Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship Certificate

Degree

Certificate (Eligible for federal aid as a stand-alone certificate or if combined with AS degree)

Overview

The certificate in Small Business Management & Entrepreneurship meets the needs of those who have some business experience, have earned other certificates from an applied technology college, or currently operate a small business or plan to in the near future. It focuses on basic skills needed to operate a small business including accounting, marketing, office technology, entrepreneurship, and management skills.

Career Opportunities

This certificate prepares students to operate their own independent business or to assist other small business owners in the operation of their small businesses.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the certificate, successful graduates will be able to:

  1. Understand and apply basic and practical accounting principles to small businesses
  2. Demonstrate an applied understanding of Excel
  3. Develop the skills to plan, build, organize, draft a plan to start a small business
  4. Understand and apply social media marketing principles and platforms, by developing simple marketing strategies and monitoring basic analytics in relation to a small business
  5. Demonstrate key managerial and leadership skills such as delegation, follow up, planning, organizing, and employee development
  6. Analyze data to create, develop, and implement solutions to keep a small business competitive and identify complex business problems

Course Requirements

Students are responsible to examine the course description of each course listed below for details of prerequisites, which must be satisfied before registering for the course.

Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship Certificate Required Courses

Course NumberTitleCredits
ACC 101Financial Accounting I

3 credits

BAP 115Excel and Introduction to Technology

1 credit

BUS 101Survey of Business

3 credits

BUS 125Applied Marketing Skills

1 credit

BUS 185Innovation for Competitive Advantage

3 credits

BUS 215Small Business Management

3 credits

ENTR 150Entrepreneurship

3 credits

ENTR 250 or ENTR 260New Venture Creation or Entrepreneurship Simulation

3 credits

Total Credit Hours:20

Graduation Requirements

1. Minimum of 20 total semester credit hours as outlined
2. Grade of C- or higher in all program-specific courses
3. Certificate grade point average of 2.0 or higher

Recommended Sequence of Courses

Individual student circumstances, such as the need for a smaller course load or the number of preparatory English or Math courses a student must take, may require additional semesters to complete the program. Please see your Student Success Advisor for assistance.

First Semester

ACC 101, Financial Accounting 1, 3 credits
BAP 115, Excel and Introduction to Technology, 1 credits
BUS 101, Survey of Business, 3 credits
BUS 125, Applied Marketing Skills, 1 credits
ENTR 150, Entrepreneurship, 3 credits

Total Semester Minimum Hours 11

Second Semester

BUS 185, Innovation for Competitive Advantage, 3 credits
BUS 215, Small Business Management, 3 credits
ENTR 250 New Venture Creation or ENTR 260 Entrepreneurship Simulation, 3 credits

Total Semester Minimum Hours 9

Total Small Business Management & Entrepreneurship Certificate Minimum Credit Hours 20