The Minor in Entrepreneurship helps any non-Busch school students at The Catholic University of America apply entrepreneurship theory, discipline, and principles to real-world challenges and opportunities. Entrepreneurship is often equated to starting new businesses, but you needn't want to own a business to benefit from the program. In any field of study, entrepreneurial skills help individuals move from ideas to impact: seizing possibilities, solving problems, transforming communities large or small — and making a transformative difference in your field.

At the Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship, we see entrepreneurship as a reflection of the nature of the human person who is made in the image of God: the human person is co-creator, both inside and outside of the business realm. We hold an integral vision of entrepreneurship, one that centers on the human person as the source of social change in the world.

"Principled Entrepreneurship" serves the integral development of the human person and is a key building block of a free and virtuous society. Whether your dream is serving others through business innovation, reducing illiteracy, spurring economic development in poor communities, or putting your gifts and career at the service of your family and community, a foundation in entrepreneurship complements your passion and learning with valuable tools that will help you “think like an owner” and be the change you wish to see in the world.

To earn a minor in Entrepreneurship, undergraduate students must take six courses, for a total of eighteen credits, including the four required courses listed below and two electives. The required courses include one course on business and entrepreneurship (ENT 118), one course focusing on the essence of entrepreneurship, that is, on theory and empirical evidence (ENT 372); and two other courses that dive deep into case studies and practice (ENT 455 and 472). Students must also choose two electives.

For more information, please contact Dr. Frederic Sautet, the director of the Entrepreneurship program. 

Required Courses

  • ENT 118: The Vocation of Business (Prof. Widmer)

    This course is designed for students who are undecided or haven¿t discovered their passion yet. It is for those interested in discerning in what direction to take their life. You will learn how to find what you want out of life, what your strengths and weaknesses are, and how you can apply them to your career. What do I have to offer to the world? How do I find my professional vocation? How do I decide what major to choose? How do I decide on a career? How is business a force for good? How do I start a business? How do I use a computer for business? We will explore these and many other questions through lectures, lab classes, and various projects.

  • ENT 372: Entrepreneurship & Venture Capital (Dr. Sautet)

    Interested in knowing more about the source of development and growth? Why advertising and marketing are crucial to the functioning of the marketplace? Or the role of venture capital and angel investing in the future of the US economy? This course provides the tools to understand the phenomenon of entrepreneurship in all its facets, including in the marketplace and in non-profit settings. All students including those with finance, marketing or management major will gain a strong understanding of entrepreneurship. Topics include entrepreneurship and the organization, culture, psychology, institutions, public policy, politics, strategic entrepreneurship, Catholic Social Teaching and ethics. Lecture and discussion format around assigned readings. One final presentation. No quiz. Also see Enrollment Requirements. (Available only in the Fall)

  • ENT 455: Small Business Growth Lab (Prof. Walsh)

    ENT 455 will provide a comprehensive overview of the small business landscape in Washington, DC through a sustained a focus on student projects and experiential learning.  Students will fully engage with the local small business community by participating in the Inner City Capital Connections Program, serving as small-scale project managers, and addressing Living Case Studies as appropriate. 

    By the mid-point in the semester, students will have gained the content, context, and connections to become active participants in the local small business ecosystem.  Students who choose to continue with ENT 456 in the Spring will be well prepared to engage more deeply in project work as a result of their experience in 455 during the Fall.

  • ENT 472: Principled Entrepreneurship (Prof. Widmer)

    Formerly MGT 472. Learn how to create good profit through principled entrepreneurship. We will explore entrepreneurship theories like Market Based Management (MBM), Long-Term Sustainable Value Creation (LTSVC), The Business Model Canvas and The Lean Startup. The class is based on the case method and will involve several class projects but no exams or other tests. During the course of the semester, students will meet successful entrepreneurs and have a chance to interact with them to learn about what they found useful during their careers. (Available only in the Spring)

Electives (Choose Two)

  • ENT 351: Managing the Family Enterprise (Prof. Mino)

    As the fundamental unit of society, families provide a unique mixture of values, trust and passion that has kindled entrepreneurship in societies around the world for centuries. In the United States, family-owned businesses generate over half of the nation is GDP, employ almost two-thirds of the workforce, and are responsible for over three quarters of all new job creation. This course uses a case-based approach to address the unique challenges and opportunities faced by family entrepreneurs as they build the family enterprise. Topics to be covered include mission/vision/values, building and maintaining the business’s culture; family business governance; succession planning; financial management and wealth planning; and conflict resolution.

  • ENT 451: Family Business Strategy

    This course is designed as the capstone to the family business co-specialization. Students will develop a capstone research project in the field by constructively analyzing an actual family business. Topics to be covered include scaling/growth; leadership within family business (internal and external to the family); additional governance and succession challenges that come with scale.

  • ENT 476: The Spirit of Entrepreneurial Capitalism (Dr. Sautet)

    A course on the political economy of entrepreneurial capitalism. The economic history of the West can be interpreted as a history of the spirit of entrepreneurial capitalism. That history is the interaction among: (a) public and private institutions that enabled production and trade, (b) entrepreneurs and business organizations, and (c) an ecology which includes Christianity and its culture of reciprocity and rights, virtues, excellence, and other mechanisms enabling respect for promises made. This course provides an analysis of the history of entrepreneurial capitalism emphasizing these three intertwined aspects. (Available only in the Spring)

  • ENT 494: Independent Study (Prof. Walsh)

    Develop your own entrepreneurial venture.

  • MGT 123B: Foundations of Business (Dr. Sautet)

    Foundations of business B is an introduction to management theory, process, and behavior. Emphasis is given to the understanding of human behavior in organizations leading to the view of management as both anticipation and adaptation to change under uncertainty. Emphasis is placed on the ethical tenets of Catholic social tradition, and how these tenets inform decision-making in the business world. (Available only in the Spring)

  • MKT 348: Consumer Behavior (Dr. Radich & Prof. Wertz)

    The quest for human happiness serves as a framework for the analysis of how and why products and services are purchased and used. How are marketing strategies of organizations affected by consumer decisions? Particular emphasis on marketing applications, case studies, and student-
    centered research.

  • MKT 422: Consultative Professional Sales (Prof. Weber)

    This course provides an in-depth examination of the fundamentals of professional selling and sales management. The course covers the techniques of selling products and services in the retail, business-to-consumer, and business-to-business marketplace. Course topics include the development of selling as a discipline, selling philosophies, sales relationship strategies, product strategies, customer strategies, competitive strategies, sales presentations, sales management, account management, sales force automation and theories of various selling techniques.

  • ENT/ENG 420: Social Innovations, Part I

    This course provides students with a framework for identification of socially relevant problems, and the creation of sustainable and scalable solutions to those problems. This is an intensive, project-based course with small, multidisciplinary teams. Teams conceive, develop, and test creative technological solutions to real-world problems. The course introduces students to Design Thinking and Ethics Guided Design, and makes use of the Lean Startup curriculum, including use of the business model canvas, customer development, and agile engineering. Teams are given a toolkit for innovation and exposed to a wide range of frameworks for managing and driving innovation. (Available only in the Fall)

  • ENT/ENG 421: Social Innovation, Part II

    Part II of the course described above. (Available only in the Spring)

University Requirements

Students must also complete the core university requirements, specific to their major, in order to complete their degree. Business students are required to complete courses which include: philosophy, theology, humanities, literature, writing and composition, and free electives.

See complete degree requirements, including business and liberal arts requirements.