Innovation & Entrepreneurship Minor

Course	Description
QST FE 455 Financing New Ventures	Introduction to financing sources for start-up firms, including angel funding, venture capital financing, boot-strapping, debt and other sources. Focus on capital structure analysis, capitalization tables, payoff diagrams, term sheets, equity incentives, cash flow projections and negotiating with investors.
QST SI 344 Entrepreneurship: Solving Problems in a Dynamic World	This course addresses the principles, processes, and frameworks that are the underpinnings of entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial spirit. This is a hands-on, experiential learning course gives the student an understanding of the way that entrepreneurship can drive change, achievement, and value creation in commercial, societal, and philanthropic domains.
QST SI 444 is now QST SI 344 Entrepreneurship: Solving Problems in a Dynamic World	Please note QST SI 444 is now QST SI 344.
QST SI 445 Managing the Growing Venture	Designed to help students understand the intricacies of running a small to medium sized company and addresses valuation, negotiation, deal structure, personnel and compensation, and marketing and financing. Course uses a competitive computer simulation to provide students with the opportunity to “run” their own business while competing with other teams in the class.
QST SI 464 Intellectual Property Strategy	This course looks at how companies can best use intellectual property (patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets) to protect their proprietary ideas and investments in knowledge assets, shape competition, and realize value from innovation.
QST SI 471 International Entrepreneurship	The class “travels” to more than fifteen countries on five continents, and analyze operations at each stage of the entrepreneurial process like market entry, forming alliances, negotiations, managing growth, and cross-border financing. Support from local governments, and the cultural, ethical, legal, and human resource issues facing the entrepreneur is also covered.
CAS EC 332 Market Structure and Economic Performance	Topics include firm concentration and conglomeration, consumer ignorance and market failure, and advertising and technological change as part of market performance and American Economic Structure
CAS EC 436 Economics of Corporate Organization	Economic analysis of the architecture of firms and other organizations. Topics include firm boundaries, the allocation of ownership and control, integration and outsourcing, corporate governance, performance evaluation, and compensation.

Flavors of Entrepreneurship Courses

Course	Description
QST SI 480 Business of Tech Innovation	Provides an introduction to entrepreneurship and business for the engineer.
QST MO 356 Leadership & Management of Social Enterprises	A well-managed social enterprise can translate idealism into action. It can help create a world that is more sustainable, more compassionate, and more just. This course will explore the distinctive aspects of launching, leading, and growing an enterprise — nonprofit or for-profit — whose primary goal is social impact. We will study mission, strategy, marketing, ethics, entrepreneurship, and scaling. We will learn that success for social enterprise is driven less by a compelling story or a charismatic advocate than by diligent management and insightful, ethical leadership. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Ethical Reasoning.
QST SI 482 Strategy for Tech-Based Firms	This interdisciplinary course covers technology life-cycles, the co-evolution of industries and technologies, strategies for commercialization of new technologies (appropriability, acquiring complementary assets and capabilities, managing technical teams, and impact of regulatory and other environmental factors on commercialization).
COM FT 591 Media Business Entrepreneurship	This course will provide students with the practical knowledge and skills needed to heed the call of entrepreneurship. Classes will include guest speakers from various business sectors. Students will also participate in the development of a core business idea, from concept through the creation of a sound business plan as a final project/presentation.
ENG ME 502 Invention: Technology Creation	This course provides students with the knowledge and tools necessary to create, protect, and commercialize engineering and scientific intellectual assets.
SHA HF 307 Hospitality Entrepreneurship	This course is intended to be a capstone experience for students seeking to understand hospitality entrepreneurship and innovation as a professional business system.
QST SI 340 Family Business Management	This course explores the dynamic and complex world of family businesses across the globe. The course is intended for students whose families have been operating businesses from 1 through 400+ years, as well as students who are considering joining someone else’s family-owned enterprise after graduation.

Course	Description
QST PL 325 Introduction to the Health Sector: Issues & Opportunities	Formerly PL425. This course provides a dynamic introduction to the health sector, beginning with the burden and distribution of disease and current patterns of expenditures. While the primary emphasis will be on the U.S. healthcare system, a global context will be developed.
QST PL 330 The US Healthcare System in Transition	Formerly PL430. The U.S. health care system has undergone sweeping change as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Acr (ACA) of 2010. This rigorous seminar, which counts toward the Health & Life Sciences concentration and the Law and Public Policy concentration, provides an in-depth look at the economic, political, social, and organizational challenges facing the nation as attempts to repeal-and-replace the ACA are debated by Congress.
QST SI 430 Multidisciplinary Sustainable Energy Practicum (New 2022-23)	Required course for the Undergraduate Minor in Sustainable Energy. Serves as the capstone project providing students with a multidisciplinary experience that applies ALL three disciplines on the Undergraduate Minor in Sustainable Energy, i.e. Business, Environmental Sciences and Engineering. The practicum is offered in conjunction with a “sponsoring company” to provide students with a hands-on experience with a real-world sustainable energy project.
QST SI 453 Strategies for Environmental Sustainability	This course focuses on understanding the impact of regulations, customer preferences, and changing industry dynamics that increase the pressure for environmental sustainability in order to evaluate and craft recommendations for firm strategy.
CAS AN 348 Investigating Contemporary Globalization (New 2022-23)	Ethnographic and historical investigation of globalization. Special attention to impact of global capitalism on indigenous communities; popular culture and consumerism; transnational populations; women and work; and relationship between novel forms of communication (i.e., Facebook and email) and changing cultural norms. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking.
CAS EC 320 Economics of Less Developed Regions	This course focuses on structural changes involved with process of economic development in less developed regions
CAS EC 387 Introduction to Health Economics	This course focuses on effect of health on the economy, effect of health care on health, hospital behavior, health work-force supply, and demand for health care.
CAS HI 291 Politics of the American Environment (New 2022-23)	When have Americans addressed declining resources and environmental deterioration? Why hasn’t every problem provoked a policy response? This course surveys how Americans perceived, developed, and governed the country’s natural and ecological resources from its beginning to the present. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, The Individual in Community.
CAS HI 292 Capitalism in America: Economic History of the US (New 2022-23)	Surveys the history of corporations and private enterprise since the Civil War, disentangling the evolving relationships between business and government and tracing the influence of money, markets, and their managers in American communities from factories to the frontiers. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the title “Money, Markets & Managers: Economic History of the United States” that was previously numbered CAS HI 377.
CAS HI 316 American Urban History (New 2022-23)	Examines cities in America, from colonial era forward, focusing on Boston, New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Detroit, and San Francisco in national and transnational context. Focus on social, political, and environmental change to understand present and past urban landscapes. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS GE 304/IR 304 Sustainable Development	This course focuses on the emergence of and current issues in environmentally sustainable development policy and practice.
CAS IR 593 Technology and Economic Inclusion in the Developing World (New 2022-23)	Much of the world’s population is “economically excluded,” lacking access to essential services and resources, including electricity, credit, drinking water, and internet. Examines how new and existing technologies may be used to expand economic inclusion in the developing world.
CAS GE 425 Environmental Policy (New 2022-23)	Economic analysis of the architecture of firms and other organizations. Topics include firm boundaries, the allocation of ownership and control, integration and outsourcing, corporate governance, performance evaluation, and compensation.
CAS GE 519 Energy, Society & the Environment	This course focuses on applied political economy and the intersection of policy, energy systems, and environmental systems.
CAS GE 524 Environmental Justice	This course explores the origins of and current trends in environmental justice activism and scholarship.
CAS HI 226 Cities & Cultures	This course examines the relationship between cultural expression and political, social, and economic change by focusing on cities such as Boston, Paris, London, Casablanca, and Johannesburg during times of intense creativity and upheaval.
CAS IR 206 Introduction to the Sociology of Globalization	An introduction to globalization and explores the roles of technology, transnational corporations, and the state.
CAS IR 242 Globalization & World Poverty	Globalization and world poverty; how and why over 80% of the world remains poor and inequality increases despite economic modernization and democratization. Addresses urbanization, immigration, religion, politics, development politics, foreign aid, women, drugs, environment, food security. Special attention to Latin American, African, and Asian experiences. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Ethical Reasoning.
CAS IR 304 Environmentally Sustainable Development	This course focuses on the emergence of and current issues in environmentally sustainable development policy and practice.
CAS IR 594 Global Environmental Negotiation & Policy	This course provides an overview of key concepts, actors, concerns, and issues in global environmental policy and negotiations.
CAS SO 206 Sociology of Globalization	A sociological introduction to globalization. Explores the roles of technology, transnational corporations, and the state. Considers globalization’s impacts on the workplace, the environment, and other institutions as well as the emergence of global social movements. Carries social sciences divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS SO 215 Sociology of Healthcare	Social, cultural, and intercultural factors in health and illness. Training and socialization of medical professionals, roots of medical power and authority, organization and operation of health care facilities. U.S. health care system and its main problems. Comparison of health care systems in the U.S. and in other countries. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Ethical Reasoning.
CAS SO 244 Urban Sociology	An analysis of cities and urban phenomena in preindustrial, industrial, and postindustrial societies with an emphasis on European and U.S. urbanization. A comparison of social scientific theories used to explain urban dynamics, processes, and policies. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking, Social Inquiry I.
CFA FA 510 Arts Leaders Forum	The “Arts Leaders Forum” consists of a series of conversations with arts leaders, including entrepreneurs, community leaders and established industry experts. Each week guests will share their experiences with the class. In addition to guest speakers, students will focus on leadership skills and exercises through readings and cases. The goal of this course is to give students insight into the pressing issues of managing arts organizations, to gain leadership skills and to provide insight into career options.
CFA FA 530 Collaborative Arts Incubator	The Collaborative Arts Incubator is a hands-on studio experience and a cross-disciplinary course that offers students within CFA and BU the opportunity to work together on innovative, creative projects. Students work in groups drawing from their own disciplines and are encouraged to venture into unfamiliar creative territories. The social justice component is a significant element of the course.
HUB XC 433 A1 Zero Waste	In this experiential, project-based course student groups will be directly impacting the BU Campus, by better understanding the problem, and by collaboratively creating solutions to help BU achieve the goal of Zero Waste by 2030.
HUB XC 433 B1 Hands-0n	In this course, students from across BU’s many colleges will explore how a broad range of puppetry techniques can help them to investigate and then communicate abstract theories, philosophies, and complex processes, injecting them with humor, suspense, and awe.
HUB XC 433 C1 Spirits Of Border	This course provides students with the opportunity to study and practice social cross-cultural research methodologies, including designing qualitative research questions, connecting and engaging with targeted populations, collecting data through SOW’s storytelling interviews, analyzing data, and presenting their findings in written and visual formats.
HUB XC 433 D1 High Stakes – Creating social equity in the Cannabis industry	A unique project-based learning experience in which interdisciplinary student teams from across BU’s undergraduate colleges tackle real-world problems and develop marketable leadership, team work, and communication skills.
HUB XC 433 E1 Justice Media Computational Journalism Co-Lab	This investigative journalism assignment, focused on issues of justice and accountability, will provide students from diverse disciplines an opportunity to work with and publish investigations in professional news outlets including NPR, the Boston Globe, the Baystate Banner, and more.

Course	Description
QST SM 275 Management Communications	Persuasive written and oral communications are essential skills that are required for success in every business discipline. In this course, students will learn how to communicate clearly and persuasively.
QST IS 474 Platform Strategy & Design	Today’s most valuable and powerful companies do not offer standalone products or services, but rather platforms which enable transactions between multiple customer groups — think Alibaba, Airbnb, Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, Uber, etc. This course explores the unique strategy challenges and economic foundations of such platform businesses.
QST LA 245 Introduction to Law	Provides a broad overview of the American judicial system and fundamental legal issues. Examines dispute resolution, torts, contracts, criminal law, business organizations, employment law, intellectual property, and international law. The goal is to understand not only the basic rules of law but also the underlying social policies and ethical dilemmas.
QST LA 355 Employment Law	An in-depth look at the legal issues involved in the employer/employee relationship. Such topics include: discrimination, affirmative action, harassment, the hiring process, employee testing, and terminating employees (for cause, layoffs). Discussions will focus on the duties and rights of both parties through the stages of employment, from hiring and managing your workforce, to benefits, conditions of employment, and downsizing.
QST LA 365 Securities Regulations	This course will focus upon the key federal statutes that regulate securities and participants in the securities markets. Provides a broad overview of the American judicial system and fundamental legal issues. Examines dispute resolution, torts, contracts, criminal law, business organizations, employment law, intellectual property, and international law. The goal is to understand not only the basic rules of law but also the underlying social policies and ethical dilemmas.
QST MO 460 The Leadership Challenge	This course dives into the theory and practice of leadership, emphasizing the perspective that leaders are needed at all levels in organizations and society. In addition to studying the practices of effective leaders, the course focuses on developing your leadership competencies through active experimentation and reflection, designing and leading a team community service project, and building leadership, communication, and collaboration skills. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, The Individual in Community.
QST SI 451 Organizing for Design and Innovation	This course provides students with both an innovation and leadership toolkit for creating and leading innovation – whether in a startup or large organization. The innovation toolkit focuses on design thinking principles such as identifying unmet needs, idea generation, concept development, testing and experimentation.
CAS AH 210 Learning to See	Strengthens your ability to describe and analyze the visual world. From fundamentals such as color and composition to the design of advertisements, propaganda, and appliances. A lab component with frequent visits to the MFA and other Boston sites provides opportunities for direct engagement with objects, images, and the built environment. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS AN 220 Urban Anthropology	An introduction to classic and contemporary definitions of the city and ethnographic approaches to the study of urban life. Examines urban inequalities and the stratification of space by immigration, gender, racialization, and poverty. Participants conduct mini- ethnographic projects in the city of Boston. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, The Individual in Community, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AN 309 Boston: An Ethnographic Approach	Using the tools of ethnographic practice, explores Boston’s multiple identities. Boston’s patterns of immigration and demographic change are mapped through fieldwork and historical documentation. On site observations will help students understand local meanings of place and community.
CAS CS 103 Intro to Internet Tech	Introduction to the basic architecture and protocols underlying the operation of the Internet with an emphasis on Web design, Web application programming, and algorithmic thinking. General familiarity with the Internet is assumed. Carries MCS divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
CAS EC 323 Behavioral Economics	Introduction to a new field in economics that challenges the traditional model of rational decision-making and uses research in psychology to construct alternative models. Covers the theory of choice under certainty, uncertainty, and temptation; biases in judgment; social preferences. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.
CAS EC 333 Market Structure and Public Policy	Discussion of selected markets determined by the instructor. Introduction to antitrust and regulatory policy. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS EC 404 Economics of Information	Introduction to the field of information economics and its applications. Covers a wide range of situations in which players have access to different private information and this private information differently affects their incentives and strategic behavior. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Social Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.
CAS SO 313 Economic Sociology	Presents the sociological approach to the study of production, distribution, consumption and markets, emphasizing the impact of norms, power, social structure, and institutions on the economy. Compares classic and contemporary approaches to the economy by the social science disciplines. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Ethical Reasoning, Research and Information Literacy.
COM CM 215 Principles & Practice of Public Relations	An introduction to the field of public relations: its theoretical origins, scope, and principles. Discussion focuses on researching problems, setting objectives, identifying audiences, designing messages, choosing communication channels, and evaluating results for all types of organizations. Ethical decision making, on-line communication, and career opportunities are also analyzed case studies in the field. The format is a combination of informal lecture and small-group discussion, case analysis, and guest lecture. Open the freshmen. (Formerly CM301. Students cannot take this course for credit if they have already taken CM301.)
COM CM 217 Introduction to Advertising	Explores the history, nature, function, and social and economic aspects of advertising: ethical responsibilities, psychological appeals, marketing, media research, product analysis, creative strategies, and agency operation. Students prepare comprehensive advertising plans, including marketing strategy and speculative advertising campaigns. Open to freshmen. (Formerly CM317. Students cannot take this for credit if they have already taken CM317.)
Directed Study: Computer Science Department (Previously CAS CS 491)	Independent study in Computer Science under the guidance of a faculty member. Student and supervising faculty member arrange and document expectations and requirements. Examples include internship opportunities for academic credit, in-depth study of a special topic, or independent research project.
CAS CS 501 Computer Science Practicum	Various issues in computer science that vary semester to semester. Please contact the CAS Computer Science Department for detailed descriptions. Though courses are variable credit, registration for less than four credits requires instructor approval.

Communications: Can pick 0 or 1 of the following courses

Course	Description
COM CM 211 Professional Presentations	Students will learn the essentials of effective presentation, from preparation, audience analysis, and content development to critical thinking when presenting. Students will incorporate theories and skills of effective communication in a variety of contexts (e.g., common business and social settings). Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Oral and/or Signed Communication.
COM CO 101 The World of Communication: The Human Storyteller	Introduces students to many fundamental principles of communication. Students also learn about the intertwined nature of communication professions as they explore the major fields of study in communication. Guest lectures from various industries inform students of potential future career paths. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
COM CO 201 Intro to Communication Writing	The College of Communication’s core undergraduate writing course. Students refresh their grammatical and stylistic skills and apply those skills to professional writing assignments. Prepares students to write with clarity, conciseness, precision, and accuracy for the communication fields. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Research and Information Literacy. (Students on the Hub cannot take WR100 as a pre-requisite.)
COM JO 205 Visual Storytelling	An introductory course designed to provide students with a basic working knowledge of the media required for professional journalism, including photography, sound, video, and editing for production of multimedia packages. No previous experience in visual media is required. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Creativity/Innovation.
HUB XC 410 BU Cross-College Challenge Projects (WIN)	The Justice Media co-Lab, a collaboration between BU Spark!, based at the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences, and the Journalism Department at the BU College of Communication, matches interdisciplinary student teams with a background in computer science, statistics, computer engineering, or data science or journalism related disciplines with computational journalism projects provided by external media partners. Projects vary in size and scope and range from smaller projects that are approximately 60 hours of work to larger projects that can be as much as 100 hours of work per team member over the course of a semester. Projects are comprised of teams of approximately 3 computer science or engineering students and require partner organizations to dedicate approximately 45 minutes per week for the 8-12 weeks of project implementation.
HUB XC 420 BU Cross-College Challenge Projects (DME)	Digital multimedia expression within the Hub area. Each semester there are exiting new courses offered in areas such as social equity, data science, sustainability, public health, and more

Students majoring in a discipline but interested in creating or launching an innovative idea or venture related to that discipline are well suited for this minor. Students will develop a holistic stakeholder view of how different parties both contribute to and alleviate social problems, learn how to conduct field research, develop novel insights and reframe innovation challenges to enable creative solutioning. Students learn to identify the key elements and conditions that can amplify or inhibit the individual and collective creative process. Through experiential learning, students will take creative risks and lead ideation processes, learn how to mobilize & influence others to take collective action and learn how to transition an idea into a communicable concept that can gain support from others to become viable and create either social or economic impact.

The Innovation & Entrepreneurship minor is available to all undergraduate students at BU and supported by a University-wide initiative: Innovate@BU.

No this is a minor available to all undergraduate students at BU and supported by a university wide initiative: Innovate@BU.

The only required class is QST SI 250 (which will be cross-listed as SO 251 2020-2021).

This class is also approved for Hub units in Social Inquiry 1, The Individual in Community and Creativity/Innovation.

1 Entrepreneurship course chosen from a list of several options and three electives (in either Entrepreneurship, Creating Impact, or Innovator’s Tool-Kit courses).

No, students must take one Entrepreneurship course.

The three additional electives can be chosen from any of the categories.

Electives can be chosen from three different categories: Entrepreneurship, Creating Impact, and Innovator’s Tool-Kit. You can take 0, 1, 2 or 3 courses from each category (but one Entrepreneurship course is required). Entrepreneurship courses cover topics such as developing and scaling new ventures. Creating Impact courses cover topics such as social impact, sustainability, global development, and social justice. Innovator’s Tool-Kit courses cover topics such as field research, networks/organization, leadership, communication, digital tools, law, PR/advertising. There is a limit (0 or 1) to the number of COM classes that can be applied toward the Innovator’s Tool-Kit category.

The electives chosen do not have to be outside of the student’s home school although it is our hope that the minor helps open up relevant classes in other schools to students across campus.

As is the case for all minors at BU, students can “double count” up to two classes or 8 credits for both the minor and their major. At schools and colleges that have a concentration (such as ENG or Questrom) there are no restrictions against double-counting classes for a concentration and a minor.

No, Questrom students do not have to take their Entrepreneurship elective from Questrom but may do so if they choose. Entrepreneurship classes are also offered by ENG, SHA and CAS.

Yes, we will review petitions for course substitutions on a case by case basis and consider relevant courses from Study Abroad that might fit the criteria for the required Entrepreneurship class and the electives. It is unlikely that a Study Abroad class could replace the required class: QST SI 250: Ideas2Impact. Petitions for course substitutions should be submitted through the petition process at your home school or college and reviewed by the faculty curriculum director of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship minor.

QST SI 250 is the required core for the minor and there are no substitutes. There may be a small overlap with content presented in the BUild co-curricular or summer accelerator on design thinking but these skills will be applied differently for the minor. As there are many ways to incorporate design thinking into innovation, this overlap is by design rather than by accident.

Interested students should declare their interest in pursuing the I&E minor on this form.

By completing this form, you are not officially declaring the I & E minor. Please follow the process of your home school or college to officially declare the minor.

If the course is in session, students should proceed to add the class using a drop/add form in advance of the add deadline.

Prior to the start of the semester: students should follow the guidelines of their respective school or college’s advising office with respect to registering for a course.

If the class is completely full, please seek out a different elective to take that semester.

The classes listed for the minor have agreed to permit students declaring the I&E minor to take enroll without the listed prerequisites. However, please keep in mind that any prerequisites listed are designed to provide adequate preparation for the class. It is the responsibility of the student to identify electives that both meet the I&E minor requirements and fit with their abilities.

Please check in with your home school advising office.