Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is what powers the economy, and the entrepreneurship major provides students with the knowledge and tools to make ideas real.
Entrepreneurship offers a wide variety of opportunities for students to develop both fundamental and in-depth knowledge within the disciplines of management, marketing, finance, accounting, business law and organizational behavior. Students participate in comprehensive, hands-on simulations and learning opportunities that help them develop the knowledge, skills and abilities required to launch or assume leadership roles in entrepreneurial organizations.
The Bachelor of Business Administration Concentration in Entrepreneurship will prepare you with practical experience through partnerships with local businesses. It is designed to integrate with programs beyond the business school. Entrepreneurship students take classes from Shenandoah Conservatory, the School of Health Professions and the College of Arts and Sciences.
I love that I have the freedom and flexibility to explore a wide variety of business opportunities with my chosen major!”
Marissa Overbaugh ’26 | Business Administration (Entrepreneurship concentration)
The School of Business is actively pursuing its vision to become recognized as a provider of individualized business education driven by entrepreneurial thinking, global understanding, and ethical practice. The Center for Entrepreneurship is a critical step in actualizing this vision and will have a positive impact on the next generation of business leaders through a series of initiatives that are now being developed.
In the Bachelor of Business Administration program you’ll combine core courses in the business disciplines with electives that will customize your own program of study for your chosen concentration.
BBA students select a concentration to specialize in:
- Accounting Concentration
- Digital Marketing Concentration
- Economics & Finance Concentration
- Entrepreneurship Concentration
- Esports Management Concentration
- Health Care Management Concentration
- Information Systems & Technologies Concentration
- Management Concentration
- Marketing Concentration
- Sport Management Concentration
Our program is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. AACSB International accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in management and business education. It represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide, and it recognizes that the School of Business offers high-quality business programs. Processes are in place to ensure continuous improvement in the future. Therefore students and alumni can be proud of earning a degree from an institution that has taken its place among other world-wide leaders in business education.
The Minor in Entrepreneurship enables students across the curriculum to prepare themselves to be founders, owners, and managers of new, small, and family-based businesses. The program of study explores the mind of the entrepreneur as well as develops the knowledge and skills needed to have a reasonable prospect of success as an entrepreneur. Completion of the program requires experience-based learning through an internship.
All courses are three credit-hour courses:
| BA-112 | Mind of the Entrepreneur |
| BA-303 | Legal Environment of Business |
BA-325 or BA-330 | Accounting & Finance for Entrepreneurs or Introduction to Finance |
| BA-360 | Introduction to Marketing |
| BA-393 | Small Business Management & Entrepreneurship |
| BA-498 | Business Internship |
Declaring A Minor
Shenandoah students work with their Academic Advisor to declare a minor. Academic Advisors will continue to work with students to ensure that they fulfill all of the requirements to complete the minor.
Incoming students should not indicate their intended minor on their Shenandoah application. Applications are for intended majors only.
Business majors cannot also minor in another business program.
Internships are required for this program and allow students to gain valuable experience while enhancing necessary skill sets.
The Career & Professional Development staff helps Shenandoah students search and apply for internships related to their major and career goals. Internships differentiate you as an applicant in your future job searches, provide hands on experience in your field, allow you to sample different career paths for your major, and help you find a specific position that fits your passion before graduation.
I can’t think of a job or internship I’ve gotten without the assistance of Career Services!”
Anna Lopynski | Entrepreneurship ’17
The Entrepreneurship program prepares graduates for the following roles:
- Corporate entrepreneurship (also known as intrapreneurship), where graduates work to develop new operations or products for existing corporations;
- Independent entrepreneurship, where graduates start their own for-profit firms;
- Family business where graduates go into the family firm as new or future management;
- Social entrepreneurship, where graduates start new or develop existing not-for-profit or community service-oriented firms.
Career and Salary Examples for Entrepreneurship Majors:
- Business Development Director: $127,000
- Operations Manager: $65,000
- Senior Product Manager: $141,069
- Business Development Manager: $105,000
- Management Consultant: $114,882
Career & Professional Development provides a comprehensive range of services and resources to assist Shenandoah students in their career search. Services offered include resume and cover letter building, mock interviews, and professional dining etiquette workshops.
The Bachelor of Business Administration degree requires students to complete 30 credit hours of general education coursework, 42 credit hours of business-specific coursework and 24 non-business elective courses. In addition, Entrepreneurship Concentration students are also required to complete 24 credit hours of Entrepreneurship-focused business elective course work including:
BA-112 | Mind of the Entrepreneur |
BA-361 | Marketing Research & Development |
BA-393 | Small Business Management & Entrepreneurship |
BA-404 | Business Finance |
BA-454 | Innovation & Design Thinking |
BA-457 | Entrepreneurship Law |
BA-458 | New Venture Creation & Launch |
BA-498 | Business Internship (Entrepreneurship Focus) |
Courses may be offered at the main campus in Winchester. Students also have the option to attend classes via Zoom.
Learning support services are available to all students in every course at Shenandoah. Free peer tutoring with a student who has previously succeeded in the course is available for any course across the university. The Writing Center is available for every stage of the writing process from thesis development to proofreading and bibliography assistance. The Math Enrichment Center is available for math and science assistance. Professors and Academic Advisors across the university also have office hours and open door policies to ensure Shenandoah students succeed academically.
The Honors Program is a multidisciplinary Honors Program for students who are curious, creative, self-motivated, and eager to engage in their education and community.
Not only do Honors Program students partake in honors courses that emphasize collaboration, service, and communication, but they will also have the opportunity to develop aspects of the program based on their own interests and goals. By participating in the Honors Program you will acquire the tools, knowledge and experiences necessary to make meaningful contributions to your community – whether it be globally, locally, or specific to your life’s work. You will have access to unique courses, exciting experiences and a community of peers and faculty who never stop asking questions and striving for excellence.
There’s a special bond between School of Business students and their professors. Students enjoy close professional relationships with academically and professionally experienced faculty who mentor them in and out of the classroom. This remains a hallmark of a Shenandoah University business education. Students also benefit from our executives-in-residence who works with both professors and students to broaden the student’s focus beyond the classroom.
Shenandoah University works on rolling admissions and accepts applications throughout the year. Applications are reviewed individually and holistically.
Submit your application, review required admissions materials, and find our admissions standards.
Looking to Transfer and Get Your MBA Fast?
We have the 2+1 option! If you’re a transfer student with two years of college credits, you can take advantage of the 2+1 option that allows you to transition from an associate of arts degree in business to the BBA degree and subsequently the MBA degree – all in five years!
Start Your First Year of College and Fast-Track to Your MBA
Check out our 4+1 option! If you’re enrolled in Shenandoah’s four-year Bachelor of Business Administration program, you can take advantage of the 4+1 option to earn an MBA with one additional year of classes.
As a Shenandoah BBA student, you are automatically considered for our MBA program. If you qualify, you will be notified of acceptance to the assured pre-admission MBA program!
Make studying abroad the highlight of your college experience! Whether you go for a year, a semester, or just a few weeks, you will never forget learning in another culture! The Center for International Programs is here to help you plan your study abroad experience. Start your planning early to ensure the courses you complete abroad count toward your degree and you graduate on time.
Global Experiential Learning (GEL) Program
The Global Experiential Learning (GEL) Program offers Shenandoah students a short-term, faculty-led, study-abroad experience for academic credit. These short-term, credit-bearing, faculty-led programs are offered winter break, spring break, and during the summer. If a course is not within your major, it might be used as an elective.
Study Abroad
Shenandoah University is a member of the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), a global network of 300 universities. This partnership allows students to study for a full semester or year at other member campuses abroad. By working closely with their academic advisors and the study abroad advisor, students can take classes taught in English abroad while receiving Shenandoah credit.
Shenandoah University also maintains direct partnerships with several universities around the world. These relationships allow students from SU to study abroad as exchange students and students from these universities to study at SU. All partner universities offer courses taught in English.
Business students looking to study abroad should consider studying at Audencia. Located in the city of Nantes, France, 2 hours from Paris, Audencia is an AACSB accredited university that specializes in courses in Business and Mass Communications.
Plan your Semester Study Abroad Experience
Short Term Exchange Program
The January Business exchange program with SU partner university Audencia in France provides an experience of a lifetime while completing undergraduate or graduate credit hours. Through coursework, city tours, and company visits, you will have the opportunity to strengthen your knowledge and understanding of European management practices and the European market. All courses are taught in English.