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Entrepreneurship and Innovation Minor

This minor cultivates an entrepreneurial mindset for undergraduate students from all University of Chicago majors.

The Entrepreneurship and Innovation minor offers an exciting opportunity for undergraduates to blend liberal arts learning with entrepreneurial skills.

Open to undergraduate students from all majors in the College at the University of Chicago, the minor emphasizes interdisciplinary thinking—encouraging connections between entrepreneurship and students’ areas of study.

Supported by the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the minor fosters creative problem solving, critical thinking, and the ability to communicate complex ideas across fields. Led by Chicago Booth, the minor will launch in the 2025–26 academic year.

What College Students Will Learn

The Entrepreneurship and Innovation minor equips you with practical skills and an entrepreneurial mindset that’s valuable across every field—from technology and medicine to the arts and social sciences. Through hands-on coursework and real-world projects, you will learn to identify problems, evaluate opportunities, and build viable solutions.

You’ll gain experience in:

  • Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving: Tackle real-world challenges with analytical and creative tools.
  • Business and Financial Literacy: Understand business models, market dynamics, and financial strategies.
  • Marketing and Sales: Learn how to reach and understand customers through research and engagement.
  • Leadership and Strategy: Build the confidence to lead teams and make data-driven decisions.

Rooted in UChicago’s liberal arts tradition and led by Chicago Booth faculty, the minor combines theory and practice. Whether you want to launch a startup or innovate within an existing organization, you will be prepared to lead and adapt in any industry.

Program Requirements

Program requirements vary based on your major. If you’re studying Business Economics, you’ll complete five courses for this minor due to your existing business coursework. All other undergraduate students will complete six courses.

Foundational Courses (2–3 Courses)

These no-prerequisite courses ground undergraduate students in business frameworks and enable them to work on entrepreneurial projects.

Non-Business Economics majors take 3 courses:

  • Building the New Venture (BUSN 20330 or 34103)
  • Choice of Principles of Microeconomics (ECON 10000) or Economics for Everyone: Micro (ECON 19000)
  • Choice of Developing a New Venture (College New Venture Challenge) (BUSN 20340) or Entrepreneurial Discovery (BUSN 20350 or BUSN 34705)

Business Economics majors take 2 courses:

  • Building the New Venture (BUSN 20330 or 34103)
  • Choice of Developing a New Venture (College New Venture Challenge) (BUSN 20340) or Entrepreneurial Discovery (BUSN 20350 or BUSN 34705)

Elective Courses (3 Courses)

All undergraduate students must complete three electives, including at least one Standard Elective from the list below. Up to two electives may be petitioned from other UChicago departments to align with individual interests, or may be selected from the Pre-Approved Optional Electives list below without completing a petition.

Courses used as foundational requirements cannot double count as electives and all courses must adhere to the College minor policies.

Standard Electives (1 Course Required, Up to 3 Courses)

BUSN 20340 Developing a New Venture (College New Venture Challenge) 100
BUSN 20350 Entrepreneurial Discovery (or BUSN 34705) 100
BUSN 20100 Financial Accounting (or BUSN 30000) 100
BUSN 20355 Entrepreneurial Selling (or BUSN 34111) 100
BUSN 20500 Operations Management (or BUSN 40000) 100
BUSN 20550 Application Development (or BUSN 36110) 100
BUSN 20600 Marketing Management (or BUSN 37000) 100
BUSN 20701 Managing in Organizations (or BUSN 38001) 100
BUSN 20702 Managerial Decision Making (or BUSN 38002) 100
BUSN 20710 Behavioral Economics (or BUSN 38120) 100
BUSN 20900 Competitive Strategy (or BUSN 42001) 100

For specific class information for this academic year, please refer to the course offerings listed on the Taking Undergraduate Business Courses at Booth Page.

Pre-Approved Optional Electives (Up to 2 Courses)

BUSN 20140 Accounting and Financial Analysis 100
BUSN 20170 Tax Strategies 100
BUSN 34117 Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation 100
CHEM 25000 The Drug Discovery Process: from Lead to the Clinic 100
DATA 24100 Software Engineering for Data Science 100
DATA 27100 Data Science Clinic I 100
DATA 27200 Data Science Clinic II 100
ECON 23050 Artificial Intelligence, Innovation, and Growth 100
MADD 20041 Digital Media I: Game Design with Unity 100
MADD 20042 Digital Media II: Extended Reality with Unity 100
MADD 20043 Digital Media III: Creating 3D Worlds in Blender 100
MADD 25300 Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction 100
MENG 20000 Introduction to Emerging Technologies 100
MENG 20100 Engineering Design Principles and Practice for Everyone 100
MENG 20400 Commercializing Products with Molecular Engineering 100
MENG 21800 Engineering Design I 100
MENG 21900 Engineering Design II 100
PBPL 24751 The Business of Non-Profits and The Evolving Social Sector 100
PBPL 28785 Value Creation: Social Capital, Negotiation Strategy, and Getting Things Done 100
PHYS 21400 Creative Machines and Innovative Instrumentation 100

Petitioned Electives (Up to 2 Courses)

The Entrepreneurship and Innovation minor encourages an interdisciplinary approach and welcomes elective courses from across the Collegiate Divisions, provided they develop relevant skills, mindsets, or methods that support entrepreneurship and innovation. Petitions are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Petition RequirementsSubmit a Petition

Reflection Paper

A final 1,250–1,500 word paper is required. Undergraduate students are expected to reflect on how their entrepreneurship coursework has shaped or expanded their understanding of their major and academic journey. The reflection paper must be submitted by the end of Week 3 (Friday at 5 p.m.) of one’s final quarter at UChicago. These papers will be reviewed and approved by the senior instructional professor of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation minor.

Want to Learn More? Here’s Where to Go.

Looking for more information about the Entrepreneurship and Innovation minor? Visit the Course Catalog for more information.

See Course Catalog

Interested in Declaring?

Complete the minor interest form to meet with the program advisor and discuss questions and next steps.
Interest Form

Program Advisor

Chicago Booth Faculty Director

A Partnership with the Polsky Center

Students pursuing an Entrepreneurship and Innovation minor will have access to resources and staff support from the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

By igniting a spirit of innovation and fostering connections that extend across the university, city, region and world, the Polsky Center advances innovative ideas and technologies from the UChicago ecosystem to the world. With a variety of programs, events, and resources that touch entrepreneurship, private equity, venture capital, entrepreneurship through acquisition, and research commercialization, the Polsky Center is here to support all students on their entrepreneurial journey.

Contact Us

Questions about the Entrepreneurship and Innovation minor? Please email us.