Entrepreneurial Maker Certificate

Chart your course with Harper's entrepreneurship program

Program facts

Credit hours: 16
Stackable to degree: Yes
Potential job outcomes: Small business owner, franchisee, product developer, analyst

Bring your idea for a product business to life with the Entrepreneurial Maker program. This 16-hour certificate is ideal for creative and motivated students looking to start a business, develop and prototype new products, or apply an entrepreneurial mindset to their careers. Throughout the program, you’ll focus on social entrepreneurship, leadership, creativity, innovation and funding sources.

This program is available in an accelerated Fast Track format, giving you added flexibility. Here is a class layout starting Fall 2021! Join us and have a start up ready to pitch by Spring of 2022. Through additional coursework, you can continue toward an A.A.S. degree in Business Administration.

Harper College is an ideal place to study entrepreneurship because we create start-ups ourselves. Harper is a home to the IDEAShop: the Makerspace and Entrepreneur Center, featuring high-tech equipment used for prototyping and production. The IDEAShop is a startup just like yours, applying for grants, providing marketing, management and entrepreneurship internships for students, looking for growth opportunities and working on a strict budget. When you complete the Entrepreneurial Maker certificate, you qualify to pitch for Harper’s Educational Foundation’s Dream Big - Angel Grant program, which supports emerging and active student and community entrepreneurs.

Every year since 2017, Harper College was a NACCE Presidential Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award Finalist. The Business program 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 Business and Entrepreneurship Club to develop your communication, presentation and leadership skills.

Certificate program requirements

Program Overview

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This 16 credit-hour certificate is designed for those individuals who are exploring entrepreneurial product 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
ENT 110	Ideashop Experience	1
Description: Provides practical experience in product production using up to three (3) varieties of equipment and software at the MakerSpace and Entrepreneurship Center. This is a project-based course where students build skill sets over time from beginner, intermediate, advanced and expert. This course may be repeated up to a maximum of four credit hours. Class Schedule: Spring 2022 \| Summer 2022
ENT 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 2022 \| Summer 2022
ENT 254	Ideashop: Product Development	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 2022 \| Summer 2022
ENT 255	Ideashop: Crowdsourcing and 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 2022 \| Summer 2022
ENT 257	Ideashop: 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. Class Schedule: Spring 2022 \| Summer 2022

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

Number	Course Title	Credits
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 2022 \| Summer 2022
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 2022 \| Summer 2022
WEB 140	Mobile Apps	3
Description: Introduces students who are new to coding, to build mobile apps for Apple mobile devices using the language and tools, Swift and Xcode. With MobileMaker.edu technologies, students will build an app, analyzing error in code, and problem solve. Students complete the class with a portfolio of apps and collection of skills that align with a professional workplace. Class Schedule: Spring 2022 \| Summer 2022

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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.