Graduate

Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship

Are you eager to get your ideas off of the napkin and out into the world? Whether you envision founding your own company, making an impact in a startup, or taking on a pivotal role in an established organization, the Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship provides a fast-paced, experiential environment to develop your skills as a founder alongside intensive mentoring and soft skills development.

Mahsa Haseli and M. Hossein Kashefizadeh of Vitruvian Matrix at the Arkansas Governor's Cup Competition.

Mahsa Haseli and M. Hossein Kashefizadeh of Vitruvian Matrix at the Arkansas Governor's Cup Competition.

Designed to pair graduate students from business and non-business disciplines on teams together, the program provides a business incubation-like setting for exploring real business ideas and for connecting new technologies to market opportunities.

Students leave with an understanding of how to evaluate a business idea, fluency across all key domains of a startup, and confidence in communicating persuasively to investors and other audiences.

Students from across disciplines come together to form dynamic teams in the program to launch successful commercial or non-commercial ventures, create and market innovative products and processes, drive social impact, and become leaders and innovators within existing organizations.

Whether you are a degree-seeking student or pursuing non-degree education, the certificate is open to you. To apply for the Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship, all you need is a completed accredited undergraduate degree and compliance with other Graduate School of Business admissions requirements.

To receive the Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship, students must complete 12 credit hours, including 9 required credit hours from the Walton College of Business and 3 elective credit hours as outlined in the graduate catalog. Students should meet with their degree program advisor to determine how certificate courses count towards their major M.S., M.A., or Ph.D. program.

Required Courses

SEVI 5213 Business Foundations for Entrepreneurs (Non-Business Students Only - Spring or Summer) 3
SEVI 5323 New Venture Development I (Fall) 3
SEVI 5313 Strategic Management for Entrepreneurs (Business Students Only - Spring) 3
SEVI 5413 New Venture Development II (Spring) 3

A note about timing: practically speaking, many students find that the certificate fits best into the “all but dissertation” stage of a PhD, the second year of a professional Master’s program, or embedded into a full-time or Executive MBA. Others pursue it as a standalone program while working full-time. If you have questions about the structure of the program or how to fit it into your own academic and professional life, please contact Laura Moix at lmoix@uark.edu.

Current UARK Graduate Students Add On The Certificate

Students who are currently enrolled in a graduate program at the University of Arkansas can use a streamlined application to add the certificate to their academic plan.

New Students Apply to the Graduate School of Business

Students who are not currently enrolled in a graduate program at the University of Arkansas must complete an application to the Walton Graduate school. When you are asked to select an application type, the correct selection is "Walton College of Business Graduate Application".

Learn more by contacting Laura Moix at lmoix@uark.edu 

Graduate Entrepreneurial Fellowship

Launched in 2021 with generous support from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation, the University of Arkansas Graduate Entrepreneurial Fellows program is funding intended to support promising graduate students from all disciplines in the pursuit of intensive entrepreneurial training.

students presenting

Entrepreneurial Fellows are expected to devote at least 20 hours per week to their entrepreneurial pursuits during their fellowship year.

Eligibility

Students pursuing intensive entrepreneurial training, through academic programs like the Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship, MBA with Entrepreneurship track, MS in Biomedical Engineering with Healthcare Entrepreneurship Concentration, MS in Product Innovation, or MS in Electrical Engineering with Entrepreneurship Concentration, are eligible to apply.

Priority will be given to students pursuing Master’s or PhD degrees, but students pursuing the Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship as an independent program are also eligible.

Award Structure
Graduate students adding the certificate to a degree already in progress may choose the award structure that best meets their needs. Graduate students in part-time programs or taking the certificate as a stand-alone pursuit will receive the flat award over time.

  • Option 1: a graduate assistantship (for students who are not already in a GA position) and an additional award in the amount of $10,000/year for master’s students or $12,000/year for doctoral students.
    • 2-3 exceptional PhD students per year are eligible for a higher award amount of $22,000 through the Kaneaster and Ruth Lindley Hodges Entrepreneurial Fellowship Award.
  • Option 2: a flat award amount of $15,000/year for participants at the master’s level and $17,000/year for participants at the doctoral level.

Application Deadline April 1

Application Packet

A complete fellowship application includes:

  • current CV
  • current and undergraduate transcripts
  • PI nomination letter (doctoral students only)
  • 1-3 letters of recommendation
  • letter of interest (up to 2 pages; sharing your reasons for wanting to pursue this fellowship and describing any relevant work or research experience that will provide a foundation for their goals.) Successful applications will address the questions below:
    • What are your career goals, and how does entrepreneurial training fit into them?
    • What problems – societal, market-based, or other – are you interested in solving?
    • What prior entrepreneurial training, coursework, or resources have you pursued?
    • Have you developed a new product, service, or intellectual property that you would be interested in bringing to market during this program?
    • Do you share a commitment to building a diverse and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem at the University of Arkansas and beyond?

Please email questions to Laura Moix at lmoix@uark.edu.

Apply for the Graduate Entrepreneurial Fellowship

Masters in Product Innovation with Entrepreneurship Focus

Masters in Product Innovation with Entrepreneurship Focus

The MSPI prepares students to develop new physical and digital products and assists them through the cycle of creation, management, promotion and manufacturing. It was created to appeal to both entrepreneurs and professionals in existing companies to revise and enhance products or rollout new ones. 

Tailored for early to mid-level working professionals, the  MSPI program is offered in a part-time format spanning a 2-year period beginning each fall semester. The program incorporates 30 credit hours through full summer, fall and spring terms. Classes meet online during the week and one Saturday per month at the university's Global Campus in Bentonville. 

In this track, you will partner with students from non-business disciplines to analyze growth, impact and profit potential of new venture opportunities. You will learn how to examine intellectual property, competition, and the allocation of human and financial resources. You will complete the track with a viable business plan in hand, for which you may seek funding through state, regional, and national business plan competitions.

Learn More about the Master of Science in Product Innovation