School of Entrepreneurship
The 21st century is the age of entrepreneurship. It is a time of dynamic change where organizations must be faster, more adaptable and flexible, more aggressive and more innovative in order to survive. The program in entrepreneurship helps prepare students for the entrepreneurial age. Students are encouraged to recognize and develop their innate entrepreneurial potential, and to apply an entrepreneurial mindset to both their professional and personal lives. The program emphasizes the role of entrepreneurial attitudes and behaviors in a wide variety of contexts, including new start-up ventures, growth-oriented small firms, family firms, non-profit entities and public sector organizations. Students are further encouraged to apply entrepreneurial thinking and acting within other disciplines, from architecture and engineering to social work and theatre.
Entrepreneurship is approached as opportunity-driven behavior. It is a process where individuals put resources together in new and novel ways to create value. The value created can be for customers in conventional markets, or it can be social value created for the community. The program centers on helping students develop competencies that will enable them to be more entrepreneurial in a wide variety of contexts. Eleven core competencies are emphasized, including recognizing opportunity, assessing opportunity, mastering your creativity, leveraging resources, guerrilla skills, mitigating and managing risk, planning when nothing exists, innovation-developing ideas that work, building and managing social networks, the ability to maintain focus yet adapt, and implementation of something novel or new. A leading-edge entrepreneurship curriculum is built around these competencies.
As a field of study, entrepreneurship helps students see themselves as agents of change and better equips them to implement creative solutions to emerging opportunities in literally any organizational context. To foster these abilities, the program places considerable emphasis on experiential learning. Innovative experiential opportunities are built into each of the entrepreneurship courses at the undergraduate and master's levels. In addition, the School partners with the Riata Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which manages an incubator, where students can start ventures, a campus-wide business Pitch & Poster Competition, and other student engagement initiatives.
In addition to graduate offerings, the program offers an undergraduate major and minor in entrepreneurship as well as a cross-campus program involving the integration of entrepreneurship into other disciplines (e.g., engineering, art, psychology).
EEE 1010 Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Description: Examination of the creative process. Exploration of underlying premises of creativity, exposure to basic frameworks and concepts, and examination of obstacles to creativity. Emphasis on practical applications. Intended for students in Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Learning Community. Offered for variable credit, 1-3 credit hours, maximum of 6 credit hours.
Credit hours: 1-3
Contact hours: Lecture: 1-3 Contact: 1-3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 1020 Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship II
Description: Examination of the underpinnings of entrepreneurship and innovation as each relates to the creative process. An applied perspective is adopted in exploring the interfaces between creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. Intended for students in Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Learning Community. Offered for variable credit, 1-3 credit hours, maximum of 6 credit hours.
Credit hours: 1-3
Contact hours: Lecture: 1-3 Contact: 1-3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 1661 Free Enterprise Essentials
Description: An exploration of the free enterprise system on the basis of both wealth creation and societal justice.
Credit hours: 1
Contact hours: Lecture: 1 Contact: 1
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 2023 Introduction to Entrepreneurship
Description: Focuses on both the entrepreneurial mindset and the process of launching and growing a new business. Reviews opportunities, innovation, new value creation, business context, existing firms and any area of business or life that pertains to entrepreneurship.
Credit hours: 3
Contact hours: Lecture: 3 Contact: 3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 2083 Entrepreneurship & Society
Description: In this unique course we study the relationship between entrepreneurship and society. Core questions are: How does society, politics, culture, etc. affect entrepreneurship? And how does entrepreneurship affect society, politics, and the economy? Students gain a uniquely broad understanding of entrepreneurship and political economy.
Credit hours: 3
Contact hours: Lecture: 3 Contact: 3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 3020 Business Plan Laboratory
Description: Provides any student regardless of background with a fundamental understanding of the logic and structure of a business plan and a knowledge of basic tools and concepts for putting together a great business plan for an original idea or concept. Applies to for-profit and non-profit ventures. Offered for variable credit, 1-3 credit hours, maximum of 3 credit hours.
Credit hours: 1-3
Contact hours: Lecture: 1-3 Contact: 1-3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 3023 Introduction to Entrepreneurial Thinking and Behavior
Prerequisites: EEE 2023.
Description: Overview of entrepreneurial thinking and behavior and its role in our lives. Examination of what it takes to start and sustain new concepts and ventures. Central focus is on the issues surrounding effective implementation of the entrepreneurial process across a variety of contexts. May not be used for degree credit with EEE 3673.
Credit hours: 3
Contact hours: Lecture: 3 Contact: 3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 3031 Entrepreneurial Value Creation in Society
Description: This 1-hour seminar presents an intellectual framework for understanding the economic and ethical implications of the forces that promote or hinder the creation of value in society. In particular, students will engage in readings, discussions, and interactions with guest lecturers, related to topics such as: individual liberty and responsibility, economic freedom, fairness and equality, scarcity and property rights, intellectual property, competition and anti-competition, cronyism, authoritarianism, and globalization and free trade. The aforementioned topics will be examined and discussed within the context of governments, institutions, business entities, and consumers, and their collective impact on innovation, entrepreneurship, and advances in social well-being. This seminar should be of interest to students from diverse majors and backgrounds.
Credit hours: 1
Contact hours: Lecture: 1 Contact: 1
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 3033 Women and Minority Entrepreneurship
Description: The course covers race, gender, and ethnicity as factors that impact entrepreneurship. Students look at the theoretical underpinnings of minority and women's entrepreneurship and their opportunities, challenges, and strategies when creating ventures.
Credit hours: 3
Contact hours: Lecture: 3 Contact: 3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 3673 Business Model Discovery
Description: Course teaches the fundamentals of testing the feasibility of a business idea and building an effective business model around a business concept. May not be used for degree credit with EEE 3023.
Credit hours: 3
Contact hours: Lecture: 3 Contact: 3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 4010 Special Topics in Entrepreneurship
Description: Examination of entrepreneurship issues. Specific topics vary from semester to semester. Offered for variable credit, 1-6 credit hours, maximum of 6 credit hours.
Credit hours: 1-6
Contact hours: Lecture: 1-6 Contact: 1-6
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 4080 Riata Internship Program
Prerequisites: Consent of the Director of the Riata Center for Entrepreneurship.
Description: Professionally supervised experience building career-related skills, interests and personal development while making valuable contacts and references. Allows testing skills in real life projects with host companies. Periodic reports, both oral and written, required as specified by the instructor. Offered for variable credit, 1-3 credit hours, maximum of 6 credit hours.
Credit hours: 1-6
Contact hours: Contact: 1-6 Other: 1-6
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Independent Study
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 4090 Study Abroad in Entrepreneurship
Prerequisites: Consent of the School of Entrepreneurship Department Head.
Description: Participation in a School of Entrepreneurship Study Abroad program. May not be used for degree credit with EEE 5090. Previously offered as EEE 3090. Offered for variable credit, 1-6 credit hours, maximum of 18 credit hours.
Credit hours: 1-6
Contact hours: Lecture: 1-6 Contact: 1-6
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 4103 Entrepreneurship & the Economy
Description: Explore the role of entrepreneurship in the economy. Learn why the market economy is best understood not as a system or equilibrium but as an unfolding process with entrepreneurship as its driver. The course introduces the teachings of the Austrian school of economics, which focuses on economic understanding through reasoning and logic, not statistical analysis and mathematical modeling. Austrian economics recognizes entrepreneurial value creation as the core of the market process, that value lies in the eyes of the beholder, and that productive capital exists in complex structures intended to produce specific goods and services. Same course as ECON 4353. May not be used for degree credit with EEE 5103 or ECON 5353.
Credit hours: 3
Contact hours: Lecture: 3 Contact: 3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 4113 Dilemmas and Debates in Entrepreneurship
Description: Designed around a series of critical dilemmas confronted by entrepreneurs when creating and growing a venture. Entrepreneurs explore with students the issues surrounding these dilemmas in a structured format.
Credit hours: 3
Contact hours: Lecture: 3 Contact: 3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 4123 Entrepreneurship and The Arts
Description: Introduces entrepreneurship as a way of thinking and acting within the arts, including fine art, theatre, music and design. Key entrepreneurial competencies are explored, including opportunity recognition, risk management, resource leveraging, and innovation. May not be used for degree credit with EEE 5123. Previously offered as EEE 3123.
Credit hours: 3
Contact hours: Lecture: 3 Contact: 3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 4223 Entrepreneurial Marketing
Prerequisites: MKTG 3213.
Description: Examination of the roles of marketing in entrepreneurial ventures and entrepreneurship in the marketing efforts of any organization. Emphasis on marketing as it relates to risk management, resource leveraging and guerrilla approaches. Same course as MKTG 4263. May not be used for degree credit with EEE 5223 or MKTG 5223. Previously offered as EEE 3263.
Credit hours: 3
Contact hours: Lecture: 3 Contact: 3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 4253 International Entrepreneurship
Description: The course provides a survey of entrepreneurship under different global settings and the social, economic, cultural, and political challenges found in these settings. May not be used for degree credit with EEE 5253.
Credit hours: 3
Contact hours: Lecture: 3 Contact: 3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 4263 Corporate Entrepreneurship
Prerequisites: EEE 3023 or instructor permission.
Description: Examination of the application of entrepreneurship concepts and behaviors within established organizations, assessment of factors contributing to a company's entrepreneurial orientation, and identification of ways to foster high levels of entrepreneurship within firms. No credit for students with credit in EEE 5263.
Credit hours: 3
Contact hours: Lecture: 3 Contact: 3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 4313 Emerging Enterprise Consulting
Description: Students nearing the end of their studies work in teams in addressing problems and opportunities within existing entrepreneurial ventures. Using an established methodology, teams work with local entrepreneurs in establishing priorities and producing tangible deliverables that solve business needs. No credit for students with credit in EEE 5313.
Credit hours: 3
Contact hours: Lecture: 3 Contact: 3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 4333 Launching a Business: The First 100 Days
Description: Addresses operational challenges in launching a new venture in its very formative stage. Attention is devoted to business formation, risk management, recordkeeping, go-to-market strategy, contracts, facilities, dealing with suppliers, and intellectual property, among other issues. May not be used for degree credit with EEE 5333. Previously offered as EEE 3333.
Credit hours: 3
Contact hours: Lecture: 3 Contact: 3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 4403 Social Entrepreneurship
Description: An examination of the application of entrepreneurship concepts and principles in addressing vexing social needs such as hunger, homelessness, environmental degradation, disease, domestic violence and inadequate access to education. Exploration of unique challenges in and approaches for developing and implementing viable business models for social ventures. May not be used for degree credit with EEE 5403. Previously offered as EEE 3403.
Credit hours: 3
Contact hours: Lecture: 3 Contact: 3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 4503 Designing, Prototyping, Testing
Description: This course provides students' a hands-on experience in making things. Students conceptualize, design, prototype, manufacture and sell a new product. The class exposes students to using 3D printers along with other makerspace tools. May not be used for degree credit with EEE 5503. Previously offered as EEE 3503.
Credit hours: 3
Contact hours: Lecture: 2 Lab: 2 Contact: 4
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lab, Lecture, Combined lecture and lab
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 4533 Growing Small and Family Ventures
Prerequisites: EEE 3023 or Instructor permission.
Description: Exploration of unique challenges involved when growing small and family-owned ventures. The life stages of emerging enterprises are examined. Issues addressed include resource needs, skill requirements, functional area development, and work-life balance. May not be used for degree credit with EEE 5513. Previously offered as EEE 3513.
Credit hours: 3
Contact hours: Lecture: 3 Contact: 3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 4603 Entrepreneurship Empowerment in South Africa
Prerequisites: Instructor permission required.
Description: Introduction to the supporting emerging enterprises assessment model. Includes focused attention on consulting within all the functional areas of an emerging enterprise operating under conditions of adversity. Periodic guest lectures by subject matter experts. Exposure to the local customs, business environment, and culture of entrepreneurs in a South African context. No credit for students with credit in EEE 5603.
Credit hours: 3
Contact hours: Lecture: 3 Contact: 3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 4610 Entrepreneurship Practicum
Prerequisites: EEE 3023 and instructor permission.
Description: Transfer of knowledge from entrepreneurship course work into practice through hands-on experiences, such as business development consulting projects, management of a venture capital fund and creation of a student-owned business. Course previously offered as MGMT 4610. Offered for variable credit, 1-6 credit hours, maximum of 6 credit hours.
Credit hours: 1-6
Contact hours: Lecture: 1-6 Contact: 1-6
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 4653 Venture Capital
Description: Approaches to raising and managing working capital in emerging enterprises. Examination of the many sources of financing for start-up and early stage ventures. Attention devoted to determining financial needs of new ventures and formulating, determining valuations and formulating deal structures. Course previously offered as MGMT 4653.
Credit hours: 3
Contact hours: Lecture: 3 Contact: 3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 4663 Imagination in Entrepreneurship
Description: Exploration of creativity and ideation as they relate to entrepreneurship. Perspectives on opportunity discovery and assessment are examined. Theoretical and conceptual foundations for the application of creativity to business problem solving are investigated. May not be used for degree credit with EEE 5663. Previously offered as EEE 3663.
Credit hours: 3
Contact hours: Lecture: 3 Contact: 3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 4703 Project Management for Entrepreneurship
Description: Understanding invaluable basic project management skills for startup entrepreneurs and innovators within existing organizations (intrapreneurs) and to successfully manage projects in general. No credit for students with credit in EEE 5703.
Credit hours: 3
Contact hours: Lecture: 3 Contact: 3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
EEE 4813 The Entrepreneur: Hero or Villain (H)
Description: An exploration of the entrepreneur in both historic and contemporary settings through the lens of ideas, events, and fine arts. May not be used for degree credit with EEE 5813. Previously offered as EEE 3813.
Credit hours: 3
Contact hours: Lecture: 3 Contact: 3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
General Education and other Course Attributes: Humanities
EEE 4863 Developing Innovative Ideas
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.
Description: Course teaches the fundamentals of testing the feasibility of a business idea and building an effective business model around a business concept.
Credit hours: 3
Contact hours: Lecture: 3 Contact: 3
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule types: Lecture
Department/School: Entrepreneurship
The School of Entrepreneurship offers work leading to the Master of Science in Entrepreneurship degree, including both a residency and online program. In addition, concentration in Entrepreneurship is offered as part of the Master of Business Administration. A PhD in business administration with concentration in entrepreneurship is available to prepare students for careers in academia.
The Master of Business Administration (MBA) Degree with Entrepreneurship Concentration
(See "Business Administration".)
Master’s in Entrepreneurship
The Master’s in Entrepreneurship (MSE) provides a rigorous immersion into the nature of entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial process. Core content is coupled with a strong commitment to experiential learning. Students are provided the opportunity to start a venture while in the program. The program is a component of the university-wide entrepreneurship emphasis at Oklahoma State University. It is targeted to students with a passion for entrepreneurship in for-profit, non-profit and public sector contexts.
The master’s program consists of 33 credit hours of coursework and can be completed in one calendar year. The application for admission to the program requires:
- Bachelor’s degree,
- Proposal for a venture,
- GMAT,
- Entrepreneurial and other work experience (recommended but not required), and
- three letters of recommendation.
Based on this review, a personal interview is arranged with selected candidates and then a final acceptance decision is made. Applicants are responsible for ensuring all relevant materials are submitted to the School prior to deadlines. An online version of the program is also available.
The Doctor of Philosophy Degree
The PhD in business administration with concentration in entrepreneurship is primarily focused on producing scholars who will be thought leaders in the discipline of entrepreneurship. The program prepares students primarily for careers in academia. Coordinated by the School of Entrepreneurship, students are given an intense exposure to theory and research methods.
The doctoral program involves sixty credit hours beyond the master's degree, of which approximately forty-two hours are coursework, depending upon the student’s background, the remaining hours are associated with dissertation work. It is a four-year program, with two years devoted to coursework, followed by comprehensive exams and a dissertation proposal, and then the writing and defending of the dissertation. Students complete fifteen hours of core doctoral seminars in entrepreneurship and management, twelve hours of statistics and research methods courses, nine hours of doctoral or equivalent hours in a minor field, and six hours of approved doctoral-level or equivalent electives. Students typically minor in such fields as psychology, sociology, anthropology, public policy or finance.
Doctoral students are expected to publish while in the program, and also to teach entrepreneurship courses. Faculty mentors work closely with students on research projects while they are in the program, initially involving the student in ongoing research projects, and ultimately working on projects initiated by the student. Students are expected to develop and refine their research interests over the first two years of the program, culminating in the identification of a dissertation topic. The School of Entrepreneurship, with a world-class cadre of entrepreneurship researchers, is well-positioned to support a wide range of topical areas that fit the student's interests.
Outstanding individuals with master's degrees in any field of study may apply. The application for admission to the program is evaluated based on the following:
- undergraduate and graduate grade-point averages,
- the student's score on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT),
- a two- to three-page statement describing career goals, academic interests and research questions that intrigue the applicant,
- three letters of recommendation, and
- evidence of research potential.
Based on this review, a personal interview is arranged with selected candidates, and then a final acceptance decision is made. Applicants are responsible for ensuring all relevant materials are submitted to the School prior to deadlines.
Bruce Barringer, PhD—Professor and Head
Professors: Curtis B. Moore, PhD, Matthew Rutherford, PhD
Associate Professors: Per Bylund; PhD; Kristen Madison, PhD
Assistant Professors: Kevin Mcsweeney, PhD; Victoria Yates, PhD
Professor of Professional Practice: Jonathan Butler, PhD; Richard Gajan, MBA; David Thomison, MBA; Marc Tower, EdD; Craig Watters, PhD