Entrepreneurship Certificate

Chart your course with Harper's entrepreneurship program

Program facts

Credit hours: 21
Stackable to degree: Yes
Potential job outcomes: Small business owner, franchisee, product developer, analyst

Take the first step toward a successful career in entrepreneurship by completing this 21-credit-hour certificate program. This is an ideal program for individuals exploring entrepreneurial ventures, looking to start small business or wanting to apply an entrepreneurial mindset to their careers. Throughout the program, you’ll focus on leadership, creativity, innovation and funding sources.

Classes include accounting, business organization, entrepreneurship, leadership, entrepreneurial financing, global business, financial statements interpretation and analysis,
marketing and more. Instructors are a mix of full-time faculty and professional business leaders working in the field. This program is available in an accelerated Fast Track format, giving you added flexibility. Through additional coursework, you can continue toward an AAS degree in Business Administration.

Harper College is an ideal place to study entrepreneurship. In 2017, the College was a NACCE Presidential Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award Finalist. You may qualify for Harper’s Educational Foundation’s Dream Big - Angel Grant program, which supports emerging and active student and community entrepreneurs. Harper has an advisory board of regional entrepreneurs and business leaders who infuse real-world perspectives and opportunities into the academic curriculum. You can also get additional experience by participating in the active business and entrepreneurship clubs.

Certificate program requirements

Program Overview

This 21 credit-hour certificate is designed for those individuals who are exploring entrepreneurial ventures, want to apply the entrepreneurial mindset to their careers and/or want to start small businesses. Focus will be on leadership, creativity, innovation and funding sources. The Associate in Applied Science in Business Administration includes a specialized study area for Entrepreneurship. Please refer to Business Administration in this section of the catalog if you are interested in pursuing a degree in this discipline.

Required:

Number	Course Title	Credits
ACC 100	Introductory Accounting or
Description: Provides students with a foundation in fundamental accounting procedures using the accounting cycle for both service and merchandising businesses, including adjustments, preparation of financial statements and closing procedures. Also included are reconciliation of bank statements, petty cash and examination of fraud and internal controls. This non-transfer course is intended for those students planning to take only one semester of accounting or for those who need preparation before enrolling in ACC 101. Class Schedule: Spring 2020 \| Summer 2020 \| Fall 2020
ACC 101	Introduction to Financial Accounting	3-4
Description: Presents accounting as an information system that produces summary financial statements primarily for users external to a business. Emphasizes the reporting of the effect of transactions and other economic events on the financial condition and operating results of a business. Topics include: basic accounting concepts, financial statements, accrual and cash basis, the accounting cycle, monetary assets, inventories, fixed assets, current and long-term liabilities, and owner’s equity. The course assumes a corporate form of organization. NOTE: High school algebra is recommended. IAI BUS 903 Class Schedule: Spring 2020 \| Summer 2020 \| Fall 2020
ARC 116	Architectural CAD I¹	3
Description: Introduces computer hardware and state-of-the-art software as applied to applications in architecture, interior design and other related fields. Develops understanding of basic parameters for design and drafting technologies: entity creating and editing, printing and plotting, and file/data management. Projects are correlated primarily to architectural design issues. Class Schedule: Spring 2020 \| Summer 2020 \| Fall 2020
MGT 154	Entrepreneurship	3
Description: Investigates positives and negatives of entrepreneurship and the process of concept to new venture. Analyzes typical venture errors and focuses on strategic management. Evaluates business ownership and franchising, pricing strategies, financing, location selection and human capital management. Discovers personal leadership traits. Assesses the personal entrepreneurial mindset. Class Schedule: Spring 2020 \| Summer 2020 \| Fall 2020
MGT 254	Applied Entrepreneurship	3
Description: Investigates the importance of promoting and managing innovation and creativity in start-ups and existing firms. Explores successful frameworks, strategies, risks, profit-making and barriers when introducing break-through products and services. Masters the techniques for improving creativity, intellectual flexibility and leadership approaches used by managers and organizations to create and sustain innovation. Evaluates innovations and ideas for profit-making possibilities. Class Schedule: Spring 2020 \| Summer 2020 \| Fall 2020
MGT 255	Entrepreneurial Financing	3
Description: Investigates a variety of available resources for new venture and growth funding. Examines opportunities for capital including options of debt, equity, crowdsourcing, angel investors, friends, family plans, and grants. Designs the start-up pitch for funding. Creates the financial statements for a business canvas or plan. Class Schedule: Spring 2020 \| Summer 2020 \| Fall 2020
MGT 257	Makerspace: 2D and 3D Prototyping	3
Description: Uses current technologies in 2D and 3D design. Students will create and execute entrepreneurial product ideas. Products will be developed and fabricated from ideation to consumer prototypes. Prerequisite: ARC 116 with a grade of C or better. EGR 120 or FAS 208 may be substituted. Class Schedule: Spring 2020 \| Summer 2020 \| Fall 2020

Electives: Select a minimum of three credit hours from the following courses:

Number	Course Title	Credits
FIN 215	Financial Statements Interpretation and Analysis	3
Description: Explores the characteristics of financial statements and financial statements analysis. Emphasis is on the income statement, balance sheet, and sources and uses of funds statement. Effects of reserves, inventory valuations, depreciation, depletion, amortization, subsidiaries and affiliates are studied. Addresses cash flow, reported earnings, taxable earnings and interpretation of the financial data by means of ratio analysis. Prerequisite: ACC 101 with a grade of C or better. Class Schedule: Spring 2020 \| Summer 2020 \| Fall 2020
MGT 165	Global Business	3
Description: Provides concepts, principles and practices of the international business environment. Includes the nature of international business; international organizations and monetary systems; comparative management techniques, and environmental business factors. Focuses on international organizational functioning to help the student gain a diversity of views. Prerequisite: MGT 111 or MGT 154 with a grade of C or better. Class Schedule: Spring 2020 \| Summer 2020 \| Fall 2020
MGT 205	Leadership	3
Description: Investigates leadership styles and the influences of leadership styles within organizations from start-ups to global corporations. Explores the empirical science and evidence of leadership styles, motivation, communication, conflict resolution, negotiations, creativity and innovation. Examines leadership styles as they relate to culture, diversity and globalization. Evaluates the performance of successful leaders. Class Schedule: Spring 2020 \| Summer 2020 \| Fall 2020
MGT 211	Internship in Small Business	3
Description: Provides cooperative work experience working in a small business. Credit is given for participation in a supervised work experience. The work must take place in a College-approved workstation. Prerequisite: MGT 154 and 3 credit hours in MGT or MKT course work,or consent of program coordinator. Class Schedule: Spring 2020 \| Summer 2020 \| Fall 2020
MKT 180	Strategic Communication for a Digital World	3
Description: Introduces the fundamental skills needed to develop Web-appropriate written content that can be leveraged for strategic marketing purposes on multiple digital platforms. Evaluates platform requirements and explains the nuances of multimedia writing. Presents techniques to identify success metrics, assess and report content performance and make data-driven recommendations. Recommended preparation: ENG 101 or placement options into ENG 101. ENG_Placement_Grid.pdf Class Schedule: Spring 2020 \| Summer 2020 \| Fall 2020
MKT 245	Principles of Marketing	3
Description: Focuses on marketing activities that will cover product planning, pricing strategies and promotional efforts including advertising, selling and sales promotions and distribution channel effectiveness. Class Schedule: Spring 2020 \| Summer 2020 \| Fall 2020
MKT 252	Internet Marketing	3
Description: Presents techniques on how to design, maintain, and market effective digital storefronts. Focuses on communicating, selling, and providing content to Web-based stores and other Internet businesses. Class Schedule: Spring 2020 \| Summer 2020 \| Fall 2020

¹ - EGR 120 or FAS 208 may be substituted for ARC 116.

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Resources

Harper Career Paths: Business Administration

Next steps

For more information about the Entrepreneurship Certificate program, contact Admission Outreach at 847.925.6700, or submit a request information form. You can also apply online.