Innovation & Entrepreneurship Minor
Calling All Thinkers, Doers, Makers, Creators, Performers, & Builders!
The Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E) minor enables students pursuing any undergraduate major from all BU schools and colleges to develop their ideas, regardless of their field of expertise, and create tangible economic or social impact.
This minor is not just for those who want to “launch a startup” but for students who want to learn how to be more entrepreneurial in all aspects of their lives. The minor teaches students a set of life skills including identifying unmet needs and new opportunities, leading creativity and ideation, collaboration, prototyping, and testing which can prepare students for careers in many domains.
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Course Requirements
In order to fulfill the requirements for the I&E minor, you must take one required course (SI 250: Idea2Impact) and four elective courses. Explore all the electives below.
Required Course: QST SI 250: Ideas2Impact (Four Credits)
Ideas2Impact empowers students to create change in their lives and society through the exploration of research evidence and practical frameworks related to human cognition, team dynamics, and social institutions.
Key topics include the conditions that foster innovation, tool sets for identifying hidden opportunities, and processes for building and refining impactful ideas. As a core component of the course, students will gain hands-on experience working in teams to create social and economic impact in the local Boston and BU community.
Designed to align with HUB units: Social Inquiry 1, Creativity/Innovation, and The Individual in Community.
Learn more about QST SI 250: Ideas2Impact →
4 Elective Courses (16 credits)
To ensure that all students declaring this minor have equal exposure to innovation and entrepreneurship skills, students will be required to take four electives drawing from three areas:
- Entrepreneurship,
- Creating Impact: Domains of Interest,
- and Innovator’s Toolkit
Electives by Category
1. Entrepreneurship (Choose 1-3)
General Entrepreneurship courses teach students how to identify and scope a viable idea or concept that addresses a genuine need and obtain resources to responsibly nurture, support, and grow its development. All students must pick one entrepreneurship course, and can take up to three.
Explore Entrepreneurship Courses
2. Creating Impact: Domains of Interest (Choose 0-3 courses)
These courses go deep into a subject domain where students aim to apply their idea, such as social innovation, arts, environment, or global development. Students are not required to take any courses from this category, and may take up to three.
Explore Creating Impact: Domains of Interest Courses
3. Innovator’s Toolkit (Choose 0-3 courses. Comm students – up to 1)
Courses in the Innovator’s Toolkit category teach students the skills needed to execute on their idea by researching, managing, developing, leading, communicating, and technically or legally launching their idea into the world. Students are not required to take any courses from this category, and may take up to three. Communications students may take up to one course.
Explore Innovator’s Toolkit Courses
I&E Minor Classes Can Count for Hub Credits!
The BU Hub is Boston University’s University-wide general education program that emphasizes working across disciplines to prepare for a complex and diverse world. Students can take courses toward the I&E Minor while developing six essential capacities and fulfilling Hub requirements.
Explore classes by Hub Category
FAQ’s
Why should I pursue an Innovation & Entrepreneurship minor?
Who is eligible to participate in this minor?
Is this a Questrom minor?
What are the required courses for the minor?
What else do I have to take to complete the minor?
Do the three elective courses have to be from the same category? (Entrepreneurship, Creating Impact, or Innovator's Tool-Kit)
What are the available courses I can choose from to fulfill my electives for the minor?
Do I have to take the elective courses outside of my home school?
Can I count classes for the minor toward my major?
Are Questrom students required to take a Questrom Entrepreneurship elective?
Will petitions for course substitutions be allowed? Ex: Could a course offered through BU Study Abroad count toward the minor?
I completed or intend to complete the Innovate@BU Co-curricular and/or Summer Accelerator program. Will these experiences fulfill the QST SI 250 core class requirement?
How do I declare my interest in pursuing the I&E minor?
There is an elective class I would like to take for the minor offered by another school but I cannot figure out how to register for it. What should I do?
The elective course I want to take lists a prerequisite course. Do I need to take those as well?
Where do I go if I still have questions?