The graduate/professional certificate in entrepreneurship seeks to provide entrepreneurial knowledge and skills to students who desire to launch a new organization, work more effectively in startup situations, or explore and better understand the factors that affect company formation and performance. The certificate is available to all UW–Madison graduate degree-seeking students (excluding University Special students).
A student who has completed this certificate will have good foundational skills in recognizing promising opportunities and building a new organization or venture to create social/economic value.
Interested students should see the Certificate in Entrepreneurship website for specific information regarding declaring or withdrawing, or upon completion of the certificate. The Management and Human Resources Department will have the certificate noted on students’ official university transcripts by the Office of the Registrar.
Admissions
The certificate is open to graduate students in good academic standing. A graduate student is in good academic standing if they maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or above for all graduate courses (excluding research).
Before beginning any coursework, applicants are recommended to consult with their faculty advisor (or, where appropriate, graduate program coordinator).
Note: While the application for declaring your certificate should be completed prior to enrolling in courses for the certificate, it must be completed prior to graduation. Your application automatically serves as a declaration of your intent to pursue the certificate. This declaration becomes part of your academic record.
All Graduate School students must utilize the Graduate Student Portal in MyUW to add, change, or discontinue any certificate. To apply to this certificate please log in to MyUW, click on Graduate Student Portal, and then click on Add/Change Programs. The certificate coordinator will review your application for admittance, and reach out to you if there are any further questions. Professional students in the careers of Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Veterinary cannot add the certificate in the Graduate Student Portal, and should contact the program for more information.
See the program website linked within the contact information box for details.
Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | 3 | |
| Students must complete the following course. | ||
| Entrepreneurial Management | ||
| Advanced Entrepreneurship | 3-9 | |
| Students must complete at least 3 credits from the following courses. | ||
| Entrepreneurial Finance | ||
| Strategic Management of Innovation | ||
| Venture Creation | ||
| Weinert Applied Ventures in Entrepreneurship (WAVE) | ||
| Technology Entrepreneurship | ||
| Electives | 0-6 | |
| To reach the minimum credit requirement, students must select from the following courses. | ||
| Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Technology | ||
| Applied Risk Analysis | ||
| Accounting Principles | ||
or ACCT I S 700 | Financial Accounting | |
| Entrepreneurialism and Society | ||
| Fostering and Leading Innovation | ||
| Fundamentals of Accounting and Finance for Non-Business Majors | ||
| Fundamentals of Management and Marketing for Non-Business Majors | ||
| Research and Assessment for Information Professionals | ||
| Strategic Information Services | ||
| Patent Law | ||
| Copyright Law | ||
| Introduction to Intellectual Property Law | ||
| Business Organizations: Partnership, LLC, and Closely Held Corporations | ||
| Clinical Program (Law Entrepreneurship) | ||
| Brand Strategy for the Sciences | ||
| Risk Communication | ||
| Public Opinion of Life Science Issues | ||
| Product Design | ||
| Introduction to Arts Entrepreneurship | ||
| Entrepreneurship in Arts & Cultural Organizations | ||
| Managing Behavior in Organizations | ||
| Creative Destruction Lab I | ||
| Creative Destruction Lab II | ||
| Human Resource Management | ||
| Business Strategy | ||
| Emerging Entrepreneurship Theory and Research | ||
| Marketing Management | ||
or MARKETNG 700 | Marketing Management | |
| New Product Innovation | ||
| Marketing in a Digital Age | ||
| Sustainability, Environmental and Social Risk Management | ||
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Electives
Students may select approved, elective courses from a variety of schools and colleges across the university that address the ability to launch and lead new ventures. Approved courses develop and deepen students’ capacity to:
- assess opportunities,
- analyze the structure of markets,
- develop new products,
- perform financial analysis,
- understand the consequences of entity types,
- use intellectual property strategically in dynamic markets,
- form effective teams, and
- formulate strategies for organizational growth.
Other courses help students better understand the role of entrepreneurial activity in economic growth and the achievement of societal goals.
Learning Outcomes
- Students will understand the different career paths in entrepreneurship.
- Students will understand what makes an effective founding team for a new venture.
- Students will understand critical legal issues in the management of an entrepreneurial firm.
- Students will be able to write the central components of business plans including being able to apply critical financial and management accounting issues specific to the growing venture.
- Students will understand key opportunities for minimizing risk and maximizing reward in new ventures.