Elevate your experience and exposure to startups

Spring 2023 graduating certificate in entrepreneurial studies studentsThis certificate requires undergraduate students - business majors or business minors -Ìýto focus on three key elements of entrepreneurship:

  1. Academic expertise
  2. Professional experience, and
  3. Exposure to the startup ecosystem.

These are accomplished through elective course requirements, an internship with a startup, and attendance at networking and professional pitch events both on and off campus.

Students with a Certificate in Entrepreneurial Studies have a unique set of experiences that demonstrates to employers a familiarity with innovation and comfort in small, adaptable teams. In addition, many students pursue building their own startups while enrolled in the Certificate program, substituting this experience for an internship with an established company.

Certificate Requirements

  2. with the Deming Center
  3. Complete the required courses listed below with at least a 3.00 GPA
  4. Complete an approved internship with a startup and write a short paper about your experience
  5. Attend eight entrepreneurship-related events on- or off-campus and provide a short write-up on each experience
  6. Submit a capstone video at the conclusion of your studies

Required Courses

"The intent of an entrepreneurial internship is to gain access and insight into an entrepreneurial venture and build your skills needed as an entrepreneur or innovator."

– Executive Director Erick Meuller

Certificate Submissions

Entrepreneurship Events

You are required to attend eight events or workshops in the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem to receive a Certificate. For each event your attend, we ask you to write aÌýthoughtful 1-2 paragraph summaryÌýon the event. Include what you learned,Ìýhow it relates to your future goals, or how it fits into your perspective on entrepreneurship. We will not be factoring in length/number of words, but instead your insight, personal perspective, and self reflection as it pertains to the event, the speakers and those in which you networked.

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Internship

To graduate with the Certificate, students need to complete a 60-hour internship. Ideally, internships should be completed with a startup, but we will accept any internship you feel is entrepreneurial in nature. For example, a Fortune-500 company starting a new "intrapreneurial" unit, an older brand attempting to scale, or taking an entrepreneurial mindset within your role can count as entrepreneurial. If you have started or operate your own company, you may also utilize that experience to complete your internship requirement. We keep the criteria intentionally broad to encourage the whole-hearted pursuit of an internship that aligns with your passions and goals.

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Note: Prior approval for any kind of off-campus employment is a requirement of the F-1 student visa regulations. International students in F-1 status who pursue the Entrepreneurial Studies Certificate are encouraged to reach out to International Student and Scholar Services as soon as possible to discuss options for requesting off-campus employment authorization. If off-campus employment authorization is not possible for fulfilling this internship requirement, other options are available that will work towards the successful completion of the requirements of the Certificate.

Capstone Exam

certificate capstone examAll students must submit a final capstone video after all Certificate requirements are met and before you graduate. For most students, this will be in your final semester of courses at CU. Students will receive information about submitting their final capstone video at the start of their final graduation. If you would like to learn more, please email our Program Coordinator.