Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Program Details
The art of entrepreneurship is all about using new ideas to solve problems. As a student in the entrepreneurship and innovation major, you'll learn how to identify current market opportunities, create workable plans for execution and discover the risks and rewards of being an entrepreneur. You’ll also have access to internships at small businesses, start-ups and social ventures as well as alumni who provide coaching to help start your business. The entrepreneurship and innovation major is interdisciplinary, so you’ll be taking courses in a variety of fields including innovation, management, analytics, marketing and more.
Xavier's entrepreneurship and innovation major was ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the #22 undergraduate entrepreneurship major in the nation for 2024. 99 percent of our students, including those in the entrepreneurship and innovation major, are working, volunteering or in graduate school within six months of graduation (Class of 2022). Xavier University's Williams College of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
Degree Awarded
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Curriculum
The sample course sequence below illustrates class offerings for the Entrepreneurship and Innovation major. Consult the official Xavier University course catalog for detailed registration and advising information.
Fall
- CORE 100 First-Year Seminar............ 3cr.
- MATH 140 or 170: Calculus............ 3cr.
- ENGL 101: English Composition............ 3cr.
- Second Language Elective............ 3cr.
- MKTG 300: Principles of Marketing............ 3cr.
- CORE 101: GOA First Year Experience............ 0cr.
- BUAD 101: The Business Profession I............ 0cr.
Spring
- THEO 111: Theological Foundations............ 3cr.
- Historical Perspectives............ 3cr.
- Second Language Elective II............ 3cr.
- BAIS 220: Management of Business Technology............ 3cr.
- ECON 200: Microeconomics (Social Science)............ 3cr.
- BUAD 102: The Business Profession I............ 0cr.
- CORE 102: GOA First Year Experience 102............ 0cr.
Fall
- PHIL 100: Ethics as an Introduction to Philosophy............ 3cr.
- MGMT 200: Organizational Management............ 3cr.
- BAIS 210: Quantitative Methods............ 3cr.
- ACCT 200: Introductory Financial Accounting............ 3cr.
- ECON 201: Macroeconomics............ 3cr.
- BUAD 201: The Business Profession II............ 0cr.
Spring
- Scientific Perspectives & Lab............ 3cr.
- Theological Perspectives............ 3cr.
- ACCT 201: Introductory Managerial Accounting............ 3cr.
- BAIS 211: Introduction to Business Analytics............ 3cr.
- MGMT 201: Business & Professional Communication (OC/WRIT flags)............ 3cr.
- BUAD 202: The Business Profession II............ 0cr.
Fall
- PHIL 200: Philosophical Perspectives............ 3cr.
- Creative Perspectives............ 3cr.
- FINC 300: Business Finance (QR flag)............ 3cr.
- ENTR 305: Creativity & Innovation............ 3cr.
- MKTG Elective for Entrepreneurship Major............ 3cr.
- BUAD 301: The Business Profession III............ 0cr.
Spring
- ENTR 311: New Venture Planning............ 3cr.
- ENGL 205: Literature & Moral Imagination............ 3cr.
- ECON 300: International Trade & Business Environment............ 3cr.
- ENTR 303: ENTR Internship for Credit............ 3cr.
- Business Elective or Internship for Credit............ 3cr.
- BUAD 302: The Business Profession III............ 0cr.
Fall
- Natural Science Elective and Lab............ 3cr.
- MGMT 302: Quality & Productivity in Operations............ 3cr.
- Business Core Capstone............ 3cr.
- ENTR Elective (FINC 388: Entrepreneurial Finance, recommended)............ 3cr.
- General Elective............ 3cr.
- BUAD 401: The Business Profession IV............ 0cr.
Spring
- Humanities Elective............ 3cr.
- BLAW 300: Legal Environment (ERS/DCR flags)............ 3cr.
- ENTR 495: Entrepreneurship Capstone............ 3cr.
- ENTR Elective............ 3cr.
- General Elective............ 3cr.
- BUAD 402: The Business Profession IV............ 0cr.
- CORE 499: Reflection on the Core Curriculum............ 0cr.
Sample Courses
Xavier is known for providing an education that’s both challenging and personal. Here are some courses that are part of the entrepreneurship and innovation major at Xavier:
Creativity and Innovation (ENTR 305) – This course introduces students to the techniques and process of innovation and creativity that leads to new business development, either as an independent new venture or in existing organizations.
New Venture Planning (ENTR 311) – This course develops the knowledge and skills necessary to identify, test, and evaluate business opportunities. Students learn to analyze personal, marketing, financial, and operational factors for start-ups.
Co-Op (ENTR 303) - An elective cooperative experience where students earn academic credit while performing approved entrepreneurial-related work experience.
Career Outcomes
99% of Xavier students, including those in the entrepreneurship and innovation major, are working, volunteering or in graduate school within six months of graduating (Class of 2022)
Careers: Business Consultant, CEO, Entrepreneur, Sales Manager, Marketer, Management Consultant, Operations Manager, Technical Analyst, Venture Capitalist
Top Companies for Williams College of Business Graduates: Macy’s, Inc., Fifth Third Bank, Total Quality Logistics, Ernst & Young, U.S. Bank, Medpace, Deloitte
More: Xavier's Career Development Office assists students in their search for employment by offering individual career counseling sessions, conducting workshop series on interviewing and resume writing techniques and maintaining an educational, vocational and employer information resource center. More than 100 nationally known companies visit the campus annually to interview graduating seniors for positions in business and industry.
Student Clubs
Innovation Club
The Innovation Club allows members to collaborate, innovate, and discover what it means to be an entrepreneur. The club partners with Xavier's student-run business program, D'Artagnan Enterprises, to provide students with the finest opportunity for experiential learning. Members will also engage with Cincinnati's StartUp Ecosystem. Visits to the Brandery, Cintrifuse, OCEAN, and UpTech are common.
Business Leaders for Tomorrow
Members of this student organization explore business processes firsthand by networking with and learning from various business leaders in Cincinnati and beyond. Events from past years have included trips to Silicon Valley and Chicago, job shadowing days and guest lecturers.
Women In Business (XWIB)
Preparing and empowering women to be tomorrow’s leaders through professional training, personal development workshops, mentoring and service.
Take the Next Step
Top-Ranked Entrepreneurship Major in the Nation
Xavier's entrepreneurship and innovation major was ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the #25 undergraduate business analytics major in the nation for 2023. Multiple undergraduate programs in the Williams College of Business were recognized for 2023. Explore how our top-ranked academic programs continue to distinguish themselves among the nation’s best.
Scholarships and Awards for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Majors
The Department of Management and Entrepreneurship offers a variety of scholarships and awards for its students. Xavier's Launch-a-Business (X-LAB) competition is just one of many awards aimed at identifying the most determined, creative entrepreneurs with the most promising ideas. Winners are matched with a business executive to act as an adviser for a year to assist with the development and launch of your business.
The Sedler Family Center for Experiential Learning in Business
The Sedler Family Center for Experiential Learning in Business offers students hands-on experiences and connections in the Cincinnati, Silicon Valley and Portland business communities. Students connect and collaborate with professors, business owners, business professionals and fellow students on projects to affect change.
The Sedler Family Center for Experiential Learning in Business
Faculty Spotlight: Marcia Lensges, PhD - Management and Entrepreneurship
Meet Marcia Lensges, associate professor of management and entrepreneurship in Xavier University's Williams College of Business.
Graduate With Honors
Are you looking for an academic challenge? The Smith Scholars Honors Program offers business students a more innovative, challenging curriculum in a cohort setting. This highly-selective program emphasizes experiential learning through funded global travel, work-study opportunities and close connections and support from professors and peers.
Entrepreneurship and Innovation Major at Xavier University
The BSBA Entrepreneurship and Innovation major at Xavier University is a four-year program that is a minimum 120-hour undergraduate degree. It is designed to help prepare students to seek opportunities, act resourcefully, think creatively, and lead ethically to make a difference in their organizations and the world. The strength of our free enterprise economy depends heavily on an entrepreneurial mindset in those individuals who identify new product or service opportunities, and develop workable plans for capitalizing on those opportunities.
Xavier University's Williams College of Business is accredited by the AACSB. AACSB-accredited schools offer students a relevant and challenging curriculum, the highest quality faculty and career opportunities that are not found at other business schools.
Xavier University is a private university located in Cincinnati, Ohio, providing a liberal arts education in the Jesuit Catholic tradition. Founded in 1831, the University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation. It has been ranked among the top 10 master's-level universities in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report for the past two decades. The Princeton Review names it one of the "Best 385 Colleges in America."