Entrepreneurship (BS)
- Type of Degree: Bachelor of Science (BS)
- Location: Williston Campus, Randolph Center Campus
- Credit Requirements: 120
Do you want to be your own boss? Start your own business? What you study can be the key to converting your idea or technical skills into a business enterprise of your own. If you have an ambition to be an entrepreneur, you are among a growing segment of the US economy. According to the Kauffman Index of Startup Activity, a national early indicator of new business creation in the United States, activity rose 10% in 2015 in a sharp contrast to the downward trend started in 2010. Their calculations approximate 530,000 new business owners each month during the year in 2015. Entrepreneurs play a critical role in economic development.
Vermont Tech’s Entrepreneurship curriculum is designed to help the emerging entrepreneur harness opportunities, ignite change, and build a successful business. Students will learn about transforming ideas into enterprises that add value.
The BS degree in Entrepreneurship expands upon the associate degree requirements and emphasizes personal development in accounting, supervision, communication, policy development, project management, and relationship management. This curriculum is designed to help an emerging entrepreneur harness opportunities and build a successful business. Students will be trained in the skills needed to innovate, create, and develop business plans, raise capital, and manage a small business.
Graduates of the program will be able to recognize a business opportunity that meets their needs, provide self-analysis in the context of an entrepreneurial career, and find an attractive market that can be reached economically. In addition, students will learn how to launch their entrepreneurial career, create a business model, articulate their “elevator pitch” to gain support, and develop and present a business plan.
Students who complete the bachelor’s degree will acquire the skills to manage, optimize, and lead their growing businesses.
A student with a Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship will be able to:
- Understand the accounting cycle including the processing and recording of typical cash receipts, cash payments, sales, vendor, and payroll transactions on an accrual and cash basis
- Interpret financial statements and prepare budgets
- Apply financial information to broad-based business decision making
- Write business letters, memos, email messages, instant messages, and blog posts
- Create reports using accurate research methods and citations
- Develop and deliver an effective oral team presentation on a strategic business topic
- Understand the structure and function of human behavior in organizations and how behavioral influences impact productivity, organizational effectiveness, and efficiency at the individual, small group, and organizational levels
- Develop marketing strategies to satisfy specific target audiences and create a marketing mix using the “4 Ps” of product, price, place, and promotion
- Apply and integrate marketing concepts with other business disciplines to affect a business strategy
- Perform human resources functions in the areas of selecting, training, and evaluating personnel
- Identify best practices in employee training, development, appraisal, and rewards
- Understand the basic operations, tools, and production functions of an organization involved in the efficient and effective production and delivery of goods and services
- Understand the genesis of project, program, and portfolio management
- Use the tools and techniques involved in initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing projects
- Understand the key characteristics and terminology of the business disciplines of management, human resources, marketing, and finance and integrate these disciplines to develop and affect corporate strategies and plans
- Recognize a business opportunity that meets their individual needs
- Understand how to launch an entrepreneurial career
The student, in conjunction with the department chair, may develop a sequence of courses to best meet their background and needs that still satisfies the degree requirements. A typical curriculum is shown here.
- Scholarships: While there are no program-specific scholarships available at this time, additional scholarships are available.
News & Events
15Jun
Vermont Technical College in Randolph Center, Vt. may sit among farm fields, but it is a hub of learning for students looking to gain skills in the applied sciences such as Mechanical Engineering, Entrepreneurship and Business Technology and Management. The President of the college, Dan Smith, is... Read More
23Feb
Vermont Technical College is announcing two new degree programs that will start in the fall of 2016. Both programs expand Vermont Tech’s connection to economic development in Vermont. The college’s first ever master’s degree, the Masters of Science in Software Engineering, received approval by... Read More
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Melaney MacKay
Sarah Day
Kara Bazile
Courtney Banach
Emma Saucier
Jamie Heiam
Jenny Yang
Jonas Hastings
Sadie Conroy
Windsor Roy
Education & Career Opportunities
100
Percent Job and Advanced Education Placement Rate in Entrepreneurship
Vermont Tech Entrepreneurship student outcomes are strong. The class of 2016 had a 100% job and advanced placement rate within six months of graduation. Many students have internships while they’re in college that lead to full-time employment after graduation.
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