Academics

Entrepreneurship courses and minors from the Derby Entrepreneurship Center

Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Education @ Tufts

The Derby Entrepreneurship Center offers 20+ unique undergraduate entrepreneurship courses, most of which are offered every semester. We also offer two minors: the Entrepreneurship Minor, the biggest minor on campus, and the Entrepreneurship for Social Impact Minor, a collaboration with Tisch College.

Entrepreneurship Minor

The Entrepreneurship Minor is the most popular minor on campus, with courses that draw students from all schools and colleges at Tufts University. Students learn to work and think like entrepreneurs and speak the language of business by taking the equivalent of five dynamic courses taught by award-winning entrepreneurs and investors.

Entrepreneurship for Social Impact Minor

The Entrepreneurship for Social Impact Minor is offered in partnership with Tisch College of Civic Life. It is designed for students who want to solve problems in today’s society and drive impact through innovation and new venture creation. Students build knowledge about the processes of social change via three civic studies courses offered by Tisch College.

Browse Entrepreneurship Courses

We offer a variety of innovation and entrepreneurship courses to students from all schools at Tufts University. These courses help students develop an entrepreneurial mindset and skillset that helps them accelerate their career growth, whether they want to work in a startup, a big company, a nonprofit, or a government agency.

Unless otherwise stated, ENT courses are offered as 3-Credit, full semester, graded courses.

These courses include the following class attributes:
BFA-Social Science, LA-Distribution-Social Sciences, SoE-HASS-Social Sciences.

ENT100 Creativity, Innovation & Entrepreneurial Thinking

ENT100 Creativity, Innovation & Entrepreneurial Thinking

This introductory course is designed for students curious about how to unleash their creative spirits to solve big problems with innovative solutions.
ENT101 Entrepreneurship and Business Planning

ENT101 Entrepreneurship and Business Planning

In this course we will introduce the core mindset and skillset behind new venture creation.
ENT103 Entrepreneurial Finance

ENT103 Entrepreneurial Finance

This course focuses on developing and applying the financial skills that are needed to successfully manage commercial and social enterprises.
ENT105 Entrepreneurial Marketing

ENT105 Entrepreneurial Marketing

This course focuses on institutional and product marketing methods used by start-up to medium-sized companies.
ENT106 The Science of Sales

ENT106 The Science of Sales

Our “Science of Sales” course explores process, tools, technology, metrics and most importantly, the people that are required to actually sell, close orders and bring in revenue.
ENT107 Entrepreneurial Leadership

ENT107 Entrepreneurial Leadership

This course is designed to help students develop the knowledge, confidence, skills, and self-image necessary to pursue entrepreneurial ventures in such domains as business, government, and public service.
ENT109 | CVS149 Societal Aspects of Design

ENT109 | CVS149 Societal Aspects of Design

Multi-disciplinary perspective of innovative technology-based design process for societal and community influence. Principles of design from product development process, thought and emotion, ethics and responsibility.
ENT141 Innovative Social Enterprises

ENT141 Innovative Social Enterprises

Innovative Social Enterprises is structured to provide students a highly interactive exploration of core skills vital to social entrepreneurs.
ENT142 Nonprofits, Philanthropy and Impact

ENT142 Nonprofits, Philanthropy and Impact

Through case analysis, press analysis, group discussions, and interactions with nonprofit leaders, you will learn how entrepreneurship and philanthropy are deeply intertwined in healthy, high-performing organizations.
ENT151 | CS150 Entrepreneurship for Computer Science

ENT151 | CS150 Entrepreneurship for Computer Science

This is an introductory entrepreneurship course for Computer Science students. The course provides an overview of entrepreneurship, develops an entrepreneurial perspective, and provides a framework for the essential elements of entrepreneurial ventures.
ENT161 Consumer Product Ventures

ENT161 Consumer Product Ventures

This course covers the entrepreneurial process from conception to commercialization or launch of a new venture focused on a consumer product.
ENT162 Bringing Products To Market

ENT162 Bringing Products To Market

Bringing a Product to Market covers the design process of a product from ideation to deployment and market launch.
ENT163 Entrepreneurial Business Law

ENT163 Entrepreneurial Business Law

Entrepreneurial Business Law is an interactive class featuring speakers from the private equity, venture capital, and investment banking worlds as well as executives who have exited through a public offering or sale of their company.
ENT164 Introduction to Making

ENT164 Introduction to Making

Introduction to Making is an exploratory course that gives you the practical, hands-on skills to make working prototypes of your products.
CVS170 | ENT170J Developing Leaders in the Civic Context

CVS170 | ENT170J Developing Leaders in the Civic Context

Integration and application of concepts from adult development and learning, leader and leadership development, and organizational behavior to build capacity for social change.
TGI110 | ENT180J Preparing New and Aspiring Leaders

TGI110 | ENT180J Preparing New and Aspiring Leaders

Development and application of leadership skills across a range of contexts including startups, corporations, and nonprofits.
TGI111 | ENT181 Developing Financial Literacy (2 Credits)

TGI111 | ENT181 Developing Financial Literacy (2 Credits)

Introduction to sound money management in personal and professional finance.
TGI 112 | ENT182J Communication Skills (2 credits, First Half)

TGI 112 | ENT182J Communication Skills (2 credits, First Half)

The course will develop effective communications skills across a range of personal and professional scenarios.
TGI 113 | ENT183J Essentials of Marketing (2 credits, Second Half)

TGI 113 | ENT183J Essentials of Marketing (2 credits, Second Half)

This marketing 101 course will provide students with an understanding of marketing practices across a range of applications, from startups to non-profits.
TGI114 | ENT184J Planning your career pathway (2 credits)

TGI114 | ENT184J Planning your career pathway (2 credits)

This course guides students through the process of developing a career plan across an individual's professional journey.
TGI 115 | ENT185J Living a Life of Purpose: The Leader as Seeker (2 credits, Second Half)

TGI 115 | ENT185J Living a Life of Purpose: The Leader as Seeker (2 credits, Second Half)

This course will help students to learn how to contribute to global society with an ethical mindset and cultural sensitivity.
ENT193.01 Building Your Entrepreneurial Toolkit

ENT193.01 Building Your Entrepreneurial Toolkit

In this course students will start to learn the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, innovation, culture, business models and strategy and how these elements vary across industries.
ENT193.02 Paths to Entrepreneurship (2 credits, Second Half)

ENT193.02 Paths to Entrepreneurship (2 credits, Second Half)

In this course, students learn and unlearn what it means to be an entrepreneur and the various paths one can take towards entrepreneurship.
ENT193.05 Team and Talent Management (2 credits)

ENT193.05 Team and Talent Management (2 credits)

This course focuses on the entire chain of team building and talent management from building high-performing teams, recruiting, hiring, and onboarding new employees to the overall personnel management of the business.
ENT193 | NUTR280J Nutrition and Entrepreneurship (Boston Campus)

ENT193 | NUTR280J Nutrition and Entrepreneurship (Boston Campus)

Entrepreneurial theory and practice relevant to the nutrition/food space will be discussed from the perspectives of a stand-alone start-up company and within larger organizations.
ENT193.09 Innovating for Impact (2 credits, First Half)

ENT193.09 Innovating for Impact (2 credits, First Half)

In this course, students learn and unlearn what it means to be an entrepreneur and the various paths one can take towards entrepreneurship.
ENT193.04 Art Entrepreneurship

ENT193.04 Art Entrepreneurship

As innovative thinkers, artists address and answer questions of creative entrepreneurship in myriad ways from pop-ups to public projects, performances to artist run spaces, from online retail to non-profits.
ENT194.01Inside the Classroom

ENT194.01Inside the Classroom

"Inside the Classroom" allows students to serve as Classroom Operating Officers (COO), where they receive course credit for providing leadership, mentorship and student support for Entrepreneurship courses.
ENT198 Entrepreneurial Internship

ENT198 Entrepreneurial Internship

The Entrepreneurial Internship course allows students to earn credits while working as an intern for their company sponsor during the semester.
ENT199 Entrepreneurial Field Study

ENT199 Entrepreneurial Field Study

This immersive course enables students to apply the learning and skills acquired by other courses on Entrepreneurship to the creation and development of their own new venture.

Additional Undergraduate Programs at Tufts Gordon Institute

Engineering Management Minor

The Engineering Management Minor is a leadership-focused program that emphasizes real life experience and engineering practice, not just theory, and equips you with a competitive edge in the workplace. All students from Tufts University’s School of Arts & Sciences and School of Engineering are welcome to complete the minor. To earn the minor, students will complete four required courses and one elective, all taken for a grade.

Foundations for future leadership minor

For students in the School of Engineering, Tufts Gordon Institute offers the Foundations for Future Leadership Minor, which provides students with the skills and mindset to lead society through the challenges of tomorrow. To earn the minor, students need to complete three half-semester core courses and one elective course. School of Arts and Science students are welcome to take the courses, although the minor will not be reflected on your transcript. 

Master of Science Programs at the Tufts Gordon Institute

Master of Science in Innovation Management

The MS in Innovation & Management from Tufts University’s Gordon Institute, home to the Derby Entrepreneurship Center, is a full-time, accelerated program designed for people who want to make things happen. Who are passionate about science, technology, engineering, or math. Who believe new solutions will solve our toughest challenges – and make this a better world.

MSIM + MS in Engineering: Dual Degree Master’s Program

Develop your innovation, leadership, and management skills and build your technical depth with our Dual Degree master’s program. You’ll earn two degrees – an MS in Innovation & Management (MSIM) and an MS offered by one of the six academic departments within the School of Engineering. You can earn both degrees in an accelerated timeframe at a reduced cost.