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Business School Offers New Entrepreneurship Option for Undergrads

Students aiming to become successful entrepreneurs have a new academic option at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  The School of Business now offers students the opportunity to pursue a concentration in entrepreneurship within its undergraduate major in management and human resources.

"More and more of our highly qualified undergraduate students were requesting this opportunity," said Randall B. Dunham, chair of the Department of Management and  Human Resources. "Employers have been emphasizing the value of entrepreneurship training even for employees of traditional firms. We have an entrepreneurship faculty that is one of the best in the country; we are delighted to add to our portfolio of options for undergraduate business majors." 

The program is designed to offer training to students who may be interested in launching a business while in school, immediately following graduation, or later in their careers. The program will also provide training to students who wish to work in an existing small business, family business or startup, as well as those students who may provide services to startups, or provide services such as management consulting.

The new option has an enrollment limit with an admission process. For the current academic year, only a small group of students with junior standing were eligible to apply. Coursework will begin in fall 2007 and will integrate theory and practice. Students will meet with business professionals involved in entrepreneurship including entrepreneurs, lawyers, and venture capitalists. They'll also learn how to write business plans for local businesses, their own business ideas and for business plan competitions.

Assistant Professor Jon Eckhardt, the primary architect of the program added, "Similar to our successful MBA program in entrepreneurship, the overall goal of the new undergraduate option is to provide training, life experiences and mentors to facilitate the entrepreneurial aspirations of our students."