At the Undergraduate level, the University’s Programs and Courses include the pan-University Entrepreneurship Minor, the Architectural Design Thinking Concentration, the Social Entrepreneurship courses within the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, the Youth and Social Innovation Major within the Curry School of Education, the Technology Entrepreneurship courses offered by the Schools of Engineering and Applied Sciences, as well as the Entrepreneurship Track within the McIntire School of Commerce.
For a list of Undergraduate Courses related to Entrepreneurship, click here.
Pan-University Programs
Entrepreneurship Minor
The Entrepreneurship Minor at UVA is open by application to all undergraduates at the University, regardless of School. The purpose of the minor is to prepare students to play crucial roles in the new venture community—whether as founders, funders, policy makers, technologists, or executives—thereby impacting positively the world in which we live and creating value of all kinds. The program provides an education in and experience with the tools, techniques, and transformations involved in new venture development (e.g., ideation and innovation, team building, product-market fit, financial and social return, and legal dynamics).
Click here for more information about the Entrepreneurship Minor.
Programs, by School
Architecture
Design Thinking
The Architectural Design Thinking Concentration is for students interested in interdisciplinary problem solving through exploratory design processes. The curriculum offers a strong core in the design of the built environment while offering broader studios and electives designed to collaborate across the University. Students are asked to integrate a second field of study by declaring a second major or a minor.
Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy
Social Entrepreneurship Program
Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Virginia creates opportunities for students to learn about social entrepreneurship through experiential classes, workshops, speakers, hackathons, concept competitions, Global Field Experiences and internships. All SE@UVA classes have Batten School mnemonics (LPP) but are open to undergraduates at any school at the University of Virginia.
Social Entrepreneurs are committed to solving the major challenges facing the planet today. They take innovative and creative approaches to develop sustainable solutions to a range of problems from poverty, malnutrition, and homelessness and to lack of access to education, health care and dignified work. Those solutions may take the form of innovative financially-sustainable non-profits, world changing for-profits, or a range of hybrid models in between, including innovative financing like venture philanthropy, social impact bonds, public-private partnerships and impact investing.
Education
Youth and Social Innovation Major
The Youth and Social Innovation (YSI) major prepares students to make a difference in the lives of youth. Students will acquire a foundational understanding of youth development and the social and cultural challenges that impact youth trajectory. You’ll gain critical conceptual and practical skills in the development, implementation, and evaluation of programs and policy designed to address these challenges. Students will have ongoing opportunities in research labs and practicum placements to deepen their understanding of youth programming in and out of schools.
YSI majors will develop the skills needed to launch and enact social innovations for youth, including a strong understanding of the contemporary knowledge base in youth development; critical thinking skills to analyze social, cultural, and educational challenges facing youth today; knowledge of programs and policies intended to address these challenges; and the cultural navigation skills enabling their entry into systems and settings serving youth.
Engineering and Applied Sciences
Technology Entrepreneurship Program
Inventor. Designer. Problem-solver. Entrepreneur. Agent of change. In the twenty-first century, engineers will play a variety of roles as they address global challenges and revitalize the economy. To be effective in these roles, engineers will need to know more and more about entrepreneurship and business practice.This Technology Entrepreneurship focus within SEAS is for students who are interested in understanding the ways in which entrepreneurs move ideas from the laboratory benchtop to commercial marketplace. Students are required to take four courses covering areas such as finance, intellectual property, entrepreneurship and government, and startup operations
McIntire School of Commerce
Entrepreneurship Track
The Entrepreneurship Track provides a select number of fourth-year Commerce students with the unique opportunity to explore the entrepreneurship process, learn concepts and analytical tools that facilitate new-venture success, examine the sources of financing for a new venture, evaluate a startup’s ability to generate compelling financial and social returns, and apply business principles through practical application with actual new venture concepts and teams. The coursework includes case discussions, venture pitches, new venture viability assessments, simulations, guest speakers, and team projects.