General Questions About The Entrepreneurship (ENT) Minor 

 

Have a question not listed here?

Please reach out to Carol Denning, Assistant Director of the Derby Entrepreneurship Center at: entstudent@tufts.edu.

How is the Entrepreneurship (ENT) Minor different from other business minors?

There are many business minors available at Tufts, including the Entrepreneurship Minor, the Entrepreneurship for Social Impact Minor, as well as the Engineering Management Minor and the Business, Management, and Leadership Minor. The Economics Minor and the Finance Minor are also populay choices. Additionally, Fletcher School offers a Graduate Business Certificate with courses that are available to undergraduates students.

While all these options cover business concepts with different perspectives, the ENT Minor is specifically designed to help you understand the language of business, while building a bias for action. This minor gives you the tools to get things done. It focuses on building your ability and self-confidence to see and act on opportunities, identify problems worth solving, develop innovative solutions, learn what is needed along the way, and create change in any context.

Is the ENT Minor only for people who want to start companies?

Not at all. While some students do launch ventures, the entrepreneurial mindset is valuable everywhere. Our alumni lead innovation in large organizations, create change in nonprofits, and design programs in government. It’s about how you create opportunities from challenges, not where you work.

I don't have a business background. Will I feel lost?

No experience needed! The introductory courses as well as the foundation course start with the basics. What matters is your curiosity and willingness to try new things. We’ll teach you the tools. You bring the ideas.

What if I don't know what I want to create yet?

The minor is designed as a journey of discovery. Through projects and challenges, you’ll explore different ways to apply entrepreneurial thinking. Many students discover their path through the minor itself. You’re in the right place!

What changed in the requirements to earn the Entrepreneurship Minor before and after September 2022?

Exciting changes are coming for the ENT Minor effective from September 2022 onward! We are moving to more flexible requirements to allow students the opportunity to obtain a solid foundation in entrepreneurship along with the flexibility to pursue courses that align with students’ interests. These requirements are 100% backward-compatible with existing requirements, so students who are on track to earn the minor will not need to change their plans. Students who have not yet completed their minor requirements will have more flexibility to choose courses in their area of interest while receiving a solid foundation for the entrepreneurial method.

Do the new ENT Minor requirements mean I don’t have to take all core courses, for example, Entrepreneurial Finance?

Yes, you can earn the minor without taking all the core courses. You only need to earn 12 credits — 6 of which need to be chosen from the core courses. That said, we strongly recommend all ENT students take at least one course in accounting or finance. For AY2022-23, if you elect not to take Entrepreneurial Finance (4 credits) — a must-have for students contemplating a career in investment banking or financial services in any capacity — you can choose to take EC3 Financial Accounting or EC 50 Introduction to Finance. For AY2023-24 and beyond, we anticipate introducing additional finance courses at an introductory level (2-3 credits) for entrepreneurial students.

What are the changes to the redesigned ENT141 for Spring 2025?

ENT141 Innovative Social Enterprises will join the list of courses that satisfy the foundational course requirement.

 

I have already taken a Foundation Course. Can I take a second one as an elective?

We do not recommend that you take more than one course from the foundation course list to satisfy the elective requirement for the Entrepreneurship Minor. All foundation courses share core learning objectives, and while the sector-specific variants (BME184, ENT141, ENT151, ENT161) have a different industry focus compared with ENT101, students will find the content repetitive. It is a much better use of your time to choose a different course from our extensive list of electives to make the most of your in-class experience.

 

When should I start?

You can start any time! Some students take exploratory courses as a first-year student, then take the foundation course in their sophomore year. Many start in their sophomore or junior year. The curriculum is designed to fit alongside any major, with evening and flexible scheduling options

 

 

I have additional questions about course requirements. Who can I talk to?

Please email Carol Denning, Assistant Director of Derby Entrepreneurship Center and our Entrepreneurship Minor academic advisor, at entstudent@tufts.edu. Thanks!

General Questions About The Entrepreneurship for Social Impact (ESI) Minor

 

Have a question not listed here?

Please reach out to Carol Denning, Assistant Director of the Derby Entrepreneurship Center at: entstudent@tufts.edu.

How is the Entrepreneurship for Social Impact (ESI) Minor different from other business minors?

There are many business minors available at Tufts, including the Entrepreneurship Minor, the Entrepreneurship for Social Impact Minor, as well as the Engineering Management Minor and the Business, Management, and Leadership Minor. The Economics Minor and the Finance Minor are also populay choices. Additionally, Fletcher School offers a Graduate Business Certificate with courses that are available to undergraduates students.

While all these options cover business concepts with different perspectives, the ESI Minor gives you a mix of civic and political engagement balanced with practical business skills that helps you build solutions with an entrepreneurial approach.

Is the ESI Minor only about starting nonprofits?

Not at all. Social impact happens everywhere. Social enterprises span for-profit and non-profit business types. Some alumni launch social enterprises, and many others lead change within existing organizations—for profit organizations, nonprofits, government agencies. It’s about developing capabilities to drive positive change wherever you work.

I care deeply about social causes. Shouldn't social impact work be above thinking about money and profit?

Financial skills help social enterprises survive and grow—without cash, you can’t make a real impact. Money is simply a tool to power your mission, not a distraction from it. Learning finance means your ideas can reach more people and create lasting change.

What if I don't know which issue I care about most?

You’re in the right place! Through coursework and community partnerships, you’ll explore different challenges and approaches. Many students discover their focus through the minor itself. The skills you develop apply to any social challenge.

 

I have already taken ENT101. Do I still need ENT141 to earn the ESI Minor?

Yes. ENT141 Entrepreneurship for Social Impact has additional learning outcomes and course topics and objectives that are focused on social enterprises. We recommend you start with ENT141 and take two additional courses that are not listed as an Entrepreneurship Minor Foundation Course to build a broad skillset.

 

I have additional questions about course requirements. Who can I talk to?

Please email Carol Denning, Assistant Director of Derby Entrepreneurship Center and our Entrepreneurship Minor academic advisor, at entstudent@tufts.edu. Thanks!

Transfer Credit and Double Counting Questions

 

I took courses at another institution (for example I am a transfer student, or I wish to study abroad), can I transfer these credits?

Yes, you can find complete details about the transfer credit process on this Tufts website. During this process, if you request ENT course credit, then your request will be routed to the Undergraduate Transfer of Credit Department Representative listed here for Entrepreneurship. In conjunction with faculty, this person determines the acceptability of the content of your requested course(s). When you input your request in SIS, it is imperative that you include a link to the course syllabus. If you are accessing the syllabus through the student portal of another university, then the Tufts representative will not be able to access the syllabus through the link you use. You will need to copy the syllabus, perhaps to a Google document, and upload an accessible link in SIS. If you wish for your request to be considered for equivalency to an existing course, then please indicate this in your SIS request. Please note that transfer credits are not typically issued for core course equivalencies. Transfer credits are only issued for elective course credit. Transfer credit requests are reviewed on a monthly basis. If you do not receive a response to your request in SIS within one month, then you can please reach out to ENTstudent@tufts.edu.  

I am a School of Arts and Science student. Can I double count my courses between my majors and minors?

Yes! For students in the School of Arts and Sciences, a maximum of two courses used to fulfill a foundation, distribution or concentration requirement may be used toward fulfillment of the minor. There are no  restrictions for students in the School of Engineering.

I am a School of Engineering student. Do your courses satisfy the SoE-HASS requirement or other distribution requirements?

Most ENT courses include the following class attributes: BFA-Social Science, LA-Distribution-Social Sciences, SoE-HASS-Social Sciences. Be sure to check SIS for details.

Course Progression Questions

 

What is a good course progression for a student interested in building software ventures?

Following is an example course progression for a student interested in building software ventures.

What is a good course progression for a student interested in a career in finance?

Following is an example course progression for a student interested in building software ventures.

What is a good course progression for a student interested in product design and product management?

Following is an example course progression for a student interested in product design and product management

What is a good course progression for a student interested in creative and media arts?

Following is an example course progression for a student interested in creative and media arts.

I'm a biomedical engineering student. I only have time for 1 or 2 courses. Which course should I take?

Biomedical Engineering students have a heavy course load and often find it hard to fit Entrepreneurship courses into their schedule without running into a conflict with a required course for their majors. If there is room for one course, we recommend taking one of the Foundation courses from our portfolio. Specifically, BME184 Biomedical Entrepreneurship & Strategy or ENT101 Entrepreneurship and Business Planning are the best choice for you.

I am an undergraduate student with no technical experience. What courses might I take to learn more about product development?

There are two courses designed for students with little or no technical experience: ENT164 Introduction to Making teaches students a variety of physical maker skills, from hand making to 3d printing, laser cutting, creating simple circuits to writing code and creating interactive prototypes. ENT193.02 Software Prototyping Without Code teaches students to develop web and mobile apps without knowing how to write code. Both require no experience and are open to first year students.