Program Overview

Introduction to the Innovation, Creativity & Entrepreneurship Program

The Innovation, Creativity & Entrepreneurship program is designed to help students develop skills in creative thinking and an entrepreneurial mindset. This program combines courses from various disciplines, including Business, Communication, Engineering, Fine Arts, and Liberal Arts, to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Program Description

The program aims to equip students with the skills and qualities necessary to bring creative ideas to life, whether it's turning their ideas into a new venture or initiative, being part of a startup team, or bringing innovative ideas into established organizations. Some of the key skills and qualities that students will learn include:

• Idea generation
• Design and prototyping
• Problem-solving
• Pitching ideas
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Resilience
• Flexibility
• Tolerance for risk

Through this interdisciplinary program, students will earn a certificate tailored to their specific interests and career goals, while gaining hands-on research or internship experience that allows them to put their entrepreneurial skills and ideas into practice.

Requirements

To earn a certificate in Innovation, Creativity & Entrepreneurship, students must complete 19 credit hours of coursework and Connecting Experiences. The requirements include:

Foundation Courses [10-13 hours]

• Forum Seminar
• Entrepreneurship Foundation Course
• Skills Foundation Course
• Creative Innovation and Problem-Solving Foundation Course

Courses in a Strand [3-6 hours]

Students must work with their BDP advisor to choose strand courses that focus on specific interests and provide an interdisciplinary perspective. To create an interdisciplinary experience, students must choose courses from a variety of disciplines.

Connecting Experiences [3 hours]

BDP advisors assist students in finding meaningful connecting research and/or internship experiences related to Innovation, Creativity & Entrepreneurship.

Integration Essay

Students must write a three to four-page essay at the end of the BDP experience, drawing together the different pieces of the BDP.

Faculty Panel

An interdisciplinary faculty panel works with students to tailor their coursework to fit their interests and identify research and internship opportunities.

Program Structure

The program is designed to be completed within the student's existing degree plan, without adding extra time to their UT career. With planning, students can choose courses that satisfy core, major, and elective requirements, while also earning a BDP certificate in Innovation, Creativity & Entrepreneurship.