Entrepreneurship certification is a first for TU undergraduates
Program is open to all majors, can be 'stacked' into a minor
By Cody Boteler on January 20, 2021
The Department of Management in Towson University’s College of Business & Economics (CBE) is launching TU’s first undergraduate certification in the upcoming spring term, a 12-credit program in entrepreneurship.
CBE Dean Shohreh Kaynama says entrepreneurship is “woven into CBE’s DNA.” The new certification runs alongside TU’s campus-wide commitment to entrepreneurship.
“We are thrilled to share our passion for innovation and broaden our reach to students across TU by offering the university’s first undergraduate certificate,” Kaynama says. “In today’s world, creativity, critical thinking and the entrepreneurial spirit are in greater demand than ever before. We look forward to leading the way.”
The certificate program launches with a course titled “Will your business work?” and will continue in the fall 2021 term, says Filiz Tabak, professor and chair of the Department of Management. It is open to all students, except those majoring in entrepreneurship.
Earning the certification also requires students to participate in a business model competition.
Tabak says the entrepreneurship certification will allow more TU students to hone the skills necessary for launching their own businesses or succeed in the business world. As more and more entrepreneurs become successful, Tabak says, interest in entrepreneurship grows.
“They’re not successful just because they’re super brilliant or because they’re born like that. It’s because they gain these skills,” she says. “Even people who don’t consider themselves creative can become creative through different courses or workshops to develop those skills, so they know what tools to use.”
The entrepreneurship certificate is stackable, which means students who complete the certificate can continue to take courses and earn a minor in entrepreneurship, which requires 18 credits.
Business administration majors choose one of 11 concentrations, including entrepreneurship. Tabak says the number of students in the entrepreneurship concentration has doubled in recent years.
The CBE will offer the other course designed specifically for the certification, ENTR 305, “Design thinking for innovative problem solving” in fall 2021 and continue offering the four courses specially designed for the program required for the certification from then onward.
Last year, Patrick McQuown joined TU as the university’s first executive director of entrepreneurship. This spring, TU will open the StarTUp at the Armory in uptown Towson. Inside that historic building, the StarTUp will be a vibrant space that will catalyze entrepreneurs and connect them to each other and to TU’s programs and people. Towson University’s role as an anchor institution allows it to leverage its relationships and reach to bring people together and spark innovation and entrepreneurship.
Learn more about entrepreneurship at Towson University.
This story is one of several related to President Kim Schatzel’s priorities for Towson University: TU Matters to Maryland.