How to Apply to The Entrepreneur Program

Courses Offered

A Message from the Director, Tom O'Malia

The Advisory Council

Affiliated Programs:

Henry W. Simonsen Chair in Entrepreneurship
Family & Closely Held Businesses Program
Business Expansion Network

We welcome your Comments & Suggestions

Introduction to the Program
In today's business environment, one of the few remaining opportunities for personal wealth and career fulfillment still available comes from starting a business, being part of an emerging business or by participating in an entrepreneurial venture in a mature corporation (intrapreneurship). Being prepared to recognize and take advantage of such opportunities is the central theme of the USC Entrepreneur Program.

Given its innovative nature, it is not surprising that the University of Southern California originated the first program in the country over twenty five years ago to explore the topic of entrepreneurship in a comprehensive manner. Termed one of the best entrepreneurship programs in the country by Business Week, and ranked among the best by U.S. News and World Report and by Success, the program's real success is told by our graduates.

At USC we measure success, one new start up at a time. Stories abound of the successful firms started by our graduates. Areas of endeavor are as varied as the students and range from service companies to retail outlets to specialty products to investment banking. Opportunities seized by graduates joining emerging firms with stock options as their principal compensation preview a future trend in entrepreneurship.

Students continue to point to specific parts of the program that they find especially valuable now that they are competing in the real world. These include contacts with entrepreneurs made in the classes through living cases; the introduction to the finance, legal, consulting and accounting firms which are part of the entrepreneur infrastructure; the network created with the Advisory Council; and finally, the real world practical experience of the faculty. USC's Entrepreneur Program is designed to help students develop an entrepreneurial attitude of being open to change, developing new ideas, thinking outside the box, and going beyond the limitations of existing paradigms. The blend of tools, skills and attitude equips the graduates to organize and manage new ventures.

As a student you may take an introductory course in entrepreneurship or pursue a coordinated series of courses that make up the entrepreneurship concentration. Students who choose to pursue entrepreneurship as a concentration will develop a feasibility plan and a business plan for a new or growing business as the capstone of their program of study.

Whether you take one course or the whole series, you will be struck by the hands-on, pragmatic nature of the program. You will be taught by a faculty who have founded and managed companies of every type and size, and by entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, accountants, consultants, and attorneys who come to the classroom to present "living cases" and to deliver lifelong guidance. In the words of one student, the living cases show the relevance of concepts and themes discussed in the classroom, bringing them to life.

The hands-on component of the learning experience is reinforced by linking students with entrepreneurs possessing similar interests in a mentoring relationship. Mentors volunteer time to meet with students and offer counseling and support on a one-on-one basis.

What you can expect to take from the program is a combination of entrepreneurial attitude, a "tool kit" of entrepreneurial skills, and the contacts to write your own success story. "When you leave the USC Entrepreneur Program, you will be in control of your own destiny