This is the first version of the 2024–25 General Catalog. Please check back regularly for changes. The final edition and the historical PDF will be published during the fall semester.
Undergraduate certificate: entrepreneurial management
Faculty: https://iowajpec.org/people
Website: https://iowajpec.org/entrepreneurial-management-certificate
The Tippie College of Business and the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (Iowa JPEC) offer the Certificate in Entrepreneurial Management, open to all undergraduate students across the campus. They also work with other units on campus to offer entrepreneurship programs. The Tippie College of Business and Iowa JPEC collaborate with the College of Engineering to offer the Certificate in Technological Entrepreneurship. Iowa JPEC collaborates with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to offer the BA in enterprise leadership, an interdisciplinary major that includes coursework in entrepreneurship, leadership, and communications, and the minor in media management.
Iowa JPEC and the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship offer the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial management subprogram for BBA students majoring in management. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic advisors regarding completing the BBA in entrepreneurship or the entrepreneurial management subprogram.
Undergraduate entrepreneurship academic programs at the University of Iowa are comprised of advanced applied learning courses along with several cocurricular programs to help prepare the next generation of successful innovators, entrepreneurial leaders, and business founders. The academic programs are designed to teach innovation and creativity, entrepreneurial leadership, opportunity recognition, design thinking, strategic business planning, entrepreneurial finance, entrepreneurial marketing, and professional communications. Students have several emphasis areas to choose from to complete their programs of study based on their future career interests such as technological innovation, social entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial finance, launching new ventures, corporate entrepreneurship, or general entrepreneurship. Students learn from a select group of faculty who have launched, built, and led successful organizations and have the ability to bridge theory and practice. Several of the programs are open to all University of Iowa undergraduate students. To learn more, visit the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center website.
Iowa JPEC offers a wide variety of applied learning experiences designed to develop entrepreneurial-minded problem solvers and leaders capable of quickly moving into a management position with an existing organization or successfully launching a new business venture. These programs range from team-based strategic business consulting with entrepreneurial ventures and existing small-to-medium-size businesses to professional internships with high-potential ventures and select growth organizations. For students wanting to launch a new venture while in school or expand an existing side hustle, Iowa JPEC directs a comprehensive student incubation program that includes office space, mentoring, training, and access to capital. To learn more visit Student Ventures on the Iowa JPEC website.
John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center
The John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (Iowa JPEC) is the hub for entrepreneurship education and outreach at the University of Iowa. The main office is located in the John Pappajohn Business Building. Students who would like information about undergraduate entrepreneurship-related academic programs or those interested in learning more about resources and programs to support student entrepreneurship are encouraged to stop by and visit with a staff member.
Bedell Entrepreneurship Learning Laboratory
The Bedell Entrepreneurship Learning Laboratory is an applied learning environment for University of Iowa students creating a new business. The laboratory provides dedicated office space for individual students and teams, enabling them to concentrate on developing their business concepts. Student entrepreneurs participate in the Startup Incubator, a student business acceleration program open to any student at the University of Iowa. Separate programs exist for undergraduate and graduate students. Intense Summer Tracks are also available. All business incubation and acceleration programs connect students with the resources to launch start-ups and to grow them into sustainable businesses. Participants have access to a variety of resources including collaborative workspace and equipment, workshops, training, networking, funding opportunities, and one-on-one mentoring from experienced professionals. Students also compete for capital in several campus and national pitch and business model competitions. They gain access to technical support, accounting, legal, engineering, and prototyping services, and are connected with potential investors and business partners.
Contact the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center for information or visit Startup Incubator on the center's website to apply.
Entrepreneurial Management Courses
ENTR:1010 Exploring Entrepreneurship 3 s.h.
Introduction to entrepreneurship, including identifying characteristics of the entrepreneur, evaluating opportunities, engaging in customer discovery, design thinking, feasibility, financing, and planning for success.
ENTR:1020 Business Innovation 3 s.h.
Overview of entrepreneurship, innovation, and project management concepts; work in teams with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) industry mentors to develop innovative solutions to real-world problems.
ENTR:1030 STEM Innovator 3 s.h.
Work with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) industry mentors to engage in innovation and entrepreneurship by employing conceptual understandings and practices of STEM within an entrepreneurship framework; students solve real-world STEM problems that are of interest to them and their community, acquire and demonstrate 21st-century skills working on authentic, meaningful, and cross-curricular projects; exposure to potential STEM careers and entrepreneurial pathways; preparation for success in postsecondary STEM majors, careers, and entrepreneurial ventures of the future. Requirements: enrollment in STEM Innovator program and consent of UI STEM innovator program administrators.
ENTR:1300 First-Year Seminar 1 s.h.
Small discussion class taught by a faculty member; topics chosen by instructor; may include outside activities (e.g., films, lectures, performances, readings, visits to research facilities).
ENTR:1350 Foundations in Entrepreneurship 3 s.h.
Introduction to important tools and approaches entrepreneurs and innovators utilize to identify and assess opportunities including innovation and design thinking, the business model canvas, customer discovery, and pitching ideas. Learn how entrepreneurial approaches are leveraged in different types of organizations including new ventures, small-to-medium sized businesses, large corporations, and nonprofit and social entrepreneurship organizations. Recommendations: non-business major interested in studying entrepreneurship.
ENTR:1800 Innovation in Action: Sustainability 0-1 s.h.
For businesses to successfully compete and thrive in a global marketplace, they must embrace innovation throughout their organizations, and one of the critical issues businesses face today is that of sustainability—how to most effectively acquire and utilize scarce resources while limiting their overall environmental impact; introduction to sustainability; focus on economic, social, and environmental issues facing organizations and society; project management fundamentals; students work in teams to identify a specific sustainability challenge, and prepare and present a strategic approach for addressing a sustainability problem.
ENTR:2000 Entrepreneurship and Innovation 3 s.h.
Students will learn how entrepreneurial leaders identify and evaluate opportunities, design innovative solutions, create successful business strategies, and bring sustainable products and services to the global marketplace. Topics include innovation and creativity; opportunity recognition; characteristics of entrepreneurial leaders; traditional, social, and corporate entrepreneurship; feasibility analysis; strategic business planning; design thinking; and the business model canvas. Students will learn how to apply the latest models and approaches used by entrepreneurs and existing organizations to create sustainable value and positively impact society. Corequisites: ENTR:1350.
ENTR:2800 Entrepreneurial Experience 1-3 s.h.
Applied learning course designed to enhance innovation and opportunity recognition skills, develop customer discovery expertise, and foster team-building and leadership abilities.
ENTR:3000 Practicum in Entrepreneurship 1-3 s.h.
Applied, experiential learning opportunities designed to foster development of entrepreneurial leadership skills; opportunity recognition and assessment, strategic business planning, innovation and creativity, team leadership, professional communication skills, strategy development and execution.
ENTR:3050 Professional Preparation for Enterprise Leadership and Entrepreneurship 1 s.h.
Survey of professional career paths for students studying enterprise leadership, entrepreneurial management, and entrepreneurship; support for creating professional résumés, LinkedIn profiles, and Handshake profiles; students enhance interview skills, develop a strategy for securing an internship or full-time employment, and discuss topics on successfully transitioning from college to professional world; students also expand their professional network through regular interactions with alumni, entrepreneurs, and business professionals.
ENTR:3100 Entrepreneurial Finance 3 s.h.
Understanding financial aspects of new and growing ventures; focus on preparing financial projections, analyzing financial performance, managing cash flow, and determining financial feasibility; detailed overview of various sources of capital available for start-up and growing ventures. Prerequisites: ENTR:2000 or ENTR:3350.
ENTR:3200 Entrepreneurial Marketing 3 s.h.
Practical marketing concepts for evaluating the market potential for new products, services, or business opportunities; how to obtain and evaluate market data, determine customer demand, analyze the competition, design effective promotions, develop and implement effective sales strategies, and write a successful marketing plan. Prerequisites: ENTR:2000 or ENTR:3350.
ENTR:3350 Entrepreneurial Strategy 3 s.h.
Study of entrepreneurial models and approaches utilized by entrepreneurs and organizational leaders to identify and evaluate opportunities and design innovative solutions that create economic, social, and environmental value; topics include entrepreneurial mindset, innovation and creativity, design thinking, opportunity recognition and assessment, feasibility analysis, strategic business planning, corporate entrepreneurship, and social entrepreneurship.
ENTR:3400 Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation 3 s.h.
New technology innovation and commercialization; technology innovation process, identification of commercialization strategies, feasibility analysis, intellectual property issues. Prerequisites: ENTR:2000 or ENTR:3350.
ENTR:3500 Social Entrepreneurship 3 s.h.
Introduction to the growing field of social entrepreneurship; creation of ventures with dual missions of social benefit and return on investment; issues related to evaluating market opportunities; acquiring and managing scarce resources; sustainability; maximizing social and economic value. Prerequisites: ENTR:2000 or ENTR:3350.
ENTR:3550 Commercializing New Technology I 3 s.h.
Students work in teams to identify technology-based innovation opportunities arising from the validation of market needs or problems; application of design thinking, lean methodology, and business model canvas approaches; regular interaction with alumni entrepreneurs and industry experts; conduction of customer discovery to validate assumptions and identify product-market fit; creation of a minimal viable product for further customer discovery and initial testing; first of a two-course sequence. Prerequisites: ENTR:2000 or ENTR:3350. Corequisites: (ENTR:3200 or MKTG:3000) and (ENTR:3100 or ACCT:2100). Requirements: 75 s.h. completed.
ENTR:3575 Commercializing New Technology II 3 s.h.
Creation of a formal technology commercialization plan for a university-based discovery by student teams; team assignment to alumni entrepreneurial mentors, interaction with industry experts, and engagement with potential customers and partners; preparation of a formal strategic business plan, intellectual property assessment, and pitch deck; presentation of final plans to alumni angel investors and venture capitalists; second in a two-course sequence. Prerequisites: ENTR:3550. Requirements: 60 s.h. completed.
ENTR:3595 Nonprofit Organizational Effectiveness I 3 s.h.
Operational and financial aspects of nonprofit management; mission and governance of organization; strategic planning for effective management, including finance, budget, income generation, fund-raising. Same as MGMT:3500, MUSM:3500, NURS:3595, RELS:3700, SSW:3500.
ENTR:3600 Social Media Strategies for Entrepreneurial Ventures 3 s.h.
Evaluate, plan, implement, and assess the value of social media strategies for startups and early-to-mid-stage entrepreneurial ventures; introduction to the use of Google Analytics in goal-setting and value-assessment of social media strategy; basic tactics of strategy implementation for various social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn; collaboration with Iowa entrepreneurial and social ventures to create social media strategic plans to help grow their enterprises. Prerequisites: ENTR:2000 or ENTR:3350.
ENTR:3700 Sustainable Innovation and Management 3 s.h.
Examine the sustainable strategies of entrepreneurial and innovation-based organizations as they relate to key business functions including product development, marketing, logistics, human resources, and finance; work closely with existing organizations to assess their current sustainability practices, prepare plans for enhancing sustainable efforts, and then assist with the implementation and assessment of those initiatives designed to positively impact the organization, community, and environment. Prerequisites: ENTR:2000 or ENTR:3350 or MKTG:3000. Requirements: 60 s.h. earned.
ENTR:3800 Entrepreneurial Leadership Academy I 3 s.h.
Exposure to latest research and techniques in leading entrepreneurial organizations; students learn how to successfully manage innovation based projects and engage with entrepreneurial leaders and business experts to understand how they utilize entrepreneurial approaches to launch and lead high potential entrepreneurial ventures; first of a two-course sequence. Prerequisites: MGMT:2100 or ENTR:2000 or ENTR:3350. Requirements: declared management and entrepreneurship major or enterprise leadership major, and 75 s.h. completed. Same as MGMT:3800.
ENTR:3850 Entrepreneurial Leadership Academy II 3 s.h.
Students work in teams to provide advanced strategic management consulting services to entrepreneurial ventures, corporations, and select nonprofit organizations; students work directly with C-level executives on projects and receive mentoring from faculty who have built and led successful organizations; teams are responsible for developing innovative strategies to address significant challenges facing clients; second of a two-course sequence. Prerequisites: MGMT:3800 or ENTR:3800. Same as MGMT:3850.
ENTR:4000 Topics in Entrepreneurship 1-3 s.h.
Current topics in entrepreneurship. Prerequisites: ENTR:2000 or ENTR:3350.
ENTR:4050 Directed Readings in Entrepreneurship arr.
Independent study; topics and assignments approved by instructor.
ENTR:4100 International Entrepreneurship, Culture, and Social Impact 1-3 s.h.
International entrepreneurship and business strategy, foreign exchange, tariffs and trade, microfinance, economic conditions, and culture of destination countries; students travel abroad or utilize distance technology to complete real-world projects with international entrepreneurs and business leaders; group projects focus on evaluating entrepreneurial opportunities, identifying sustainable growth strategies, incorporating innovation throughout the organization, and understanding international business culture. Prerequisites: ENTR:2000 or ENTR:3350. Requirements: junior standing.
ENTR:4200 Entrepreneurship: Business Consulting 3 s.h.
Students provide strategic business consulting services to new entrepreneurial ventures, existing small-to-medium size enterprises, and select social/nonprofit organizations; real world application of project consulting process including proposal development, data collection and analysis, leading and working in interdisciplinary teams, professional communications with clients, developing actionable business strategies, preparing formal written and oral reports; projects may include market research and competitive analysis, financial analysis and modeling, and strategic growth planning; opportunities to complete international projects. Prerequisites: (ENTR:2000 or ENTR:3350 or MGMT:2100) and (ENTR:3200 or MKTG:3000). Requirements: 60 s.h. completed.
ENTR:4300 Launching an Entrepreneurial Venture arr.
Work on the launch of an entrepreneurial venture; students are expected to have a concept that they have vetted and be seriously considering starting a new business or focused on growing an existing business they have recently launched; focus on strategic business planning, building a management team, developing growth strategies, capital acquisition, and presenting the plan.
ENTR:4400 Managing the Growth Business 3 s.h.
Practical experience in leading and running a business from startup to maturity in an interactive, competitive simulation that incorporates strategic planning, entrepreneurial mindset, and conscious capitalism; learn and practice critical thinking skills, teamwork, leadership, and collaboration with others to create and build a company; development of new products, what markets to enter, how to finance growth and be prepared to pivot to changing environments; application of operations, marketing, and financial strategies to make data driven decisions and see immediate results and consequences. Prerequisites: ENTR:2000 or ENTR:3350. Requirements: 75 s.h. earned.
ENTR:4460 Entrepreneurship and Global Trade 3 s.h.
Complex issues of business operations in a global economy; trade transactions related to importing and exporting, logistics, and ethical issues in international trade; global business management, global marketing, global supply chain management, and trade finance; preparation for work in global marketplace and for the Certified Global Business Professional certification exam offered by the North American Small Business International Trade Educators. Prerequisites: ENTR:2000 or ENTR:3350 or GEOG:2910.
ENTR:4510 Arts Leadership Seminar 3 s.h.
Performing arts management and administrative principles, practical applications, trends in arts leadership and advocacy. Same as INTD:4510, THTR:4510.
ENTR:4610 Advanced Venture Finance 3 s.h.
Examination of sources of financing available to emerging and high potential ventures including angel investing, venture capital, state and federal funding programs, and public offerings; various business valuation methods; due diligence process; how to develop and evaluate term sheets. Prerequisites: (ENTR:2000 or ENTR:3350) and (ENTR:3100 or FIN:3000).
ENTR:4650 Applied Venture Finance 3 s.h.
Students work directly with early stage and high potential, scalable entrepreneurial ventures seeking assistance with financial modeling and capital acquisition; connectivity to experienced entrepreneurship faculty, C-level alumni mentors, and successful entrepreneurs who have raised equity capital; students experience first-hand the process of raising capital for a business venture. Prerequisites: ENTR:4610.
ENTR:4900 Academic Internship arr.
Professional internship experience with academic credit (e.g., paper, coursework).
ENTR:4999 Honors Thesis in Entrepreneurial Studies arr.
Independent study project directed by a faculty member or staff advisor, and culminating in a thesis that conforms to University of Iowa Honors Program guidelines; project includes empirical research, library research, applied projects. Requirements: honors standing, UI GPA of at least 3.50, and enterprise leadership GPA of 3.50.
ENTR:9100 Entrepreneurship and Innovation 3 s.h.
Entrepreneurial process from ideation to commercialization of innovations for new ventures, existing businesses, and nonprofit organizations; topics include innovation and creativity, opportunity recognition and assessment, venture screening, business modeling, resource identification and acquisition, entrepreneurial leadership, and strategic business planning.
ENTR:9150 Venture School International arr.
Innovative training focused on real-world experimentation, customer discovery, and lean methodologies; curriculum developed by the National Science Foundation I-Corps to help entrepreneurs and startups turn their ideas into reality; individual and team ideation, problem identification, and validation using real customer discovery interviews; students test their hypothesis by talking with customers, partners, and suppliers; encountering chaos and uncertainty of commercializing innovations and creating new ventures in a safe environment; creation of a business model that creates value.
ENTR:9200 Entrepreneurial Finance 3 s.h.
Financial aspects of launching and growing entrepreneurial ventures; topics include financial feasibility, financial forecasting and cashflow management, business valuation, sources of venture financing, deal structure, financing growth, and exit strategies. Prerequisites: MBA:8140.
ENTR:9300 Design Thinking 3 s.h.
Introduction to concepts of design thinking—a human-centered approach to developing products, services, and experiences; methods and mindset of design thinking including identifying the problem, gathering customer insights, ideating a solution, developing a prototype, experimenting, and iterating based on customer feedback to creatively develop solutions that are desirable, feasible, and viable.
ENTR:9450 Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation 3 s.h.
Role of technology in creation, growth, and survival of industries; processes, risks, and rewards of technological innovation and commercialization; successful approaches to developing technological strategy and products.
ENTR:9500 Managing the Growth Business 3 s.h.
Issues faced by new, rapidly growing businesses; adapting organizational structure as business expands, building a management team, hiring new employees, managing strategic growth of a business; case studies, particularly in technology sector.
ENTR:9600 Seminar in Entrepreneurship 1-3 s.h.
Topics vary; franchising, business acquisition, real estate development, e-commerce, technology transfer.
ENTR:9610 STEM Innovator I: Introduction to STEM Innovation and Entrepreneurial Thinking 1-3 s.h.
Exploration of current best practices in problem/project-based learning with research-driven curriculum, instruction, and assessment to prepare all students to be future ready; introduction to skills and mindsets of STEM innovators and entrepreneurs; how a growth mindset and leveraging student strengths facilitates successful team projects; exploration of a problem identification strategy and establishing the value of solving a problem through the entrepreneurial process of customer discovery. Requirements: enrollment in STEM Innovator professional development program or approval of UI STEM Innovator instructor.
ENTR:9620 STEM Innovator II: Skills, Mindsets, Practices, and Academic Knowledge of Problem-Based Learning 1-3 s.h.
Introduction to STEM innovation, invention, and entrepreneurship academic language, activities, and reflective assessment to assist development of innovation skills, mindsets, and practices; engagement in the design thinking process to tackle STEM problems and develop sustainable solutions of value for potential users; strengths leveraged to form collaborative teams and engage in project development; exploration of prototype development research process with focus on implementation in the K-14 environment. Recommendations: ENTR:9610.
ENTR:9630 STEM Innovator III: Lean Start-Up, Data Analysis, Prototyping, and Project Development 1-3 s.h.
Exploration of STEM practices of Lean Start-Up methodology, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, prototype research and development, and project development frameworks; activities and reflective assessment to assist development of innovation skills, mindsets, and practices; advancement of a solution to a STEM problem and development of sustainable solutions of value for potential users; exploration of STEM practices and activities with focus on implementation in the K-14 environment. Requirements: enrollment in STEM Innovator professional development program or approval of UI STEM Innovator instructor. Recommendations: ENTR:9610.
ENTR:9640 STEM Innovator IV: STEM Innovation Activities, Portfolio Assessment, and Community Engagement 1-3 s.h.
Strategies to engage community mentors in assisting student innovation teams through technical and project management expertise; exploration of STEM Innovator Portfolio assessment tool to capture student innovation, invention, and entrepreneurial competencies over time; engagement with STEM Innovator curriculum toolkit to advance professional expertise and implement activities directly into classroom practice; activities and reflective assessment to assist development of innovation skills, mindsets, and practices; exploration of STEM practices and activities with focus on implementation in the K-14 environment. Requirements: enrollment in STEM Innovator professional development program or approval of UI STEM Innovator instructor. Recommendations: ENTR:9610.
ENTR:9650 STEM Innovator V: STEM Innovator Tools to Create an Innovation Model for the Classroom 1-3 s.h.
Utilization of STEM Innovator curriculum, instruction, and assessment tools to develop an implementation framework to infuse innovation, invention, and entrepreneurship into classroom practice; development of curriculum scope and sequence, align core K-14 content standards, secure community partnerships, and network with administrators, counselors, parents, and industry experts to build support during initial launch of the model; activities and reflective assessment to assist development of innovation skills, mindsets, and practices. Requirements: enrollment in STEM Innovator professional development program or approval of UI STEM Innovator instructor. Recommendations: ENTR:9610.
ENTR:9660 STEM Innovator VI: Creating a STEM Innovation Pathway Across K-14 Learning Experiences 1-3 s.h.
Engagement in systems thinking to design a model K-14 STEM innovation, invention, and entrepreneurial pathway for students across a school or district; utilization of STEM Innovator portfolio assessment tool to demonstrate student growth in skills, mindsets, practices, and academic content knowledge in STEM; networking to leverage additional educators, administrators, and industry leaders to develop, promote, and implement a STEM pathway for the district to increase student participation. Requirements: enrollment in STEM Innovator professional development program or approval of UI STEM Innovator instructor. Recommendations: ENTR:9610.
ENTR:9700 Entrepreneurship: Business Consulting 3 s.h.
Experience on teams providing consulting services to start-up and early-stage companies; the consulting process—proposal development, data collection and analysis, final report preparation and presentation; projects—marketing studies, financial projections, strategic planning.
ENTR:9800 Entrepreneurship: Advanced Business Planning 0-3 s.h.
Mentoring for individuals in final stages of preparing to launch their own business or working with an entrepreneurial venture to grow their business.