EP: Entrepreneurship

EP 300 — Fashion Design Concept Launchpad (Interdisciplinary)

3 credits; 3 lecture hours

This is an interdisciplinary course cross-listed with FD 300. In this dynamic forum, students identify new opportunities in the fashion market and create innovative product concepts and business plans through cross disciplinary collaborative partnerships. Focus is placed on apparel and fashion products. Students develop skills and resources as both designers and entrepreneurs, culminating in product design, technical specification, business strategy and pitch for a Launchpad into the marketplace.
Prerequisite(s): EP 311.

EP 311 — Introduction to Entrepreneurship

3 credits; 3 lecture hours

This course introduces students to entrepreneurship and its applicability to the creative arts. It examines some of the legends of the industry and identifies the characteristics necessary for achieving success as an entrepreneur. It reviews today's creative arts and business landscape and introduces students to the significance of entrepreneurship and its opportunistic position at the cutting edge of this industry.

EP 321 — The Business Plan

3 credits; 3 lecture hours

In this project-based course, students prepare and present a professional business plan, which then provides the foundation for their own business plans in semester 8. In this process, students acquire the knowledge, skills, and entrepreneurial mindset conducive to business success.
Prerequisite(s): EP 311.

EP 331 — Finance and Accounting for the Non-Financial Manager

3 credits; 3 lecture hours

The course introduces the non-financial student to the basics of finance and accounting, with an emphasis on understanding cash flow, income statements, balance sheets, and financial ratios. The importance of these elements in supporting the business plan and in understanding the financial ramifications of their decisions is highlighted.
Prerequisite(s): EP 311.

EP 360 — Social Enterprise

3 credits; 3 lecture hours

This course challenges students to create social value through entrepreneurship. Using the tools of entrepreneurs and innovators in the not-for-profit sector, social entrepreneurs apply the skills to develop a social enterprise for society’s most pressing social problems. Rather than leaving societal needs to existing government, not-for-profit or corporate solutions, social entrepreneurs find and demonstrate innovative ways to address these needs.

EP 361 — Cognitive Entrepreneurship

3 credits; 3 lecture hours

Focuses on the human factors of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs need to understand more than just the data behind the business. This includes the personal and behavioral factors related to an entrepreneurial venture. Students learn the emotional intelligence required for highly successful entrepreneurs in the creative industries.

EP 362 — Introduction to Blockchain for Creative Businesses

3 credits; 3 lecture hours

Students understand and utilize Blockchain technology, including how it applies to creative-based businesses and entrepreneurship. Using the tools of entrepreneurship and innovation, they develop concepts for new business opportunities in creative fields, products, and ventures. The fundamentals of blockchain and digital assets, applied to new and innovative business opportunities and ventures for the creative industries are covered.

EP 363 — Beauty Entrepreneurship

3 credits; 3 lecture hours

This course is cross-listed with CM 363 and is for CFM and EP major students or Creative Entrepreneurship minor students with approval of the entrepreneurship minor coordinator.This course provides a dynamic forum for students to identify new opportunities in the fragrance, cosmetics, and toiletries industries to create innovative business ideas and product concepts. Students will develop the skills and the materials necessary to launch ideas in the Beauty Entrepreneurship space turning them into viable new business ventures.

EP 364 — Understanding, developing Web 3.0 business opportunities and NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens)

3 credits; 3 lecture hours

Students will gain an understanding of Web 3.0, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), and how to utilize them in creative businesses and entrepreneurship. The fundamentals of Web 3.0/NFTs will be learned, including how to create, mint, develop tokens, create authenticity, generate digital ownership, innovative opportunities, and ventures.

EP 365 — The Artist as an Entrepreneur

3 credits; 3 lecture hours

Focusing on the needs of early career creative art professionals, this course examines art-making as a form of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship as a form of art-making. As agents of innovation and engines of creativity, artists and entrepreneurs can learn much from each other to become an artist as an entrepreneur.

EP 366 — Corporate Entrepreneurship

3 credits; 3 lecture hours

This course focuses on understanding Corporate Entrepreneurship and disruptive innovation; the practice of employing entrepreneurship skills and methodology within an organization. We will learn how companies develop new initiatives and projects. Students develop a new initial concept in an established company setting and work through the innovation process.

EP 441 — Converting Innovation into Value

3 credits; 3 lecture hours

Students learn to source and develop new venture and growth strategies for future businesses. The course introduces value propositions, value supply chain structures, revenue models, and growth strategies. Students examine business model development with a major focus on converting an idea from innovation into value.
Prerequisite(s): EP 311.

EP 452 — Entrepreneurship Practicum

3 credits; 2 lecture and 2 lab hours

This is the capstone course for the Entrepreneurship program. Using the tools of entrepreneurs and innovators, participants apply the skills developed throughout the program. They demonstrate their capacity to identify needs, analyze industry dynamics, target market opportunities, refine solutions, access channels, create business models, and pitch to industry professionals.
Prerequisite(s): EP 311 and EP 441.

EP 499 — Independent Study Entrepreneurship

1-3 credit

Prerequisite(s): a minimum of 3.5 GPA and approval of instructor, chairperson, and dean for Business and Technology.