This is the place for entrepreneurs. Are you ready?
Entrepreneurship provides the ability to make a living by following your passions. Studying entrepreneurship will teach you how to solve big problems through academic coursework and real-world experience in New Orleans.
Entrepreneurs are not just prepared to start their own businesses; they are also able to deal with fast-paced environments and situations that require inspiration, adaptability, self-initiative, and analytical thinking. These traits are in high demand in every field, and the need for graduates with these skills in New Orleans and across the nation continues to rise as the startup revolution flourishes. There has never been a better time or place to learn the skills necessary for entrepreneurship.
The College of Business, with the Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development, offers an interdisciplinary academic Major and Minor in Entrepreneurship to help prepare you to meet this demand.
New Orleans as an entrepreneurial hub
New Orleans has become a nationally-recognized entrepreneurial activity hub. Although several industries have reduced the number of employees they hire, business-founding figures in New Orleans continue to rise. There has never been a better time to learn the skills necessary to get a job in a startup or found one’s own venture:
- Each year from 2007 to 2009, 450 out of every 100,000 New Orleanians started businesses in the metro area, a number that stands well above the national average of 320.
- Louisiana has created a wide variety of targeted incentive programs that have helped startups doing business in our state to thrive. These incentives build a solid case for relocating, expanding operations, or starting a business in Louisiana and in the increasingly talent-rich greater New Orleans area.
- Incubators, accelerators and new venture support organizations have made their home in New Orleans, hosting several business model and pitch competitions that offer prize money and attract the attention of venture capitalists and angel investors.
- Loyola has become a key player in the GNO entrepreneurial ecosystem with the founding of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development. Pitch competitions, exciting speakers and experiential program work in tandem to support entrepreneurship on campus.
Minor in Entrepreneurship
To capitalize on these trends and help students become part of an innovation-ready workforce, the College of Business offers an interdisciplinary Minor in Entrepreneurship with support from the School of Mass Communication and Department of Music Industry Studies.
The minor is open to any Loyola major and is not restricted to business students. It provides an excellent opportunity to gain hands-on experience and a solid foundation in applicable theory for students who imagine they might want to start a business, create a non-profit, or work in a startup.
Minor requirements consist of foundational business coursework, a core set of entrepreneurship courses, and specialization electives chosen from a set of approved interdisciplinary courses.
View the requirements for the Entrepreneurship minor in the bulletin »
For more information, contact Dr. Felipe Massa or Melissa Ridley.