Chicago is a thriving—and growing—hub of entrepreneurs and tech startups. According to a report by P33, World Business Chicago, and ChicagoNEXT, there are 2,000 active tech startups in the Chicago region, and investors are excited by the return on investment that these new companies are generating. That makes Chicago, and especially Illinois Tech with its deep connections in the city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, a great place to develop the background that can prepare you to make your mark as an entrepreneur.
The Technological Entrepreneurship specialization of the B.S. in Business Administration degree is designed for undergraduate students at Stuart School of Business who have technical backgrounds and the entrepreneurial spirit and drive to create innovative business ventures. Courses emphasize the key role of innovative thinking and entrepreneurship in successfully developing and marketing technologies and products.
Students build their knowledge and skills in managing innovation within companies, with options for courses covering areas such as industrial processes, product development, and intellectual property. Throughout the curriculum of the Technological Entrepreneurship specialization, learning is applied and hands-on, drawing on the abundant resources at Illinois Tech and in Chicago’s dynamic network of startups and tech entrepreneurs.
The specialization also offers a strong academic background for Stuart’s Master of Technological Entrepreneurship program or STEM-designated M.S. in Technological Entrepreneurship program, both of which include an experiential capstone project. Through the co-terminal option of Illinois Tech’s Accelerated Master’s Program, students can graduate with both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in as few as five years, saving both time and money.
Careers
Entrepreneurs work in all industries. The fastest growing companies in the world have been founded by technically oriented entrepreneurs: Apple, Microsoft, Intel, Facebook, Amazon, and Google, to name a few.
Whether you are interested in following your creative business passion by building a startup, bringing an innovative product or service to market, or leading innovative initiatives within an existing business or organization, this specialization prepares you with the knowledge and skills you'll need.
Courses
In addition to courses required for the business administration major, choose five courses (15 credit hours) from the courses listed at this link: Entrepreneurship Specialization details.