Entrepreneurship and Innovation Minor

The entrepreneurship and innovation minor will teach you how to think like an entrepreneur and creative innovator. There is no expectation that you’ll have your own startup ideas or that you want to become a business founder; the minor is not exclusively about ideation or the practical aspects of starting a company. Instead, it offers a more general approach to stimulate entrepreneurial thinking and problem solving. This minor is also useful for those interested in becoming intrapreneurs and looking to learn how to apply an entrepreneurial approach to drive innovation in a corporate setting.

With this minor, you’ll prepare for careers that include:

Capitalizing on opportunities through the creation of new businesses
Working within startups or large innovative firms
Participating in initiatives to address social and environmental issues
Contributing to entrepreneurial ecosystems through consulting, finance, accounting, law, and policy

Eligibility

All Cornell undergraduates except students enrolled in Dyson. Students are eligible to sign up for the minor as early as their first year and no later than their sixth semester.

Academic Policies

All courses must be taken for a letter grade and a grade of a C or better is required.

Required Credits

This minor requires 17 credits to complete, all of which are core credits.

Recommended foundational coursework

Introductory courses in foundational subjects such as microeconomics, accounting, finance, management, marketing, and operations can be helpful in preparing for this minor. While there are no required prerequisites to begin the minor, some courses within the minor may require a specific prerequisite course, so be sure to plan ahead.

Core Requirements

This minor requires coursework in four areas: 1) perspectives, 2) teams and people, 3) entrepreneurship in practice, and 4) guided exploration. It’s recommended that you take the course requirements in sequence (areas 1 through 4) to the extent possible.

A letter grade of a C or better is required for all courses. Substitutions are not allowed for areas 1 through 3. Courses may not be double counted across categories.

Perspectives (3 credits)

The following course is required:

AEM 2220 - Foundational Perspectives and Contemporary Issues in Entrepreneurship

Teams and People (2 credits)

2 credits are required. These courses will provide you with theories and frameworks for leading and working in teams.
Credits earned in excess of the 2 required in this category may NOT be applied to the required 9 credits of guided exploration.

Entrepreneurship in practice (3 credits)

3 credits are required. These experiential courses require you to work in a team to explore an opportunity, do customer development, create a business, and deliver a written and oral presentation. Up to 4 credits earned in excess of the required entrepreneurship in practice courses may be used toward the guided exploration credits.

Guided Exploration (9 credits)

9 credits from the list below are required. You may find the three categories helpful in selecting courses about entrepreneurship and innovation in different industries and organizational settings and to align with your post-graduation plans.

Up to 4 excess credits from the entrepreneurship in practice requirements may be applied to guided exploration.

If you wish to count a course not listed below, you can submit a substitution petition. Only courses that relate to entrepreneurship and innovation in a non-trivial sense will be considered. Petitions must be submitted for approval PRIOR to taking the course and only 1 substitution is allowed.

Office of the University Registrar