help you identify and focus on your goals, and provide guidance and insight during and after your college years. They’ll leverage their experience — and connections — to help you build your network.
Join a vibrant, like-minded community
Collaborate with and support fellow students who, like you, aim to make their mark in the business world. Get involved in student organizations on campus that inspire up-and-coming entrepreneurs. Meet local innovators, learn leadership skills, pitch your startup ideas and volunteer at Austin events.
Reap the Rewards of Austin
Austin is one of the fastest-growing technology and entrepreneurship hubs in the U.S. Take advantage of the many partnerships between The Bill Munday School of Business and Austin entities like Capital Factory, Austin Startup Crawl and Impact Hub Austin. You’ll have no shortage of opportunities to network with experienced entrepreneurs who want to contribute to the greater good.
What do our graduates do?
Entrepreneurship majors graduate with a strong foundation in critical thinking. They are prepared to join organizations in leadership roles or start their own businesses. Job titles our graduates can take on include:
- Startup Founder
- Founding Team Member
- Product Manager
- Program Manager
- Business Consultant
- Sales Representative
Alumni Success Story
Wes Hurt ’05 launched Hey Cupcake! — one of Austin’s most successful food trailers — in 2007. After expanding to six locations, Hurt sold his majority stake in the business in 2014. Struggling with addiction, he needed to switch gears and focus on getting clean. His current venture, CLEAN Cause, reflects his new commitment to helping others overcome addiction. CLEAN Cause is a purified water and energy drink company that provides jobs and support for recovering addicts. At the 2017 Business Plan Competition, Hurt received the first-ever Entrepreneur of the Year award, presented by the Student Entrepreneurship Club.
Explore More Details About the BBA in Entrepreneurship
Degree Plan
Major Requirements:
The BBA in Entrepreneurship requires 66-67 hours of major coursework.
General Education Requirements:
All majors require 44 hours of general education that students complete over four years, in addition to their major courses.
A few examples of the Entrepreneurship courses students take:
- Entrepreneurial and Design Thinking – Learn methods used by entrepreneurs to identify needs, apply design thinking and propose solutions in order to create successful business models.
- New Venture Creation – Approach business plan development with both the Lean Startup and traditional frameworks, and experience working in teams to create a business plan that you pitch to an investor.
- Special Topics in Entrepreneurship – Gain the skills to succeed in your entrepreneurial venture. Topics to include international entrepreneurship, challenges for small and family businesses, social enterprise and new venture funding.
Austin is the ideal place to study entrepreneurship, and St. Edward’s encourages you to take advantage of networking events, internships and volunteer opportunities at showpiece events like the South by Southwest Conference and Festivals. But you’ll have opportunities to learn by doing on campus, too, through student organizations, pitch competitions and talks by visiting professionals.
Experiential Education
Your classes will send you into the community to research and create potential businesses.
- New Venture Creation – You’ll interview local entrepreneurs and work with a local startup entrepreneurial entity.
- Social Responsibility of Business – You’ll participate in a service activity in the community and write a paper about the experience. You’ll also work in a team to create a new product or service for a company that will meet a social need for an underserved community.
- Entrepreneurial Practicum – You’ll focus on starting up a venture that serves the community and is based on strong social justice values. The course requires extensive interaction with potential customers and stakeholders to research the market for your business and determine how you would sustain it.
Student Organizations
The Student Entrepreneurship Club attracts innovation-minded members from all majors. Meet local entrepreneurs, learn leadership skills, volunteer at Austin events and support fellow students’ startups.
Develop your startup ideas with the help of a professional mentor and practice pitching them at 3-Day Startup, the iChallenge Pitch Competition and the Business Plan Pitch Competition.
Participate or volunteer at the annual ATX Hack for Change, in which teams spend a weekend developing technology-based solutions to city- and community-wide problems.
Top students are invited to join Sigma Nu Tau, the entrepreneurship honor society.
Internships
The Bill Munday School of Business has partnerships with Austin organizations that will immerse you in the city’s exciting startup culture:
- Capital Factory, an incubator, coworking space and event center for all things entrepreneurial.
- Austin Startup Crawl is a showcase of technology and entrepreneurship at multiple downtown locations during the South by Southwest Conference and Festivals.
- Impact Hub Austin offers programs blending business and social good.
Students can also volunteer at the South by Southwest Conference and Festivals (SXSW) and attend meetups at venues like Capital Factory practically every night of the week.
In addition, Entrepreneurship majors have interned at the following organizations:
- C3Nami, a digital marketing agency
- Orange Coworking
- On Vinyl Media, a digital music aggregator promoting local Austin music
Students from any major at St. Edward's University can minor in Entrepreneurship to enhance their business knowledge and skills in new venture creation.
Required Courses:
- Intro to Entrepreneurship – ENTR 2301
- Entrepreneurial and Design Thinking – ENTR 3392
- Entrepreneurial Accounting and Finance – ENTR 3380
- Entrepreneurship Practicum –ENTR 4391
- Financial Accounting – ACCT 2301
Electives (Choose 1):
- Technology Entrepreneurship – ENTR 4388
- Special Entrepreneurship Topics – ENTR 3399
- Entrepreneurial Management – ENTR 3393
- New Product/Services Design – ENTR 4382
- Social Media Marketing – MKTG 3335
- Digital Marketing and Analytics – MKTG 4342
- Digital Law – BDMM 4330
- Managerial Accounting – ACCT 2303
Total Hours: 15 credits for business majors; 18 credits for non-business majors.
(Principles of Accounting is a required course for the minor.)
Are you a current student? Contact your advisor for the next steps in declaring your major or minor.
Our Entrepreneurship faculty members work closely with Austin business leaders and local co-working communities to bring expertise to the classroom. Capital Factory, TechStars, Impact Hub Austin and SKU have collaborated with The Bill Munday School of Business to support Entrepreneurship students.
Faculty members also have affiliations with a variety of professional organizations, including the American Marketing Association, Austin Technology Council and United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
Earn Two Degrees in Five Years
With our Accelerated Graduate Pathways, you can complete your BBA in Entrepreneurship and master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) in as little as five years, saving time and money. See details and requirements.
Success coaches and academic advisors guide you through undergraduate and graduate courses to maximize benefits.