A new undergraduate certificate program in entrepreneurship and innovation, designed by the Mike Ilitch School of Business, will launch in January 2017. Class registration is now open, and the 15-credit certificate is open to students of all majors.

The certificate program will teach students the skills necessary to launch, manage and lead their own businesses.

“Our program is designed to introduce students to examples of people from different walks of life who have been successful in taking an idea and running with it,” said Associate Professor of Marketing Jeff Stoltman, who is coordinating the certificate program. “Everyone is capable of taking a good idea and turning it into a business — they just need help finding the path.”   

The program will help students understand the stages of the new venture creation process, improve their leadership skills and ability to work effectively within teams, develop a network within the current entrepreneurial ecosystem, and more.

The certificate’s first required course, Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Innovation (EI 5000), serves as a prerequisite for full admission to the certificate program. The three-credit class is open to students who have completed at least 60 credit hours and have a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or above.

After the introductory class, students will choose nine credits of entrepreneurship-focused electives — offered through the Mike Ilitch School of Business; the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts; and the College of Engineering — to match their personal interests and goals.

The multidisciplinary nature of the certificate will allow students from diverse academic backgrounds to benefit from their peers’ areas of expertise.

“Unbridled curiosity is the key to success in entrepreneurship,” said Stoltman. “Bringing together students from different backgrounds will help pique that curiosity and expose students to entrepreneurial action in a variety of settings, including arts and entertainment, communication and information, manufacturing, engineering, science and technology, health care, community development, and more.”

A three-credit capstone focused on a project-intensive learning experience in the Detroit entrepreneurial ecosystem is the final course in the program.

“We’re in the middle of a change in our basic economic structure, where smaller businesses are playing as much of a role as the major corporations,” said Stoltman. “The idea of finding a way to move into a lifestyle where you work for yourself and with like-minded individuals is increasingly appealing,”

To learn more about the program, visit ilitchbusiness.wayne.edu/entrepreneurship/ or contact Jeff Stoltman at jeffstoltman@wayne.edu or 313-577-6559.