Entrepreneurship, BBA

Curriculum

The entrepreneurship leads to the Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) and requires a total of 128 credit hours of coursework:

• BELL core requirements: 50 hours
• Business courses: 35 hours
• B.B.A. core technical requirement: 3 hours
• Major area: 18 hours
• General electives: 22 hours

See All Program Requirements

Courses You'll Take

ETP 1895 Business Model You

This course explores individual self-assessment through the lens of the business model canvas. The business model canvas is a ubiquitous, powerful, yet simple model for understanding the value, purpose and function of any organization or person. Students in this class will undergo several self-assessment exercises in order to identify their value, skills and goals, and then explore the achievement of those goals through use of the business model canvas.

ETP 3000 Entrepreneurial Mindset

This course aims to encourage students to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset by developing the discovery, thinking, reasoning and implementation skills necessary to create and develop prosperous ideas in highly uncertain environments. Its conceptualization extends beyond the narrow view of starting a new business, focusing instead on a method that could be employed to start new initiatives, profit or nonprofit, inside a family business, small business, social enterprise or large corporation and involve systematic efforts to mitigate uncertainty and to manage risk.

ETP 3200 Crowdfunding

Recent developments in crowdsourcing and micro-financing have fundamentally changed the landscape of funding social and entrepreneurial ventures. Technological advancement has enabled the rise of countless platforms for raising capital and awareness about start-ups and social ventures. In addition to providing funding, these platforms also enable entrepreneurs to market their venture, validate their target market and collect data that may be used to enhance their strategic position. This course introduces the basic concepts underlying crowdsourcing and micro-financing, and provides a foundation upon which students can launch and fund their own nascent ventures. In addition, it provides students with the ability to synthesize notions of customer discovery, product development, pivoting and funding an entrepreneurial start-up.

ETP 3300 Franchise Management

Franchising is a major form of business ownership and a strategy for growing ventures. This course examines franchising from both the perspective of the entrepreneur as a franchisee and as a franchisor. Topics will include selecting a franchise, developing a franchised business model and legal issues associated with the franchise relationship.

ETP 3400 Venture Management

Entrepreneurs need to develop basic systems and processes for their businesses as they start-up and begin to grow. This course examines how entrepreneurs effectively develop control processes and human resource systems. There are a variety of legal issues that entrepreneurs face related to the launch and growth of their ventures. Students learn to apply these legal issues to new and growing ventures. Finally, students will explore how the entrepreneur begins the transformation from running the business alone to building a professionalized organization. Required for Majors.

ETP 3500 Managing the Family Business

This course explores the unique personal, interpersonal issues and business issues associated with the family-owned and managed firm. Topics include challenges and opportunities for family businesses, the dynamics of family interactions within the family business culture, conflict resolution, estate planning and succession planning. This course requires significant participation of family members of the student’s own family firm.

ETP 3600 Building Stakeholder Relationships

Attracting stakeholders and the resources they control is a fundamental task for any entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs must learn to effectively network to attract investors, partners, advisors, employees, customers and suppliers. This course examines the process and actions that lead to effectively attracting key stakeholders and building sustained relationships with the over time. The ethical responsibilities associated with these stakeholder relationships will also be addressed throughout this course. Required for Majors.

ETP 3700 Entrepreneurial Financial Management

This course examines the process of financial forecasting for a new venture, effective financial management of an emerging business, sources of financing, bootstrapping and exit planning. Required for Majors.

ETP 3895 Creativity & Opportunity

This course is designed to help students develop their individual creative capacity through an experiential examination of creativity and its relationship to entrepreneurial opportunity. Students first examine the underlying framework of the process from which creative ideas emerge. Students then work to define their own creativity challenge and systematically engage a set of immersive exercises designed to illuminate and enhance their creative method (i.e., thoughts and efforts) for addressing the challenge. The course culminates with a presentation of creative idea for addressing the marketplace opportunity reflected in this challenge in a new and valuable way.

ETP 3895 Entrepreneurship through Film and Fiction

The entrepreneurial journey shares a great deal in common with the journeys undertaken in great works of film and fiction, and those journeys often leave outside observers both captivated and inspired. Yet beyond this shared at-traction, there lay a deep connection that may not only illuminate many aspects of the entrepreneurial mindset, but also serve as a tool for aspiring entrepreneurs to succeed.

This course will examine the entrepreneurial vocation through works of fiction and film with a focus upon two primary objectives: 1) understanding the commonality between a successful entrepreneur’s path and the key plot points of great film and fiction, and 2) utilizing a firm understanding of classical story arc to understand and enhance the entrepreneur’s path. Specifically, this class will explore the quintessential story arc of the Hero by examining Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey, and using that model to examine key works of film and literature. In doing so, students will shed new light on the psyche of the entrepreneur and develop a new tool for aspiring entrepreneurs.

ETP 3895 Entrepreneurship Accelerator

The Entrepreneurship Accelerator program exists to support students who are launching or already operating a business. By providing an in-depth look at their business, mentorship throughout the course and detailed business planning, students will complete the Accelerator with a better ability to grow and succeed in their venture. Topics include business planning, operations, marketing, finance/accounting, pitching and selling, and more.

ETP 4200 International Entrepreneurship

This course provides students with an overview of key trends and developments in international commerce as it influences the entrepreneurial sector of the economy. The course familiarizes students with selected theories and concepts of international business and with the ways in which they affect entrepreneurial ventures. Students will work on projects that will examine the international dimensions of starting and growing an entrepreneurial venture.

ETP 4400 Launching an Entrepreneurial Venture

Students will integrate experiences from either running or starting-up their own business ventures with the theory, concepts and models they are learning in their other entrepreneurship and business courses. The goal of the course is to assist students in implementing their businesses in a manner that is consistent with sound theory and values. The class is project based and uses a contract-learning model of evaluation.

ETP 4500 Venture Planning

This course will serve as the culminating experience for Entrepreneurship majors and minors and for Social Entrepreneurship majors. Students will participate in the development of a business plan for an actual venture they intend to start. If they do not intend to start a venture, students will be teamed up with those that have a legitimate idea for a new business. Students will examine the growth process and learn how to effectively manage the growth phase of a business. Required for Majors.

ETP 4895 Thought Leaders in Entrepreneurship & Business

This course will provide a broad foundation for understanding fundamental business and entrepreneurial thought. Students will be invited to critically examine the writings of great business minds as well as distinctive readings from history, literature and political science. Beginning with the establishment of early commerce, seminal theoretical readings from several key areas of business will be examined, including entrepreneurship, marketing, management, finance and production.

Accelerated MBA 4 +1

The MBA-Accelerated (A.M.B.A.) program is a full-time M.B.A. designed for individuals with little or no full-time business work experience. Individuals admitted to the A.M.B.A. program begin course work in the fall term and complete their studies in the following summer - a total program length of 12 months from start to finish. Through active learning and scholarly exploration, the A.M.B.A. degree is designed to prepare students for entry-level administrative and managerial positions in both the private and public sector.  Students will be equipped with comprehensive business skills, analytical tools, and moral clarity to effectively manage diverse teams and lead organizations in today’s rapidly changing and dynamic, global business environment.

The A.M.B.A. is a non-thesis degree consisting of 36 hours, of which 30 hours are required core courses and 6 hours are elective courses that are chosen by the student.  M.B.A. elective courses may be related to a specific area (e.g. FIN, ETP, BSA, etc.) or may be independent of each other providing students with a broader point of view.

Whether you want to launch your own startup, consult with Fortune 500 companies or explore investment banking, you'll get an early start on building your career. As an Accelerated MBA student, you’ll enjoy small class sizes and outstanding faculty who bring industry experience to every class they teach. Classes meet four evenings a week on a full-time basis, giving you flexibility during workday hours to complete internships, graduate assistantships or part-time jobs. And you can complete the program in less than a year.

Learn more about Belmont's AMBA

Integrated Degree, M.ACC./B.B.A.

Belmont University’s integrated M.ACC. and B.B.A. degree program is designed to meet today’s needs of those wishing to make accounting a career choice. Today’s accountants must possess much more than just technical accounting knowledge; they must also have a broad understanding of various business activities and possess strong communication, intellectual, and interpersonal skills. In recognition of those additional skills most states, including Tennessee, have passed laws or issued regulations requiring at least 150 hours of higher education to sit for the uniform CPA examination. Also the AICPA requires new members to possess 150 hours of higher education. 

Increasingly, businesses are hiring new professionals who have master’s degrees. These include public accounting firms, manufacturing companies, and service providers in healthcare, finance, and insurance, as well as governmental organizations. Belmont’s integrated accountancy degree is a program which meets employer needs and provides graduates with exceptional career opportunities.

The integrated program is only for accounting concentration students in the Undergraduate School of Business Administration at Belmont University and is designed to be completed in a five-year time period.

Learn more about Belmont's MAcc program

The Jack C. Massey College of Business offers a variety of co-curricular leadership and learning opportunities to qualifying students in the form of student organizations and honors societies. Each organization has a faculty advisor, if not multiple. Therefore, our students are able to network and collaborate with faculty both in and out of the classroom.

Student Organizations

• Association for Information Systems
• American Marketing Association
• Business Student Advisory Board
• Collegiate DECA
• Enactus
• Equity Trading Club
• International Business Society
• Society for Human Resource Management
• Student Center for the Public Trust

Honor Societies

• Beta Alpha Psi
• Beta Gamma Sigma
• Omicron Delta Epsilon
• Sigma Nu Tau

A Global Perspective

As the workplace becomes more international in scope, a successful manager needs knowledge and skills that extend beyond the traditional business disciplines. Thus, Belmont’s Jack C. Massey College of Business places a strong emphasis on the global business community and requires all BBA degree-seeking students to complete an international business course. Global issues are also interwoven throughout other courses in the business curriculum.

In addition to classroom learning, all students in The Jack C. Massey College of Business are encouraged to participate in Belmont’s Study Abroad program. Business study abroad programs and exchange opportunities are available in numerous countries. Our students travel to six of the seven continents, immersing themselves in the language, culture and business of each country they visit.

Earn credit towards:

• Major
• Minor
• General Education

Program length:

• Academic Year
• Semester
• Summer
• Maymester

Maymester is a 2-3 week study abroad experience during the month of May where Belmont students take advantage of tuition discounts and can sometimes earn up to nine credit hours. Maymester trips are led by Belmont faculty members, so students are able to further connect with their faculty in a meaningful way.

Immerse yourself in language, culture and business on a global scale by studying abroad. For additional information on Belmont’s study abroad programs, please visit our Center for International Business or Office of Study Abroad.

We are an innovative, student-centered learning community that prepares entrepreneurially, ethical and socially responsible future business leaders for the dynamic global economy.

We are committed to:

• Relevant, interactive and experiential academic programs provided by faculty with diverse and extensive academic qualifications and professional experience;
• Advising and mentoring students for career growth and development;
• Impactful scholarship that advances the practice, knowledge and teaching of business and management;
• Engaging the communities we serve through value-added relationships.

Organized in 1916, The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is the premier agency for bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs in business administration and accounting. AACSB International accreditation represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide.

Fewer than 5 percent of the world’s business schools are able to adhere to standards that result in AACSB accreditation of their business education programs. A much smaller group, fewer than 2 percent of business schools (185) worldwide have earned the separate, specialized accreditation for their accounting program.

Belmont University’s Jack C. Massey College of Business is the only private college or university in Tennessee that is accredited by AACSB International for our B.B.A. and M.B.A. programs, as well as our Accounting major and Master of Accountancy degree.