The only bachelors of science in entrepreneurship in the state in now offered at Northern Kentucky University.

Starting this semester, NKU students are able to declare Entrepreneurship as their major. The school is offering graduate and undergraduate programs as well as a certificate in entrepreneurship. The minor, which is still available to students, has been offered since 2000.

“We have a stronger focus on entrepreneurship than other schools,” said Dr. Rebecca White, director of the Entrepreneurship Institute. “I think we are going to attract students from all over the state,” she said.

“Students have singled out NKU because they saw entrepreneurship was being offered,” Jeff Varrone, student coordinator and research associate said.

According to Varrone, students who major in entrepreneurship will be exposed to the new venture creation process through which they will gain an understanding of the skills, knowledge and experience required to be a successful entrepreneur.

“I chose the minor in entrepreneurship after completing ENTP300 New Venture Creation,” said Michael Murphy, a management and finance major. “I was seeing a different side of the business world, a side filled with creative ideas. The minor gave me the confidence to develop and share my own ideas.”

According to Varrone the curriculum gives students an opportunity to develop their own creative skills while applying principles of management, marketing and finance to the starting and managing of a business. Some course topics include business plan development, venture financing and management of innovation.

“I wanted to learn generalized information about the different areas of a business from accounting to management, specializing in what makes a business successful as opposed to a specialization in management,” said Jessica Hamilton, senior public relations major.

Varrone said that majoring in entrepreneurship allows students to start a new company, manage it, identify new business opportunities, and turn ideas into marketable innovations.

“I think NKU is a very entrepreneurial university and many of our students are entrepreneurial,” White said. “Entrepreneurship is the fastest growing major in the United States,” she said.

According to Varrone, the goal of the entrepreneurship program is for students to develop general business and entrepreneurship skills within the context of real world experience and “civic engagement” with the local business community.

Information sessions about the major in entrepreneurship will be offered throughout the school year to counsel students on what it entails.