What Is A Business Administration In Entrepreneurship Degree?
An entrepreneurship degree is a valuable commodity for today’s competitive marketplace. Large or small, public, private, or nonprofit, students who earn an entrepreneurship degree develop a strong business foundation in accounting, marketing, finance, economics, human resources, information systems, and management.
The Nathan M. Bisk College of Business values innovation, diversity, ethics, and leadership as the cornerstones of 21st-century business education. Combined with hands-on experience and faculty mentorship, students gain expert knowledge, leadership skills, and an ability to identify needs in the marketplace and create solutions to meet them.
Gain Practical Experience, Right From The Start
As first-year students, all entrepreneurship degree students get immediate new business development experience by launching a startup venture. Students first learn the theoretical concepts and foundations of entrepreneurship, followed in the second term by the development of their concept into a living, breathing business. Students learn by doing (under the direction of faculty who are entrepreneurs themselves) in the Florida Tech Student Business Incubator, where students benefit from collaborative opportunities with professors and peers. The experience combines facilities, expertise, and a Lean LaunchPad curriculum that immerses students in the development process.
Upon completion of your entrepreneurship degree, students have several career options, including pursuing independent business ownership—or, having an intimate view of how companies are structured and operated, securing a management position in an established company.
Collaborative Learning And Mentorship
Professors at Florida Tech understand the challenges in raising capital, hiring employees, commercializing new technologies, and providing services. They aren’t just teaching entrepreneurship—they are running businesses, and have the experience to share with students planning their own future companies.
The entrepreneurship program makes sure students develop excellent organizational and communication skills, as well as up-to-date knowledge in the fields of accounting, business development, finance, and marketing. Students work in teams to conceptualize, develop, design, market, and run a revenue-generating business, freely sharing marketing ideas, channel-building strategies, and professional networks. This makes for a unique and exciting place for students to launch their businesses.
A Culture Of Creativity And Innovation
The entrepreneurship program culture supports individual creativity, leadership and team-building, ethical decision-making, and diversity. Students at Florida Tech not only develop a business plan for a new business but also:
Integrate academics with business practices through the business practicum program
Learn about business and management practices from a global perspective
Hone skills during business hack-a-thons that allow cross-disciplinary collaboration among students as they solve real corporate problems in education, healthcare, military, and communications; Shark Tank-style “hot seat fundraising” pitch sessions; sponsored business plan competitions; and an annual Startup Weekend in which students work with each other and members of the greater Florida business community to launch a business in 48 hours
Gain monthly insight into the new business landscape through the Visiting Entrepreneur Series
Study with a diverse international student body
Discuss business issues with successful entrepreneurs and managers
The Student Business Incubator Practicum Jumpstarts Business Leadership
Entrepreneurship program students explore business startup as their practicum experience in Florida Tech’s Student Business Incubator (SBI)—the on-campus center for new venture creation. The incubator combines curriculum, facilities, and expertise during a semester-long Lean LaunchPad program—a business-launching “boot camp” that pushes students to speak to customers, vendors, and strategic partners as they gather resources, develop business models, and launch their businesses. Paired with highly skilled executive entrepreneurs, students get first-hand knowledge in such activities as developing prototypes, raising venture capital, and managing the launch of a company.
Emphasis On Ethics, Leadership, And Corporate Social Responsibility
The Nathan M. Bisk College of Business is dedicated to educating leaders to make thoughtful decisions, set high standards, and promote corporate accountability. Undergraduate students tackle ethical challenges from both practical and professional perspectives in an annual competition and can participate in a conference that encourages students to learn from business, community, and government leaders.
Students learn about corporate social responsibility through hands-on class projects and individual service with the perspective of making an impact.
Located In The Heart Of Florida’s High-Tech Corridor
Florida Tech is the perfect place for a Business Administration degree in Entrepreneurship. The 130-acre campus is located on the Space Coast (so named because of the presence of NASA and the Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral just north of us), minutes away from the Indian River Lagoon, the most diverse estuary in North America.
The area has the fifth-largest high-tech workforce in the country, with more than 5,000 high-tech corporations and government and military organizations located nearby. This workforce also provides an abundance of internship and employment opportunities.
Florida Tech is just over the causeway from the Atlantic Ocean with its 72 miles of beautiful beaches, and a short trip to the Florida Keys or the Orlando theme parks. We also have a rich campus life that includes a wide range of intramural and collegiate sports, clubs, and social activities.
Build Lasting Professional Relationships Through Campus Organizations
Beyond the classroom, accounting majors build leadership experience through exciting internships and participation in academic organizations like our International Business Club, the Society for Advancement of Management, student government, and over 100 other student organizations.
Our chapter of Delta Mu Delta, a national business honor society, recognizes academic excellence in business students. This organization also focuses on networking and connecting students from around the world to forge the connections that can eventually lead to accounting internships and successful careers in the field.
The Florida Tech Investment Club invites students from every discipline to come together to be creative, share ideas, and explore business opportunities and invest in the stock market with seed real money from the club. Guest speakers are invited to share their experiences and to help members make better business and investment decisions.
Curriculum
The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – Entrepreneurship prepares students as future leaders in the global workforce. Aligned with the Florida Tech mission, the program provides a range of resources in entrepreneurial development, growth, and expansion. The entrepreneurship major includes the foundations of entrepreneurship and innovation through the integration of coursework, business research, and hands-on activities.
Candidates for the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – Entrepreneurship must complete the minimum course requirements as outlined in the following curriculum.
Freshman Year
Fall (16 credit hours)
BUS 1501 Foundations in Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship 1
BUS 1801 Global Business Perspectives
BUS 2303 Macroeconomics
COM 1101 Composition and Rhetoric
FYE 1000 University Experience
MTH 1701 College Algebra
Spring (15 credit hours)
BUS 1502 Foundations in Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship 2
BUS 2304 Microeconomics
COM 1102 Writing About Literature
MTH 1702 Applied Calculus
Restricted Elective (PSY) Credits Hours: 3
Sophomore Year
Fall (15 credit hours)
BUS 2211 Introduction to Financial Accounting
BUS 2601 Legal and Social Environments of Business
BUS 3501 Management Principles
Restricted Elective* (COM) Credit Hours: 3
Restricted Elective (Science) Credit Hours: 3
Spring (15 credit hours)
BUS 2212 Introduction to Managerial Accounting
BUS 2703 Business Statistics
BUS 3504 Management Information Systems
BUS 3601 Marketing Principles
Restricted Elective (Science) Credit Hours: 3
Junior Year
Fall (15 credit hours)
BUS 3401 Corporate Finance
Restricted Elective (BUS global emphasis) Credit Hours: 3
Restricted Elective (Entrepreneurship**) Credit Hours: 3
Restricted Elective (HUM/COM) Credit Hours: 3
Select first HUM Core Course:
HUM 2051 Civilization 1: Ancient Through Medieval
HUM 2141 World Art History 1: Pre-History to Early Global Awareness
HUM 2211 British Literature and Culture
HUM 2212 British and American Literature 1
HUM 2331 American History: Pre-Columbian to Civil War Era
HUM 2551 Survey of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
Spring (15 credit hours)
BUS 3704 Quantitative Methods
Restricted Electives (Entrepreneurship**) Credit Hours: 6
Restricted Elective (HUM global emphasis) Credit Hours: 3
Select second HUM Core Course:
HUM 2052 Civilization 2: Renaissance Through Modern
HUM 2142 World Art History 2: Early Modern to Post-Colonial
HUM 2212 British and American Literature 1 (may not be repeated for credit)
HUM 2213 British and American Literature 2
HUM 2332 American History: From Reconstruction to the Present
HUM 2552 Survey of Modern and Contemporary Philosophy
Senior Year
Fall (15 credit hours)
BUS 4501 Production/Operations Management
BUS 4502 Organizational Behavior and Theory
BUS 4783 Practicum Planning
BUS 4788 Business Plan Research (Q)
Restricted Elective (Entrepreneurship**) Credit Hours: 3
Restricted Elective (HUM/COM) Credit Hours: 3
Spring (15 credit hours)
BUS 4701 International Business
BUS 4702 Business Strategy and Policy
BUS 4787 Student Business Incubator Practicum
Free Elective Credit Hours: 3
Restricted Elective (Entrepreneurship**) Credit Hours: 3
Restricted Electives: Entrepreneurship
Students must choose five courses from the following. At least three must carry the BUS prefix. Courses from other colleges/departments may be chosen with the approval of the director of the student business incubator.
BUS 3500 Human-Computer Interaction
BUS 3503 Human Resource Management
BUS 3511 Systems Analysis and Design
BUS 3603 Advertising and Promotion Management
BUS 3605 Consumer Behavior
BUS 3607 Marketing Research
BUS 3705 Managing Small Business
BUS 4218 Advanced Business Law
BUS 4508 Web-Based Technologies
BUS 4511 Project Management for Information Technology
COM 3070 Professional Communication for Executives
COM 3440 Public Relations
COM 4026 Publishing and the Internet
COM 4130 Global Communication
COM 4220 Writing Proposals
CIS 4424 Information Technology and Project Management
Restricted Electives: Global Emphasis
Business
BUS 3801 Cross-Cultural Management
BUS 3802 Global Macroeconomic Issues
BUS 3805 Emerging Markets Strategies
BUS 4219 Globalization and Corporate Social Responsibility
BUS 4686 International Marketing
BUS 4801 International Trade
BUS 4802 Global Accounting and Tax
BUS 4803 Global Financial Management
Humanities
HUM 2085 Critical Approaches to Humanities and Social Sciences
HUM 2140 World Architecture
HUM 2141 World Art History 1: Pre-History to Early Global Awareness
HUM 2142 World Art History 2: Early Modern to Post-Colonial
HUM 2385 Special Topics in World History
HUM 2552 Survey of Modern and Contemporary Philosophy
HUM 3027 History and Culture of China
HUM 3085 Special Topics in Humanities
HUM 3285 Special Topics in Literature
HUM 3351 History of Science and Technology: Ancient and Medieval
HUM 3352 History of Science and Technology: Renaissance to Present
HUM 3385 Special Topics in History
HUM 3485 Special Topics in Social Science
HUM 3521 World Religions
Total Credits Required: 121
*Restricted Elective (COM) can be COM 2224 Business and Professional Writing, COM 2225 Writing for the Media, or COM 2425 Introduction to Communication.
Career Outlook
Graduates of Florida Tech’s business administration program are prepared for any number of careers in executive management, finance, economics, marketing, information systems, and other key management roles in a company. Graduates are also prepared for such careers as city and county administrators, university presidents, hospital administrators, nonprofit organization administrators, sports management, event management, and other key administrative roles such as these. Additionally, a serial entrepreneur is poised to collaborate with other business people to launch their idea.
Business administration careers are so varied that they exist with private businesses, not-for-profit organizations, governmental and regulatory agencies, and sports organizations. Often a serial entrepreneur focuses on businesses in the same industry that are related to each other. The employment of administrative services managers is expected to grow 15% from 2010 to 2020.
A serial entrepreneur will be excited to know that according to Forbes Magazine (April 2013), the Kauffman Foundation reported an overall favorable view of entrepreneurship at their Fourth Annual State of Entrepreneurship Address in Washington, DC, citing that “new firms and young businesses account for about 70% of gross job creation.” The Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity is a leading indicator of new business creation in the US with data collected since 1996.
