Small businesses are vital to the growth of our economy and will create most new jobs. This career program prepares students to be entrepreneurs and to start up new businesses, expand existing businesses, or apply entrepreneurial skills in a corporate setting. It also develops small business management skills to operate small businesses. This program will provide an opportunity to develop entrepreneurial skills with an understanding of marketing, accounting, business law, and management as they relate to business ownership. Practical training is provided through internships in small business settings. The program courses may be transferred to bachelor’s degree programs.
Program Learning Outcomes:
1. Identify core concepts of entrepreneurial ventures and small business management and their impact on society and the global economy.
2. Describe the legal and ethical environments for entrepreneurs and small businesses.
3. Demonstrate analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills applicable to entrepreneurial ventures and small business management
4. Demonstrate information literacy through research skills and the use of technology.
5. Apply effective written and oral communication skills to business situations.
Program Descriptors:
This is a career/workforce specialized degree. The Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship students utilize the Gateway Small Business Center, and the Werth Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Housatonic Community College. The Werth Center provides mentoring, workshops, MakerSpace, and a student store/website. In the Launch a Business (BES 295) capstone course, students focus on launching businesses or growing their existing businesses. The BES 295 course is currently taught jointly with Gateway and Housatonic students. This degree program can be completed fully online.
Note: According to the Wall Street Journal on Nov. 29, 2021, “The pandemic has unleashed a historic burst in entrepreneurship and self-employment. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are striking out on their own as consultants, retailers, and small-business owners. The number of unincorporated self-employed workers has risen by 500,000 since the start of the pandemic, Labor Department data show, to 9.44 million. That is the highest total since the financial-crisis year 2008, except for this summer. The total amounts to an increase of 6% in the self-employed, while the overall U.S. employment total remains 3% lower than before the pandemic.”
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