Open: NCIIA 14th Annual Conference

This session reports on an innovative entrepreneurship curriculum designed to facilitate the actual implementation of student business ventures as part of a core entrepreneurial curriculum across disciplines. The capstone experience in many university entrepreneurial programs revolves around the development and review of business plans in courses or competitions. This curriculum was created to emphasize implementation over planning. The courses are housed under the Center for Innovation at the Metropolitan State College of Denver. Beginning with a freshmen-level creative problem-solving course, students identify business ideas and build on them throughout the course sequence. Winners of a college business plan competition receive the right to launch their start-ups as part of the curriculum's capstone offering, a two-semester sequence entitled New Venture Creation I and II. Upon completion of this curriculum, all students can earn either a certificate or minor in entrepreneurship.