Introducing a unique career path for
Engineering students,
uniting entrepreneurial skills with technology
Technological Entrepreneurship Certificate
Engineers are problem solvers who relish grappling with the unknown. Traditional engineers have tackled problems such as the tensile strength of concrete or electrical properties of the ionosphere. Today, engineering students at The University of Iowa also are exploring venture capital, marketability of products, and technology transfer. They are preparing to launch tomorrow's successful business -- while earning their engineering degree.
The Colleges of Engineering and Henry B. Tippie College of Business at Iowa now offer an exciting, exclusive joint program leading to a Technological Entrepreneurship Certificate, earned along with an engineering degree. It is the first of its kind at any U.S. engineering college.
The program enables students to study the entrepreneurial process as it relates to technology. It not only serves students who intend to start and operate their own business - it also helps any student interested in gaining a better understanding of the entrepreneurial process. The wide range of electives permits students to tailor business courses best suited for their individual interests. They learn from a select team of University faculty and business leaders, chosen for their ability to teach and inspire the entrepreneurial process.
The Certificate program is administered by The University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center in the Tippie College of Business. The Center has been recognized as one of the "Top 50 entrepreneurial programs" in the U.S. by Success magazine. The Center is a national leader for integrating students and faculty in engineering, business, and medicine.
The Technological Entrepreneurship
Certificate:
A real advantage for succeeding in
today's competitive marketplace
- Gain exposure to understanding sound business thinking
- Acquire team-building skills critical in both small and large companies
- Understand the entrepreneurial approach to acquiring and managing resources
- Learn how to create a business plan as skillfully as solving difficult engineering equations
- Get insights into how to bridge engineering and business principles
- Obtain valuable contacts and network opportunities with successful, thriving businesses and industries
- Entrepreneurship advising hours are available in the Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences during the semester.
- Entrepreneur magazine ranks The University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center among the Top 50 national entrepreneurship programs in the U.S.
- Read what Inc. magazine says about The University of Iowa's exclusive Technological Entrepreneurship Certificate program.
- Parent Times, a publication of The University of Iowa, featured the entrepreneurship program.
- See the list of College of Engineering graduates who have earned Technological Entrepreneurship Certificates.
- The College has the Hubert E. Storer Engineering Student Entrepreneurial Start-up Award, an opportunity for Engineering students to turn their technological business plans into real companies.
- Three UI Teams Win 2003 Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Awards.
- UI Engineering Team Places Third in National Entrepreneurship Competition.
- New Bedell Entrepreneurship Learning Laboratory at the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center.
- The State of Iowa has a special web site, Online Business Center, especially designed to help Iowans find resources on how to start their own businesses.
What does it take to earn a
Technological Entrepreneurship Certificate?
Engineering students pursuing the Certificate program will take a minimum of 18 semester hours (s.h.) of entrepreneurial courses including:
- 6A:020 Accounting for Non-Business Students (3 s.h.) or 56:054 Engineering Economy (3 s.h.)
- 6T:120 Entrepreneurship: New Business Formation (3 s.h.)
- 6T:133 Capital Acquisition and New Business Formation (3 s.h.)
- Departmental Entrepreneurial Course (3 s.h.) (Please see Departmental Executive Officer for specifics.)
- A minimum of 6 s.h., in addition to the basic courses, from the 6T:1XX or 6T:2XX electives or other approved classes. All 6T:1XX or 6T:2XX electives can be used — including those classes no longer offered, or new courses that may be introduced in the future. Currently these courses are:
| Course Number and Name | Sem. Hours |
|---|---|
| 6T:192 Entrepreneurship: Business Consulting (highly recommended) | (3 s.h.) |
| 6T:146 Strategic Management of Technology & Innovation (highly recommended) | (3 s.h.) |
| 6T:134 Entrepreneurial Marketing | (3 s.h.) |
| 6T:141Technology Applications for the Entrepreneur | (3 s.h.) |
| 6T:142 Innovation and Change | (3 s.h.) |
| 6T:145 Legal Aspects of Entrepreneurship | (3 s.h.) |
| 6T:150 Managing the Growth Business | (3 s.h.) |
| 6T:190 Seminar in Entrepreneurship | (3 s.h.) |
| 6T:194 Advanced Business Planning | (3 s.h.) |
| 6T:199 Academic Internship | (3 s.h.) |
| 51:086 Biomedical Senior Design II | (4 s.h.) |
Other Entrepreneurial Opportunities at Iowa
- I-Envision is a university-wide entrepreneurship club that provides a forum for students, faculty, alumni, and entrepreneurs to network and expand their knowledge of new venture creation.
- Pappajohn Business Plan Competition is an annual competition for students to compete for capital to develop and launch new ventures.
- Annual Speaker Programs are sponsored by JPEC to provide students opportunities to learn from and network with successful entrepreneurs and business leaders.
How to Apply
Engineering students who are interested should fill out the TEC application form, available on the web, or at the Deans Office, 3100 Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences. A student may enter the program as a sophomore with a UI GPA of at least 2.75 and at least 45 s.h. earned toward the B.S.E.
Students will propose a specific plan of study with their advisor. Students are encouraged to discuss the TEC program with the TEC faculty representative, Professor John P. Robinson. The plan will be reviewed and must be approved by your advisor, Department Executive Officer and College TEC faculty representative, Professor Robinson.
To earn a Technological Entrepreneurship Certificate, students must:
- Maintain a 2.00 minimum grade point average on all course work taken for the certificate
- Take at least 12 semester hours of the 18 semester hours of course work for the certificate in residence at The University of Iowa or in approved study-abroad programs
- Receive an engineering degree, plus any additional hours needed to complete the 18 s.h. for the TEC.
Click Here to Apply On-Line Now
If you have questions about the Technological Entrepreneurship Certificate program, contact:
John Robinson
Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Faculty Coordinator
Technological Entrepreneurship Certificate Program
College of Engineering
The University of Iowa
5019 Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences
Iowa City, IA 52242
Telephone: (319)335-5955