Business & Entrepreneurial Studies Home

Emerson has a history of turning out industry leaders and entrepreneurs in Communication and the Arts, and many other industry sectors. Success stories abound, even though formal Business study is relatively new to the College.

Emerson College offers two Minors that help prepare students for their roles in business: The Minor in Business Studies in Communication and the Arts, and The Minor in Entrepreneurial Studies, which is called the Emerson Experience in Entrepreneurship, or E3. B&E Faculty must have practical business experience as well as academic credentials and teaching experience. Those who teach in the Entrepreneurial Studies Program must also have experience as an entrepreneur.

The Minor in Business Studies helps students from various disciplines develop new competencies to take with them into the job market. By gaining exposure to the basic business skills demanded by today’s employers in the competitive job market, Emerson students will be able to position themselves as applicants who have a rare combination of specialized creative training and business know-how. The Minor in Business Studies is a 20-Hour Minor, divided into five courses that students complete sequentially during their time at Emerson.

E3 is an immersion program and as such is structured differently from Business Studies and other minors at Emerson. The program consists of two intensive courses, each of which is eight credit hours rather than the standard four, with students meeting twice a week for four hours each day. E3 is run as a cohort. Students begin the program in the fall semester, and complete E3 during the contiguous spring semester.

The E3 Program began formal coursework in September 2005. To date, more than 75 student business opportunities have been created, enjoying nearly an impressive 40% launch rate. The program’s capstone is the Annual E3 Exposition, an event where students in the program vie for $12,000 in startup funds during a business plan competition. The E3 Expo features exhibits by each student company which have included music, food, comedy, Capoeira, and dancing. George Feldenkreis, CEO of Perry Ellis, delivered an inspirational keynote address at the Third Annual E3 Exposition in April 2008. You can find pictures and video of George’s keynote, student presentations, and examples of student work in the Archive. In 2009, Mike Michalowicz, author of the bestseller The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, will address how to be a successful entrepreneur in times like these. You can also view links to the E3 companies.

Though it may sound somewhat cliché, it is important now more than ever for the next generation of professionals to firmly grasp how business works, how it affects them, and what they must do in order to launch fruitful, fulfilling careers. Our goal at B&E is to provide our students with this understanding so that they can make their way in the world, understand what is going on around them, and make a difference in the world. Because no matter what a student chooses to study, or to do, they will in some way be “in business.”

Thank you for your interest in Business & Entrepreneurial Studies at Emerson College.

Karl Baehr, PhD
Director, Business & Entrepreneurial Studies
Emerson College
120 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02116
Direct: 617.824.8857
karl_baehr@emerson.edu