Innovation & Entrepreneurship Minor
Entrepreneurship isn’t limited to a single field of study
Neither is the Innovation & Entrepreneurship minor at Notre Dame. Students from all disciplines are welcome to learn how to thrive in the knowledge economy.
Combine one of the top-ranked undergraduate business schools in the country and the resources of the IDEA Center —Notre Dame’s hub for all commercialization and entrepreneurial activities—and you have the perfect environment to equip you to bring your best ideas to market.
However, you don’t need an idea for a new business to become part of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship minor at Notre Dame—just curiosity and a willingness to work. But you probably wouldn’t have found this page if you didn’t have both of those traits in spades.
Highlights: Entrepreneurs for the greater good
As a student in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship minor, you will join other ethical innovators in creating businesses that make the world a better place. In the process, you’ll develop your business skills, gain real-world experience and learn first-hand what it takes to bring your ideas to life.
Through the Innovation & Entrepreneurship minor, you can:
- Participate in the annual McCloskey New Venture Competition, which awards more than $200,000 in cash and prizes to student startups each year
- Gain real-world experience through paid internships like Entrepreneurial Lead, Business Development Manager, Venture Coach and Business Analyst at the IDEA Center—or with any of the clients located at Innovation Park
- Attend seminars, workshops and panel discussions hosted by industry experts on topics including intellectual property, website design and branding
Career Development
A resume that reads “Notre Dame” is hard to set aside
With a minor from a perennially ranked undergraduate business program, you will find yourself at an advantage with most employers. But more important, when you walk through the doors your degree has opened, you will be prepared to hit the ground running—and exceed already high expectations.
As an Innovation & Entrepreneurship student, you will prepare to excel in your career by taking advantage of a wide range of resources, including:
- ND’s Career Center, which provides everything from mock interviews to resume-writing assistance to help with full-time job searches
- Internship opportunities available through the IDEA Center at Innovation Park
- The opportunity to interact and network with the 18 startups—and their founders and CEOS—currently operating in the IDEA Center space
The top five employers of Mendoza College of Business undergraduate alumni in 2017 were:
- Deloitte
- EY
- Goldman Sachs
- KPMG
- PwC
What You’ll Learn: Innovation & Entrepreneurship Course of Study
In addition to the hands-on experience you’ll gain by de-risking technologies and accelerating venture creation in the IDEA Center, the 15-credit Innovation & Entrepreneurship minor includes:
- Core foundational courses currently offered in Mendoza
- Electives taught in different departments or colleges across campus that are relevant to your area of entrepreneurial focus
- A capstone experience focused on creating a viable, sustainable startup
When you complete your minor in Innovation & Entrepreneurship, you will understand what it takes to develop, test and commercialize an idea, form a business, build a prototype and bring your creation to the market.