Innovation, Creativity & Entrepreneurship

Bridging Disciplines Programs allow you to earn an interdisciplinary certificate that integrates area requirements, electives, courses for your major, internships, and research experiences.

The Innovation, Creativity & Entrepreneurship BDP helps you develop skills to bring creative thinking and an entrepreneurial mindset to your career goals, whether you’re interested in turning your ideas into a new venture or initiative, being part of a startup team, or bringing creative new ideas into more established organizations. Some of the skills and qualities you’ll learn as you cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset include idea generation, design and prototyping, problem-solving, pitching your ideas, teamwork and collaboration, resilience, flexibility, and a tolerance for risk. Through an exciting interdisciplinary program that combines courses from Business, Communication, Engineering, Fine Arts, and Liberal Arts, among others, you will earn a certificate that is tailored to your specific interests and career goals, while gaining hands-on research or internship experience that allows you to put your entrepreneurial skills and ideas into practice.

Through a partnership with The LaunchPad, students in this program have access to a broad network of mentors. In addition to their course and Connecting Experience requirements, students admitted to this BDP will participate in at least 3 hours of mentoring with a team tailored to their interests.

Upon completion of 19 credit hours from the options listed below, you will earn a certificate in Innovation, Creativity & Entrepreneurship.

Note: Course descriptions available here are from a recent offering of the course, and they may not reflect the description for the next offering of the course.

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Forum Seminar Courses   (1 credit hours)

All students in the Innovation, Creativity & Entrepreneurship BDP are required to take a Forum Seminar. Choose one Forum Seminar Course.

ICE Forum
BDP 101 INTRO TO THE ENTRPRNRAL MNDSET
This seminar course is taught in conjunction with The LaunchPad at UT Austin (“The LaunchPad”) - an entrepreneurship hub that helps undergraduate and graduate students of all majors navigate and explore entrepreneurship at UT. This course will introduce you to a framework of what it means to be entrepreneurial – taking initiative, getting comfortable with risk, and practicing resilience. Regardless of whether you go on to become a small business owner, startup founder, freelancer, social entrepreneur, or even an intrapreneur in a company, you will leave the course with the perspective and skills needed to navigate our modern workforce.
E S 177 Longhorn Startup Seminar
Longhorn Startup Seminar (LSS) is a lecture-based course in the Fall semester that features prominent entrepreneurs telling the stories of how they founded their companies and answering questions from the students. Students get to pitch their idea to the class and participate in speed-dating events to meet potential co-founders and get advice from mentors. Any student from any college can register. For more information visit LonghornStartup.com
F A 171 CREATIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
This class will accentuate “creative entrepreneurship.” In this context, a creative entrepreneur is one who serves creative industries, or those with creative output, such as design, arts and entertainment, music, architecture, food, fashion and textiles, theater, and consumer product goods. This class aims to give students a broad understanding of entrepreneurship and the skills to practice it. Entrepreneurship is complex and intimidating to those unfamiliar with the process. This class intends to demystify the entrepreneurial process through hands-on, project-based learning. Students who complete this course will progress through the early stages of the entrepreneurial process. This understanding will be achieved through experiential learning, thorough research, critical thinking, dynamic guest speakers, and spirited discussion. Entrepreneurs succeed by successfully navigating ambiguity and iterating until they overcome roadblocks. This class will offer opportunities to learn from both of these elements: students will need to make decisions in uncertain circumstances and make multiple attempts before achieving desired outcomes.

Foundation Courses   (9 - 12 credit hours)

Foundation Courses introduce key methodologies and issues related to Innovation, Creativity & Entrepreneurship. Choose one course from each of the following categories. If you choose to complete a second 3-hour course from any of the Foundation Course categories, you will complete only 3 credit hours of Strand Courses.

Entrepreneurship Foundation Course
E S 377 Longhorn Startup Seminar
F A 355 WOMEN IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Co-taught by Professor Kendra Scott, designer and founder of KS, and Professor Jan Ryan, serial entrepreneur & Executive Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, this course is designed to provide hands-on, tangible tools to equip and empower female entrepreneurs and those who are interested in the female founder’s unique perspective. With a blend of lectures, experiential exercises and guest speakers, this class will immerse students in the core tenets of creating a new business, confronting common gender biases, and the empowerment to see larger possibilities for their career. The goals of the class are twofold: • To help female students (or male) build a new entrepreneurial identity, a mindset which can turn ideas into action • To prepare students with strategies to overcome key hurdles that women entrepreneurs face in business today in our society.
MAN 327 Innovation/Entrepreneurship
MAN 327 is a course on the foundations of entrepreneurship and as such will examine various fundamental elements of entrepreneurship and general business from historical, philosophical, economic, and sociological lenses. It is NOT a “how to start a new business” or “how to design the next killer app” class. The course focuses more on the entrepreneurial mindset and helps students understand the role of entrepreneurship in the allocation and distribution of scarce resources for wealth and prosperity in society, and entrepreneurship’s influence on contemporary world issues. By examining how different opportunities result in various organizational structures and by understanding the unique requirements of those structures as they serve a variety of ideas, this course will examine entrepreneurship and the development of new venture ideas through multiple lenses and perspectives. Students learn the basic theories used to explain and to understand entrepreneurial activity, which prepares them to begin critical thinking and strategic analysis of their own entrepreneurial ideas. Focus of the course is on how to identify potentially profitable business opportunities and how to use scarce resources most effectively for the creation of wealth and prosperity. Course Objectives: 1. Students are introduced to basic theories of entrepreneurship and understand trends in both the research and practice of entrepreneurship. 2. Students understand the role of entrepreneurship in the allocation and distribution of scarce resources for the creation of wealth and prosperity in society. 3. Students learn how to identify and assess potentially profitable entrepreneurial opportunities. 4. Students learn general business principles and how to apply them to maximize firm profitability. 5. Students learn how to think and act entrepreneurially, either with nascent enterprises or within existing organizational environments. 
MAN 327E NEW VENTURE MECHANICS
The primary objective of New Venture Mechanics is to help you develop skills and gain experience in analyzing markets, business models, competitors, customer segments, financing etc., You will build a toolkit that will give you the skills you need to launch a startup. Even if you choose not to launch a startup, the expertise and experience that you gain will make you more effective at approaching business problems in innovative and creative ways. This course is very demanding and will move at a fast pace. It will stretch you and require that you work closely with your team in order to maximize your effectiveness and the overall success of the entrepreneurship minor experience. Students who successfully complete this course will be able to: 1. Create, test, and measure hypotheses to evaluate market pains and opportunities 2. Analyze competitive threats and size of the potential market 3. Understand how to get, keep, and grow customers in specific sales channels 4. Think critically about business problems and develop solutions that are hypothesis driven and tested. 5. Develop a compelling pitch deck and deliver a pitch presentation to venture capital-level audiences
MAN 337 Tech Transfer/Entrepreneurship
COURSE PURPOSE: Wealth Creation and job creation starts with the application of science to the world of business. Automobiles, computers, software, airplanes, telephones, cell phones, materials for clothing and all other products starts with science. Our job is to understand how technology transfer, or science from laboratories, enters the business world to create entrepreneurial start-up firms or help to re-image existing firms. This course wraps technology transfer around the start-up or new venture development; it covers the mechanisms of the star-up process and the importance of understanding our capitalist system. We use theories of organizational science to understand how to create effective teams that will take a product to market which has been created in scientific laboratories. Entrepreneurship and innovation are the principal source of jobs and wealth in market economies. Thus this course is concerned with entrepreneurship based on new new science or technologies. Technology transfer is at the very center of business enterprise and entrepreneurship. It is the process of taking innovations out of laboratories and finding commercial applications for those technologies. The course is also concern with explaining “how” entrepreneurship takes place as well as “why” it takes place. The “how” of new venture development is related to the entrepreneurial process (innovation, technology transfer assessment, business plans, fund raising, launching of the enterprise, and the harvest or selling of the enterprise)? Research in this area is rich, comes out of the discipline of Management and, tends to concentrate on case studies and best practices. Related to this is the importance of the Eco-System; Austin, Silicon Valley and Boston are great eco-systems. It is difficult to engage in technology transfer without a great ecosystem. The “why” of entrepreneurship is concerned with why people and groups of people engage in the entrepreneurial process? Research in the area is found in the disciplines of History, Sociology, Psychology and Economics, and is less concerned with case studies but instead concentrates on statistical analysis of measured variables of individuals and groups of individuals. The course concentrates on the entrepreneurial process and theoretical aspects of new venture developments. Readings range from the development of high tech firms (remember that high tech is everything from the discovery of fire, automobiles and airplanes) to the entrepreneurial lessons of American immigrants. The course also utilizes “live” case studies; these are individuals who have created wealth and will share their knowledge with the class. The overall aim of the course is to create within you the idea that someone has to concentrate on wealth creation and job creation within the context of market economies. You will be guided by tools of the process, The “Quicklook” and the Business Model Generator. These tools are designed to analyze the market potential of new technologies. You will have an opportunity to create your “BIG IDEA” with your classmates as team members. The final project is for the teams to present their “BIG IDEA” to the class, which is a presentation on technology transfer.
MAN 337 WOMEN IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP
The course was created to increase women’s confidence and empower them to pursue careers in business. Over the semester-long class, students can learn skills to form an entrepreneurial identity and develop strategies to overcome gender role stereotypes. It is designed to help students overcome the hurdles women face in today’s competitive entrepreneurial society. The interdisciplinary aspect of the course allows students to work with diverse peer groups, utilizing each other’s strengths to prepare them for the entrepreneurial business world.
MAN 338 Lean Start-up Essentials
Entrepreneurial Management is the study of the startup, establishing it, running it, and managing it. This course uses the "Lean Startup" concept as a canvas to give students the essential knowledge needed to either start their own business or join a startup and be a major contributor. In addition to learning about entrepreneurship, the legal aspects of starting a business, and the life and experience of working at a startup, students will get hands-on skills they can use in any startup or to start their own business. Every student will practice these skills in-class by building a real startup business (based on a pre-set collection of products and services). This course focuses on the “Lean Startup” methodology, but will also cover the traditional new venture development and the entrepreneurial process (problem identification, innovation, business plans, fund raising, launching, and managing a startup). This course will also cover the essential knowledge derived from entrepreneurship research covering proven keys to success as well as scientific research about what it takes in an individual and group to succeed in entrepreneurship. The final project is one of the pre-set business ideas, up, running, and operating in the build-measure-learn cycle that is the core of the “Lean Startup” methodology.
Skills Foundation Course
ADV 378 SOCIAL ISSUES-UTNY
Offered through the UTNY program. New York City is the global epicenter of the advertising and PR industries. Advertising and PR professionals, firms, agencies and organizations create and amplify media and culture from NYC. This course provides a brief history as well as a contemporary look at social issues in advertising and PR in New York. Topics will include corporate and social responsibility, social issues in personal and influencer branding, strategic communication for advancing social change, and crisis communication spanning the contexts of organizational and global crises. Students will gain an understanding of how social issues come to bear on advertising and PR in specific industries that are an integral part of the New York market, including healthcare, fashion, non-profits and finance.
BGS 370 BEHV INTRV ENTRPR MAN PLCY MKR
The 20th century was defined by humanity’s ability to invent a pill, vaccine, or device to overcome our biggest challenges. As the current COVID pandemic makes clear, those days are not over entirely. But, in this century, the most serious threats to human health and well-being are largely driven by individual and collective behavior choices we all make every day—whether we maintain healthy diets, wear face masks, save for retirement, persist in school, put our phones away while driving, use energy and other resources responsibly, and adhere to basic ethical standards. Consequently, behavioral science has emerged as a major new frontier in the policy sphere. Behavioral interventions are policies or programs that are designed to influence individual behavior choices in ways that benefit individuals, the organizations they are part of, and/or the broader society without the use of any significant economic incentives (e.g., fines, subsidies). Instead, to shape behavior, behavioral interventions rely on a sophisticated understanding of the psychology that drives people’s decisions—usually by tapping into underappreciated and powerful internal sources of motivation, by alleviating hidden psychological barriers to the desired behavior, or a combination of these. In the past decade, large numbers of governments at every level (e.g., US, UK, City of Chicago), social entrepreneurship ventures (e.g., the One Acre Fund, Innovations for Poverty Action), major corporations (e.g., Bank of America, Pepsico, Google, Facebook, Uber, Morningstar Financial), and non-governmental organizations (e.g., the World Bank, the World Health Organization) have launched their own in-house behavioral science teams to conduct research to inform the design of new policies and programs. And countless other organizations are making use of outside behavioral insights consultants (Ideas 42, Behavioral Insights Team, BEworks, Behavioral Sight) to inform key decisions in a wide range of domains.
CMS 306M Professional Communication Skills
The major aims of this course are to make you a more effective and professional communicator, analytical thinker, and critical listener. Throughout the semester, you will study the theories and principles of effective communication, practice applying these principles in a variety of assignments, and critique the performances of other speakers. By the end of the semester, you should be able to plan and prepare professional meetings and presentations; deliver a well- organized speech; analyze and adapt to various audiences; and adjust to different speaking situations, purposes, and contexts.
CMS 310K Team-Based Communication
The purpose of this course is to provide an experiential understanding how individuals communicate in teams, how teams are created and defined through communication, and how teams communicate with other teams across organizations. Understanding team communication is crucial to understanding organizational communication and will strengthen future teamwork experiences.
CMS 313M Organizational Communication
It is through organizations that members of a society achieve their collective goals—from making laws and building bridges, to the local and international trade of goods and services. Organizational communication is the study of how people accomplish these goals through the creation and exchange of messages within a network of interdependent relationships to cope with environmental uncertainty. Through including case studies, class activities, and online discussions, we will examine organizational communication practices within and across organizations and empower you to improve communication and organizations.
CMS 316L INTERVIEWING PRINS & PRACTICES
The art of asking the right questions and being a good listener and how these influence your personal and professional effectiveness is our central focus. For many careers (e.g., law, medicine, law enforcement, business, journalism), questioning and listening skills are crucial every day. Successfully interviewing for a job requires strong interviewing skills. This course teaches you how to prepare and conduct informational, probing, persuasive, and employment interviews. Course projects emphasize the practical application of interviewing skills in the professional world. You will build your network by interviewing professionals in a field of interest to you; participate in an investigative probing interview; and research a career that interests you, construct a resume and coverletter, and practice answering and asking questions in mock employment interviews. This course offers you the unique combination of interviewing principles, real-world experience, and learning outside the classroom. Following this course, you will be able to: 1. Explain interviewing theory 2. Write professional email messages 3. Analyze and distinguish among various types of questions 4. Identify and critique poorly constructed interview questions 5. Compose a schedule of questions to prepare for your role as an interviewer 6. Conduct professional interviews: probing, persuasive, informational, and employment 7. Network successfully through written and oral forms 8. Collect, summarize, and present research 9. Perform the role of interviewee in an employment interview
CMS 337 Building Sales Relationships
Whether you’re interested in sales, leadership, marketing, customer service, or entrepreneurship, this course provides a solid foundation in developing long-term, trusting client relationships. Through readings and discussions, we’ll thoroughly explore and critique the consultative business-to-business sales process that covers a series of steps: prospecting, assessing client needs, handling objections, closing, presenting, and following-up. We won’t forget technologies—e.g., email, telephone, social media, the Web, PowerPoint, CRM, AI, and mobile technologies; they play an integral role in client communication. You’ll apply the course content by researching a product or service, using the relationship-sales process, and selling to a mock client. We use role plays and simulated sales teams as an integral part of learning.
CMS 341 Digital Communications
The goal of this course is explore the challenges and opportunities brought about when communicating in this ever- evolving digital world. We will consider to what degree computer-mediated communication helps or hinders us in accomplishing our goals as individuals, friends, romantic partners, workers, and citizens. We will explore topics like virtual experience, digital deception, and cmc in romantic relationships. To help us reconcile our experience, we will take our new-found knowledge and weight it against poplar documentaries to better understand the legitimacy of their claims.
CMS 346 USING COMM TECHNOLOGY AT WORK
This course will explore the use of communication technologies in the workplace—examining specific communication tools and their effective use, theory and research underlying that use, and some of the opportunities and challenges associated with these communication technologies in the contemporary workplace.
CMS 353C Communication for Innovation
This course examines the critical role that communication and communicative processes play in developing innovative ideas, products, and ways of approaching problems. Drawing on a variety of behavioral theories and empirical studies, students will develop a better understanding of the challenges associated with facilitating innovation in organizations and learn strategies for improving work effectiveness. Classes will focus on critical thinking, problem solving, and application, and students will actively participate in case studies and group activities designed to simulate a variety of organizational contexts. Topics covered include: motivation, decision making, organizational culture, knowledge sharing, and idea generation.
F A 371 ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP
The Entrepreneurial LeadHERship course will guide student leaders on a journey during which they will discover their personal values, strengths, and authentic leadership style through a gender-informed perspective. The course will leverage a variety of methods, guest speakers, and experiential learning opportunities to equip and empower students with the skills they need to not only thrive, but flourish as a leader.
F A 371 ENTRPRNRL LDRSHP FOR WOMEN
The Entrepreneurial LeadHERship course will guide student leaders on a journey during which they will discover their personal values, strengths, and authentic leadership style through a gender-informed perspective. The course will leverage a variety of methods, guest speakers, and experiential learning opportunities to equip and empower students with the skills they need to not only thrive, but flourish as a leader.
HDO 301 Intro to Human Dimensions of Organizations
Welcome to Introduction to the Human Dimensions of Organizations. HDO students are focused on people- centered issues in organizations. HDO 301 aims to teach students how to use a liberal arts education to prepare for work in organizational contexts such as business, government, and nonprofits. The goal of the course is to prepare you to succeed in the HDO major and to get you started on a career path at UT and beyond. Our expectations for you are based on our understanding of what will help you be successful as a student and as a professional. In order to be successful, we expect you to be prepared for class each day. We expect you to work professionally and ethically and to contribute an equitable amount to your team projects. We expect that the professor and all the students will work together to create an inclusive and exciting environment. We expect you to read this and all class documents and all communication carefully to help you succeed in this course. We expect you to ask questions when you need clarification or assistance. Most of all, we expect that this class will be a challenging and rewarding learning experience for all of us.
HDO 350 Identities in Organizations
Regardless of what organizations we are part of—education, business, non-profit, military, religious, political, social—our spaces are increasingly diverse, yet all too often they remain exclusionary and inequitable. We will explore how identities are experienced in various organizations, with an emphasis on how identities intersect in individual’s experiences and are lived differently in different contexts. We will begin the semester by laying a foundation for understanding the complexity of identity by exploring relevant theories. Using a wide range of texts, students will investigate how our identities manifest in a myriad of ways at the micro, meso, and macro levels in various organizations.
I 372 CAREER SUCCESS IN THE DGTL ORG
Examine the essential skills for obtaining a job and sustaining a successful career with an emphasis on integrity, teamwork, time management, responsiveness to feedback, and written and oral communication. Explore tools for computer-supported cooperative work that facilitate online collaboration.
MAN 320F Foundations of Management and Organizational Behavior
This upper-division course is designed for non-business majors. The course is structured to provide students with an introduction to management of organizations and organizational behavior. A broad perspective of behavior in organizations will be covered. By the time you graduate, you can expect to experience continued restructuring, downsizing, re-engineering, entrepreneurial growth, intense competition, technological change and an expanding web of international linkages among firms. Hence, an important focus of this course is the application of principles and concepts, (such as ethics, motivation, team effectiveness, decision-making and organizational culture) relevant to managing and leading people in dynamic organizations. We will undertake several exercises to grow your leadership, management and people-related skills. Emphasis is placed on the importance of ethical leadership in organizations that helps leaders understand and manage their business with integrity.
MAN 347P ENTREPRENEURSHIP PRACTICUM

*Instructor Approval Required

The Entrepreneurship Practicum is an undergraduate experiential learning course focused on developing an understanding of the entrepreneurship process through hands-on experience. The course requires students to work in teams on projects with early-to-growth stage companies focused on helping them accelerate their growth, as well as attend weekly class sessions. Through your hands-on work with the companies as well as class discussions, lectures, guest speakers, and assignments, students develop a rich understanding of what it takes to grow a new venture, including developing a strategy and business model, conducting market validation, refining the value proposition, creating a marketing strategy, and developing a funding model. At the start of the semester, teams will work with their respective companies to identify the scope of their project, a project timeline, and deliverables. During the semester, students will contextualize their experience through in-class lectures and discussions, will track progress through report outs and interim presentations, and will be provided mentoring and guidance on their work with the companies. Toward the end of the semester, teams will share their projects in Demo Day presentations. The course is open to all undergraduate students at The University of Texas at Austin.
MKT 320F Foundations of Marketing
This course will introduce basic concepts and terminology in marketing: the process of developing marketing strategy, the role, design, and management of marketing activities within the firm, external influences that affect the development of marketing strategy, and basic analytical tools appropriate to marketing decision-making.
MKT 372 Marketing for Entrepreneurs
Course Objectives: 1. To practice entrepreneurial problem solving using all business disciplines 2. To identify means to create a successful marketing program on a limited budget 3. To gain experience using analytics and forecasts to determine business direction 4. To improve skills in oral communication and plan development
PSY 319K Social Psychology
Social psychology is the scientific study of how people think about, influence, and relate to one another. The motivations, cognitions and emotions related to these behaviors are of particular interest. After completing this course, you will: • Understand basic statistical and methodological concepts, and be able to evaluate the appropriateness of research conclusions • Be aware of the fundamental principles, theories, and research in social psychology • Understand social thinking concepts such as self-esteem, the fundamental attribution error, and belief and behavior • Understand social influence concepts such as persuasion and group dynamics • Understand social relations concepts such as prejudice, aggression, love, conflict, and helping • Apply social psychology concepts to everyday life and your experience
R M 357E Intro to Risk Management
This course will examine the way in which business and society assess, control and transfer risk. It is designed for the student with no previous knowledge of risk management. The goal of this course is to engage students in active discovery of risk management principles. Students will be prepared to function in a business environment, developing an awareness of the challenges, the tools, and the process of designing and implementing a risk management program. This process, known as the risk management process, is becoming an increasingly important tool in the management of business. An effective and efficient corporate risk management program leads to knowledge and control of costs and an improved bottom line.
RHE 328 Writing for Entrepreneurs
Peter Drucker once said, “the entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity.” Entrepreneurs discover and conceptualize problems, then look for opportunities to solve those problems with innovative solutions—solutions that could involve new products, services, processes, or principles. Such innovations can range from household gadgets to industrial processes to viral phone apps. To be successful in achieving her or his vision, an entrepreneur must develop, extend, and hone complex arguments to interest stakeholders in the vision (and to adapt that vision to the needs of the stakeholders). From developing an idea to researching the market, from sketching out the business model to describing the value proposition, from gathering customer feedback to pitching a product, entrepreneurs must perform many small arguments that form a larger coherent argument. How do they do that? In this class, we will learn, analyze, and practice some of the many types of arguments that entrepreneurs use. We will apply basic rhetorical concepts to these arguments to better analyze and construct them, and we will read articles from rhetoric, marketing, management, and related fields to better understand their context. Students do not need an entrepreneurship background, nor do they need to have a winning idea. Our focus won't be on creating the next big thing (although you might!) but on figuring out how successful entrepreneurs argue and what texts they use to make those arguments successful.
SDS 306 Statistics in Market Analysis
This course is designed to help you learn the introductory descriptive and inferential statistical procedures that are commonly used in research concerning health, behavior, and attitudes. You will learn the assumptions underlying common statistical procedures, the types of hypotheses that can be tested by these procedures, and the inferences that can be drawn from their results. After completing this course, you will have developed a sufficient foundation from which you can begin to conduct your own analyses and critically evaluate the statistical analyses of others.
Creative Innovation and Problem-Solving
ADV 316 Creativity and American Culture
Against the backdrop of popular American culture, this course seeks to appreciate the creative process and creative products by asking the question where is creativity? A substantial part of this cross-disciplinary study will implicate creative institutions and the larger culture in the U.S. as interrelated systems that shape creativity. Through close analyses of creative works, especially popular films, comic books, literature, and advertisements, and a survey of critical theory, cultural studies and social scientific research, this course explores the impact of American cultural myths, White Supremacy and racial stereotyping, and the medium of communication on creative processes and products as well as audience psychology.
ADV 325 Introduction to Advertising Creativity
This course, therefore, is designed to help you identify, define, and develop your own creative strategies that would help you be a creative strategist in advertising. This course will help you come up with solutions in practical situations. Here’s a great definition of strategic creativity by Robin Landa, a creative strategy superpower and author of Strategic Creativity - “Strategic creativity is the power to create something that solves a problem, aims empathetically and appropriately at the target audience, and ultimately benefits people.”
ARC 350R When Topic is Appropriate
N/A
ARC 350R Race and Gender: By Design
This seminar will examine the relationship of design relative to the narratives of race, gender, and diversity. The course will be organized in related but distinct topical areas engaging in a critical discourse on ethnicity, race, gender and sexuality within a multi-disciplinary exploration of design and design issues. The laYer part of the seminar will leverage the gained understanding into our own shared postulations as we look to seek out and discover a contemporary framing of this complex, critical, and sometimes personal conversation.
E S 377 INDUSTRIAL DESIGN I
We will consider the arc of the industrial revolution; from the in- fluence of pre-industrial guilds and artisanal production, to small- batch batch and industrial scale production, through one-off’s and digital craft. Looking at the role of new materials, methods and social mores in the evolution of form, markets and desires.
HDO 330 CREATIVITY INNOVATN IN ORGS
In HDO, we believe that students are in control of their own learning. Science shows that people learn more when they are motivated and excited about the content, and when they see the purpose of what they are learning. In this course, we will work together to make the content meaningful to you, and if it is not, please come talk to me in office hours so that we can figure out how to do so. Because this class will be created in collaboration between you as students and me as the professor, our culture will be highly collaborative and flexible. We will work together to establish class goals, define assignment parameters, and put our learning on creativity to work. You will have the chance—and really the responsibility—to bring your interests and learning to your teams and to the class. This will not be a passive experience; creativity and innovation are not passive subjects. We will actively create our learning together. I hope you are as excited about this as you are.
I 310 USER RESEARCH-WB
This is an introductory course designed for undergraduate students of all majors who are interested in the topic of user research in human-computer interaction and user experience design. Throughout the semester, you will learn the basics of how to conduct user research (e.g., user research methods, preparation for research, and participant recruitment), as well as how to analyze and report your research results to inform product design.
I 310U User Experience Design
This course introduces students to foundational knowledge, methods and skills for designing human-centered user experience (UX) around interactive systems. Students will become familiar with user research, concept generation, and design methodologies such as sketching, storyboarding, wireframing, prototyping etc. In addition, students will also learn how to collaborate in a team setting, communicate design rationales, and present compelling narratives about their work. The class will be structured with lectures as well as hands-on design activities, projects and design critiques.
ITD 301D Introduction to Design Thinking
This class will examine requirements and best practices for teaching a course for the Center for Integrated Design. Design Thinking is a universal process for analyzing problems and offering unique and varied perspectives for resolving the problem. At the core of any design thinking pursuit is the enhanced prospect of uncovering distinctive and creative answers. This course. is an introduction to the tactics and methodology required to prepare the non-design major for analyzing and solving a wide range of problems by adapting and applying the process of design Thinking. By utilizing Design Thinking as the core pedogeological model, students learn to offer innovative breakthrough solutions to everyday problems.
ITD 330T PERSPECTIVES IN DESIGN-WB
Perspectives in Design explores the breadth of the design discipline through various points-of-view about how design is used in contemporary practice. Throughout the semester, three practicing designers will be invited into the classroom to teach four-week modules that will be based on their unique practice and point-of-view. Each module will be led by the visiting designer and supported by the Professors throughout. Students will work on projects that enable them to engage with these unique perspectives and establish their own ideas and identity within the discipline of design.
SOC 322C Sociology of Creativity
This course will introduce the students to different aspects of creative insights, human consciousness, social-cultural processes, and the ‘invention of reality’. The class will bring the intellectual abilities and intuitive inclinations together as a complementary process. We’ll pursue and encourage elements of mindfulness, intuition, and creativity at the individual, organizational, societal, and environmental levels. The course will draw upon a wide range of sources- lectures, group discussions, books, articles, artistic films, and documentaries–in order to better understand and appreciate the interconnectedness and interrelationship between ‘inner’ (personal) and the other (‘social’) reality. The media will be presented as technical methods of representation of "social reality" and socio-cultural phenomena. No technical aspects will be emphasized.
UGS 303 Creative Problem Solving
Educational Objectives: 1. To establish a perspective on the role of creative problem solving in contemporary society as both an engine for economic development and a means for personal satisfaction and accomplishment. 2. To learn mechanisms for improving individual creative problem solving capabilities through greater understanding of case studies in a variety of disciplines. 3. To stimulate a propensity to approach a broad range of problems of everyday life and a broad range of career opportunities with greater creativity. 4. To encourage a lifestyle and pattern of lifelong learning that will enable a continuous growth of creative problem solving capabilities.
UGS 303 CAPTURING CREATIVITY
Capturing Creativity, The Collaboratory asks you to investigate the power of ideas. We live in an ever-changing culture where arts and technology collide nearly every moment of the day. We are asked to think, to express and to communicate on a global scale. This has changed our attitudes, our culture, and our selves. Information is available to us faster than we can create it. Sharing has become a standard and often preferred practice for many. Due to advances in communication technology, creators and makers from around the world now generative collaboratively where once before they might have worked alone. I hope in this course to introduce you to new ways of seeing, thinking, expressing and activating your creative self and instilling within you the confidence and the power to make a change in the world. • Capturing Creativity, The Collaboratory will provide a feet-first dive into an interdisciplinary exploration of the ways in which challenging visionary ideas, conversations, and social needs move from a state of inspiration to a formulation of application to actualization. The pedagogical core of the Collaboratory is developed from interactions with leading thinkers from a variety of cultural and aesthetic domains (artists, musicians, philosophers, and scientists). The course will train students with skills and tactics that allow students to effectively transform an idea into a form of a realized object, event or formula as well as communicate that idea to others in a clear, meaningful and eloquent manner.

Connecting Experiences   (3 credit hours)

Your BDP advisor can help you find an internship or research opportunity that connect Innovation, Creativity & Entrepreneurship to your major and interests. We call these opportunities “Connecting Experiences” because they play such an important role in integrating your studies. Each Connecting Experience counts for 3 credit hours. You will need to complete one Connecting Experience. Students in this BDP might pursue an internship with a commercial or non-profit organization engaged in entrepreneurial ventures, participate in a faculty-led research project, or design an independent research project.

For more information and for examples of past Connecting Experiences, visit the BDP website and consult your BDP advisor. BDP students must propose Connecting Experiences to the BDP office. Current BDP students should view the BDP Advising Canvas site for Connecting Experience resources and proposal instructions.

Strand Courses   (3 - 6 credit hours)

In addition to your Foundation Courses and Connecting Experiences, you must complete 3-6 credit hours of Strand Courses, to bring your total credit hours toward the BDP certificate to 19 hours. You should work with your BDP advisor to choose Strand Courses that will focus your BDP on your specific interests, and that will provide you with an interdisciplinary perspective on your BDP topic.

In order to create an interdisciplinary experience, you must choose courses from a variety of disciplines. Only one of your Strand Courses may come from your major department(s), or from courses cross-listed with your major department(s). At least one Strand Course must come from a department outside your college or school.

Choose one or two courses from these Contexts for Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship.

Applied Arts and Entertainment
ADV 319 Psychology Of Advertising
This course introduces the psychology of persuasion and consumer behavior as it applies to advertising, public relations, and marketing as persuasive communication. A variety of fundamental concepts from psychology and behavioral science will be discussed in this course, including: • Perception • Attitudes • Personality • Learning and memory • Motivation • Decision-making and consumption • Group behavior • Online consumer behavior, and so on.
AET 339 BUSINESS OF ENTERTAINMENT
This course will focus on the multi-trillion dollar commercial entertainment market. We will explore all aspects involved in the business of creating, operating, monetizing , and promoting entertainment entities. From producing live productions and on screen or recorded commercial productions, to immersive experiences, music, gaming , and sports. Topics will include; Inspiration (the search for creative content or opportunities; self-generated or existing), to Organization (Executive, Administrative, Financial, Creative, Legal), Capitalization (Institutional, Independent, Key elements of “The Pitch”), Legal Agreements & Contracts, and Execution (Press, Marketing, Ticket Sales Strategies). Students will engage with entertainment industry guest speakers every class, examine case studies, and execute an independent group project/presentation for industry professionals as the final exam.
ARC 327C Urban Design History/Theory/Crit
A graduate seminar: focusing on the body of history and theory that informs contemporary issues in urban design. The course will examine the state of the contemporary discourse in urbanism, the historical trajectory of contemporary urban design theory, and its impact on design strategies as they pertain to the construction of the urban landscape. 20th Century case studies are introduced to contrast and compare design practice with the theoretical underpinnings of urban design discourse. While exploring the broader contexts of urban processes, the course also explores specific design strategies and devices established to negotiate competing social and spatial forces in the urban landscape. The theoretical positions in architecture and urbanism that have emerged as a result of the expanding metropolitan landscape and the resultant geographical space of the open city have thrown urban design into a crisis. As architecture strives to regain its cultural relevance, the ongoing discourse of the city provides a constructed ground for its participation. Professionals who are engaged in the formation of urban environments are ill equipped to confront the realities of the constantly transforming infrastructure and socio-political change. While acknowledging that there is no longer a singular pervasive theory of the city, the intention of this course is to open up for discussion, possibilities, and to postulate strategies for enabling an urban architecture to operate synthetically within this realm. We will accomplish this through an extensive set of readings that discuss the key issues arising throughout 20th century urban design theory and practice, and by examining the transformation to the present urban situation.
ARC 327R Design Firm Leadership
This course introduces students tot he management and leadership of professional design firms including architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, and planning practices. Using case studies, lectures, written assignments, and presentations by real-world clients and principals of successful design firms, this course invokes a considered inquiry into the nature and challenges of producing high quality design within the context of the business necessities of design practices. This course provides with insights into such issues as: the fragmented industry within with design firms operate; starting, managing and leading a design firm; marketing, branding, and positioning of design practices; business planning and strategic decision making for the design practitioner; design firm economics and financial management of design firms, including methodologies for establishing and negotiating adequate design fees, determining economic billing rates, and budgeting and controlling firm expense; general management theory and its application to design firms; the unique nature of design firm organizational culture; risk assessment and mitigation; succession planning, ownership transition, and design firm valuation. This course augments other practice-related courses.
ARI 338 Designing for Human Behavior
Issues of mood, privacy, perception, proxemics, and preferences applied to the design of interiors. COURSE OBJECTIVES: The student will be able to: … Research on designing interiors for human interactions within built environments. … Apply environmental and behavioral research in homes, workplaces, and other commercial spaces. … Advise how to design interiors for human interactions within built environments. … Conduct basic research into the mysteries of person-environment relations. … Evaluate new and renovated facilities.
DES 309 Introduction to Design
In this course students will learn how to transform their ideas to well developed designs by exploring topics like: What is the design process? How do we personally define what good design is? What are the motivations that drive our design values? How does a designer approach their work? How can designers be agents of change? How can we as designers become better at what we do? How do the products that we create impact people’s lives, rituals, and habits. This course couples the design thinking process with the foundations of 2D and 3D as it pertains to form development and communicating our ideas to others.
DES 346 Project Studio

*Instructor Approval Required

This studio experience will give students a feel for what it’s like to do a real-world design project. This semester we’ll work with The University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts again on a project that advances the community-building strategies from last Spring. College of Liberal Arts Placemaking Strategy Student teams will study the use of educational facilities and space to develop insights, ideas, and plans that improve the look, feel, and function of different environments such as exterior entries, rest/study and renewal areas, speculative classroom designs, and public information displays.
F A 371 BUSINESS OF ENTERTAINMENT
This course will focus on the multi-trillion dollar commercial entertainment market. We will explore all aspects involved in the business of creating, operating, monetizing , and promoting entertainment entities. From producing live productions and on screen or recorded commercial productions, to immersive experiences, music, gaming , and sports. Topics will include; Inspiration (the search for creative content or opportunities; self-generated or existing), to Organization (Executive, Administrative, Financial, Creative, Legal), Capitalization (Institutional, Independent, Key elements of “The Pitch”), Legal Agreements & Contracts, and Execution (Press, Marketing, Ticket Sales Strategies). Students will engage with entertainment industry guest speakers every class, examine case studies, and execute an independent group project/ presentation for industry professionals as the final exam.
F A 371 WOMEN IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

*Instructor Approval Required

Co-taught by Professor Kendra Scott, designer and founder of KS, and Professor Jan Ryan, serial entrepreneur & Executive Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, this course is designed to provide hands-on, tangible tools to equip and empower female entrepreneurs and those who are interested in the female founder’s unique perspective. With a blend of lectures, experiential exercises and guest speakers, this class will immerse students in the core tenets of creating a new business, confronting common gender biases, and the empowerment to see larger possibilities for their career. For Spring ’22 this course will be taught online for the first two sessions, and thereafter will be located at KS headquarters, at 3800 N Lamar Blvd. near campus. (*See further details about the location at the end of this document.) The goals of the class are twofold: • To help female students (or male) build a new entrepreneurial identity, a mindset which can turn ideas into action • To prepare students with strategies to overcome key hurdles that women entrepreneurs face in business today in our society.
J 331M MEDIA INNOV ENTRPRENEURSHIP
This course focuses on two major topics: • The role of entrepreneurship and innovation in the transition of media from the industrial era to the digital age, with an emphasis on journalism; and • Tools and methods to develop innovative entrepreneurial projects for the emerging media ecosystem that has been formed by the digital revolution. The class will study the impact of digital technologies on media in general, but with special attention to changes in business and distribution models, as well as the ways people consume, produce and distribute news and information. The historical evolution of the business of journalism will also be examined, including the current challenges the news industry is facing in adapting to the new media ecosystem. Through case studies and testimonials of guest speakers with firsthand experience as entrepreneurs, students will dissect journalistic initiatives based on innovative uses of digital technologies.Students will also work on their own entrepreneurial projects. The course culminates with the presentation of students’ projects of digital media startups, preferably in the area of news and information. During the semester, the class will also produce journalistic profiles of leaders of startups directly or indirectly related to media. This course is based on the fundamental elements of journalism, such as ethics and fairness, and its role in a democratic society. It will focus also on how to transfer those values to the new media ecosystem in effective and sustainable ways. Also, we will emphasize discuss the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in the construction of the new media ecosystem for the digital era.
RTF 303C INTRO TO MEDIA ENT INDUSTRIES
Media industries have been challenged by large social forces such as globalization and technological advancements from analog to digital, wired to wireless, and desktop to cloud. Web 2.0 and social media facilitate audience members to actively participate in media production. While legacy media learn to adapt to a new landscape, new media experiment with and search for viable business models and legitimacy. Great challenges bring unprecedented opportunities and risks for organizational innovations, entrepreneurship, and social change. Drawing on literature from media studies, management, sociology, and communication, this course helps students to develop an understanding of media industries and entrepreneurship. We start with a survey of key social science theories and concepts from the media landscape. We then examine the social, political, and economic contexts in which media are produced, distributed, and monetized. Special attention is paid to new media and communication technologies such as social media, gaming, and mobile media; and the implications of these disruptive innovations for media organizations and professionals.Case examples in old and new media industries from different countries will be analyzed.
RTF 347C INTRO TO THE MUSIC BUSINESS
How did Fyre Fest happen? What does streaming mean for record labels? Why are concert tickets so expensive? What determines the order of artist names on the festival poster? What is the difference between a manager, agent, publicist, promoter or A&R? We are in the era of the young entrepreneur. People in their 20's are able to start a business, and then sell it without acquiring a degree in business or finance. Students in this course will learn how to plan, orchestrate, and oversee their own small music business in the avenue of their choice. We will discuss artist management and representation through the development of recorded music; as well as the importance of the touring business for artists today. We will also cover the business of concerts and music festivals; allowing students to learn not only booking and marketing a show, but producing them as well. Each class will address a different element of the business and will feature a guest lecturer that will share their story of success and entrepreneurship, followed by an open Q&A with the students.
RTF 347C Enter Indust: Big Picture-L A
This class is an overview of the business of film and media focused on past, present and emerging practices from both a major motion picture studio, independent and disruptor perspective concentrating on the legal, business, practical, strategic, economic and business models – “follow the money” - that drive show business. The class will also include exposure to the critical practical expertise required to satisfy the multi-faceted demands of producing content in the ever-changing media landscape. In addition, the disrupting influence of technological advances, changing consumer habits and the rise of ‘international’ will be analyzed as well as the tensions between content/distribution, business/creative, and risk/reward, to name but a few paradigms, that are at the core of understanding the eternal beating heart of the entertainment industry.
RTF 347C How Hollywood Works-LA

*Instructor Approval Required

The class is an overview of the economics of film, television and content creation and the fundamental structures that support those industries. It is focused on historical, present and emerging practices from the perspective of the major motion picture studios, platforms (Netflix), and independents concentrating on the legal, business, practical, strategic, economic and business models – “follow the money” - that drive show business. Wherever your future might lie this is essential knowledge even if you consider yourself to be solely a ‘creative.’ Don’t fear the numbers – if you graduated high school you have the required math skills, I promise. The class will include exposure to the critical practical expertise – intellectual property, rights, talent deals, contractual relationships - required to satisfy the multi-faceted demands of producing content in the ever-changing media landscape. Why and how are studio films greenlit and how do we determine their success? What are the challenges facing the independent industry in the era of Netflix? You will be expected to know how to secure underlying rights to material so that you can make your own content. In addition, the disrupting influence of technological advances, changing consumer habits and the rise of ‘international’ will be analyzed as well as the tensions between content/distribution, business/creative, and risk/reward, to name but a few of the paradigms that are at the core of understanding the eternal beating heart of the entertainment industry. Know the future before it happens – and history helps here - and you will be well placed to position yourself where career opportunities lie. I know, your itching to make something, to create, and you will... armed with the business fundamentals that will make that possible and allow your talent to shine. And let’s enjoy the process and have some fun learning
RTF 347P THE BUSINESS OF HOLLYWOOD
What is going on in the media industries today? What kinds of issues and challenges are entertainment industry professionals dealing with? This class has two key goals: First, students will learn how the media industries operate, gaining a sense of the “big picture” of the contemporary film, television, and digital video landscape. Large-scale issues being faced by those working in the entertainment industry – including the impact of conglomerate ownership, regulation, globalization, and digitization on creative practices and work roles – will be addressed through readings and class discussion. Second, students will hear from a range of guest speakers coming from Hollywood, New York, and Texas about their personal experiences navigating the media business, past and present. While a few of those visiting the class will work in production (e.g., writing, producing), many of our guests will work in other types of creative, managerial, and executive roles (e.g., talent management, business affairs, marketing and distribution, etc.). Class discussion will focus in part on connecting guests’ experiences to larger industrial practices and concerns.
RTF 348 Devel Process Film/TV-LA
This course is designed for students who seek insight into the development process of material for film and television. The currency of Hollywood is ideas. But it’s not enough to have good ideas. Those who succeed know how to develop their vision, how to communicate it effectively to others, and how to translate it into a form appropriate for the screen. We will look at the basics of story structure, how to assess literary material, how to adapt a story, the process of pitching, how to give script notes to writers, how to write coverage, the development process at studios, networks and independent production companies, and how story structure figures in the process of producing, writing, directing and editing narrative film. In addition to lectures and in-class analysis of both classic and current movies, there will be guest speakers who will share their career paths and perspective on these creative issues. Other topics will include genre conventions, acquisition of rights and how to write a marketable presentation. Emphasis will be on generating ideas and concepts. You can expect to write regularly during the semester, complete substantial writing projects and receive feedback to help you improve your writing. Developing good writing skills requires learning to edit and rewrite your work. Therefore you will be asked to choose at least one assignment to revise and resubmit, after receiving notes. You are free to revise as many assignments as you wish. You will also have the opportunity to discuss the work of your peers. A substantial portion of your grade will come from your written work.
RTF 348 Inside the Music Industry-LA

*Instructor Approval Required

The Music Industry, like music itself, is constantly changing and adapting. It’s a 60 Billion dollar international industry that creates timeless songs and worldwide superstars. But unlike many other industries, passion plays a big role in its success. Since it’s an industry based on an art form, who’s to say what deserves to succeed or fail? It’s got superstars with limited talent cashing in, while incredibly talented people struggle to make a living. There are no rules to success and the targets change with every new hit single that climbs up the charts. This course will walk you through the ins and outs of all of the aspects that make up this exciting business. It will give each student a better understanding of how the industry works and where opportunities exist. It will give valuable insight and knowledge to those looking to be successful recording artists, those looking to have a career inside the music industry, or anyone simply looking to get a better understanding of how the industry really works.
T D 314C Design for Performance
This course covers all aspects of preparation for entrance into the professional world or graduate study especially as related to theatre design and technology: personal statement, portfolio preparation, interview skills, marketing and business plans, union membership, etc. The course is devised for designers, technicians, and stage managers.
TXA 214L Product Development Lab
Concepts discussed in the Product Development Lecture 214K are examined in greater depth. Students build skills and understanding of a range of Apparel Industry Topics including the following: Trend Forecasting, Consumer Identification, Product Concept Development, Textile Qualities, and Professional Presentation Skills. The fashion industry is a pragmatic business where, for the most part, both theory and application are required for success. TXA 214 Laboratory introduces students to the practical application with in the design process. Students will develop a brand, and present three different collections for that brand. During each successive project students will add more depth to the Brands identity and operating practices. Concurrently building greater awareness of the complexities of the product development process. Each of the three major projects in the laboratory requires a series of similar steps. In this process students conceptualize and research their concepts, define their customer, develop potential product designs, and pare down to a cohesive collection. The students must then choose appropriate fabric through online research, illustrate the products proposed and produce technical flat production drawings for the products, complete a self-evaluation, and present the assignment to the class.
TXA 361 Consumer Behav In the Mktplace
Internal and external factors that influence consumer behavior in the marketplace with application of concepts and theories from the social sciences to the areas textiles, clothing, and appearance. Course Objectives: 1. Understand consumer behavior as the study of the processes involved when individuals or groups select, use and/or dispose of goods, services, ideas, or experiences to satisfy needs and desires, especially in relation to fashion and textile products. 2. Understand how the purchase of goods and services and other consumption activities contribute to the broader social world. 3. Apply a multicultural perspective to the study of consumers. 4. Recognize the importance of consumer research in understanding consumers and formulating marketing strategy. 5. Explore the impact of information technology on consumer decision-making and consumption behavior.
Business and Marketing
ADV 319 Psychology Of Advertising
This course introduces the psychology of persuasion and consumer behavior as it applies to advertising, public relations, and marketing as persuasive communication. A variety of fundamental concepts from psychology and behavioral science will be discussed in this course, including: • Perception • Attitudes • Personality • Learning and memory • Motivation • Decision-making and consumption • Group behavior • Online consumer behavior, and so on.
ADV 332 TECHNOLOGY MARKETING ADV
One of the biggest challenges we face in the technology & consumer electronic industry is that the bright minds that develop digital products and highly complex technologies generally are less qualified at marketing and communication skills. Likewise, those gifted with great communication acumen, rarely possess the technical understanding of the products they must market. Every discipline within the high-tech industry is ultimately dependent on engineers augmenting their developments to make them more marketable, and marketing experts need to grasp the challenges of taking new (and sometimes rarely understood) new technologies to the consumer and B-to-B market. By exploring actual case histories, interviews with leading technology advertising and marketing executives and a review of some of the more topical trends in technology communications – we will bring real-life experience & exposure for those who hope to enter this important arena. In addition, we will explore the latest trends in digital advertising from mobile to social and its impact across marketing segments and industries. Entrepreneurialism in new media will also be covered, as will the exploration of career opportunities involving all of the aforementioned. We will also spend 2 weeks with online modules regarding Entrepreneurship as we work through case studies.
ADV 378 IMMERSIVE STRATEGY BUSINESS
We are at the intersection of new Technologies and shifting human experiences and Business disruption all co-mingling but not always in alignment. We call this BXT (Business | Experience | Technology). This intersection is ripe for Immersive experiences. Humans, not business have always adopted New technologies first (Web 3.0, Metaverse, Crypto, NFTs are underway). Business asking what is next? What matters? How do we react and retain the talent to design and build Immersive experiences that humans expect?
ECO 352R ECONOMICS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP
This course uses economics to study the practice of starting a new business or expanding a current business. In other words, we think about what economics can tell us about how to make decisions in a business context. The course combines elements of industrial organization and econometrics courses as taught in an economics department with elements of strategy, marketing, and entrepreneurial finance courses as typically taught in a business school. We start by examining general issues regarding entrepreneurship, in particular the evaluation of markets for the potential for entrepreneurial profits. The next section turns to specific strategic decisions that entrepreneurs make: pricing, advertising, product design, deterring entry by competitors, etc. The last section examines more practical issues in entrepreneurship, e.g. capital, business plans, patent protection, negotiation, and employee compensation – again studied through the lens of economics.
FIN 374S Entrepreneurial Finance
Entrepreneurial finance is distinct from corporate finance. Whether the business is a small business or startup that is designed to potentially become a massive company, the early financial challenges, strategies and information are different. How does an entrepreneur go from a blank white board to repeatable revenues and early profits (hopefully)? Students will be able to develop, assess and communicate financial information in an entrepreneurial context – which includes founder-led small businesses and startups designed for rapid scaling. 1. Understand translating business objectives to financial information and supporting data elements 2. How to source or generate supporting evidence underpinning financial information 3. Communicate financial information in a clear, concise, and relevant way 4. Assess new financial information for credibility, relevance, and alignment with overall business objectives 5. Create a financial model 6. Create and maintain a capitalization table 7. Knowledge of main financial instruments used by early-stage investors 8. Assess common terms on the main financial instruments for fit with business objectives
HIS 350R Hist Black Entreprn in US
Within the construct of African American Business history, race, American capitalism, contemporary American popular culture and global capitalism, this course will focus on an important aspect in the contemporary political economy of black Americans. Specifically, the commodification (sale) of black culture provides the conceptual frame for an examination of the phenomenon of both the superstar black athlete as an entrepreneur and the Hip Hop Superstar as an entrepreneur in post-Civil Rights America. The emphasis in this course, then, is to critically examine and analyze the impact of a multiplicity of societal, cultural and economic factors in the post-modern information age, propelled by new technologies in the New Economy of Global Capitalism. Also, consideration will be given to the new diversity as it impacts on the political economy of African Americans and American capitalism.
I B 367D Global Entrepreneurship
The primary vehicles for achieving the course objectives will be: Case Analyses – a case is a synopsis of a ‘real world’ problem or situation faced by an organization. You will respond to the case by analyzing the problem/situation to determine the key issues, objectives, and management alternatives, and then determining the best course of action for the organization being studied. These cases will be discussed in class, allowing you to develop, exhibit, and refine your analytical and problem solving skills. Class Discussions – practical global entrepreneurship problems will be explored through class discussions. Lectures – a variety of lectures will be provided on various course topics to provide the foundation for learning. These lectures will be provided both by the instructor and guests from the Austin business community. Real World Simulation – throughout the semester, student groups will explore a variety of international business and entrepreneurial issues by founding, growing, managing and reacting to crises with their own fictional companies.
I B 372 Exporting for Entrepreneurs
The primary vehicles for achieving the course objectives will be case analyses and a business practicum with venture-financed and/or small companies in the Austin area. A case is a synopsis of a "real world" problem or situation faced by an organization. You will respond to the case by analyzing the problem/situation to determine the key issues, objectives, and management alternatives, and then determining the best course of action for the organization being studied. These cases will be discussed in class, allowing you to develop, exhibit, and refine your analytical and problem solving skills. Since the cases deal with international business problems, developing your analysis and solution will allow you to reinforce and apply international business concepts, tools and techniques. You will also submit written individual cases analyses. In addition to written individual case analyses, you will work on client group projects that may require a written report and/or oral presentation for local venture-funded client companies.
MIS 373 Open Innovation
This course has two parts: (1) enhance your ability to innovate in open collaborative platforms leveraging variety of information technologies and (2) understand innovation methods and processes in companies of different sizes and industries. Both of these skills are valuable in a range of contexts. No matter whether you are a systems analyst considering the design or use of a new technology within your organization, or a manager considering the launch of a new product or service, or an entrepreneur considering the launch of a new business, or a policy maker charged with helping a community or society, you would benefit from sharpening your skills in open innovation and innovation management. The course consists of several modules. The first module provides an overview of core innovation concepts. The second module examines open innovation models and implementation including crowd-based innovation. The third module focuses on radical innovation and governance issues such as intellectual property related challenges in open and interconnected global business environments.
MKT 372 Consumer Behav: Digital World
This course centers on perhaps the most complex aspect of marketing: the consumer. Studying consumer behavior involves asking—and answering—the fundamental question of why people do the things they do. It enhances understanding of the cognitive, affective, and social mechanisms consumers bring to purchasing, usage, and disposition decisions—and what decisions they make. In this course, you will gain an understanding of the foundations of consumer behavior. You will also explore how these foundational concepts apply to the “digital world” inhabited by modern consumers—one defined by the interaction of “new” technologies with “old” psychological processes and environments. The digital world is constantly evolving, and the ability to see the “old” behind the “new” will allow insight into consumer behavior no matter what technological innovations or societal shifts the future brings. Because the study of consumer behavior is the study of human behavior, principles from this class are applicable to all aspects of the marketing process. Finally, because you are (probably) human, principles from this class may also yield insight into your own beliefs, experiences, and decisions. Psychology, the core of consumer behavior, is unique among the sciences in that it is reflexive (that is, it refers to oneself). It urges us to dissect our own experiences and subject our beliefs to the scrutiny of science.
MKT 372T Brand Management
The most valuable asset many firms have is their brand. In our global economy, product and service offerings can be replicated by competing firms, while the knowledge and attitudes consumers have about brands is not easily duplicated. Therefore, many companies recognize that the investment they make in the creation and communication of their brand will become a strategic differentiator in the future. This course will focus on the art and science of branding as a fundamental element of marketing strategy. Students will get hands-on experience with strategies, frameworks, and specific tactics for building, leveraging, and defending strong brands in any industry. All aspects covered will be in the context of actual applications of brand concepts to real-world challenges. Discussions will focus on current opportunities and challenges facing brand managers in a variety of industries and markets.
MKT 372T Design Thinking for Busn Innov
This course will focus on solving mysteries, rather than puzzles. Further, we will focus on human-centered mysteries. That is, we will seek to arrive at the “best possible” solutions to problems that concern humans. So, we will not attempt to solve mysteries such as What was the Universe like before the Big Bang? Rather, we will focus on problems such as alleviating boredom on long flights, or developing a superior coffee maker. With this background, we are ready to revisit what the term design thinking means—and how it is different from other approaches for arriving at solutions to mysteries. Although there isn’t total consensus on what the term means, most researchers and practitioners would agree that it means at least the following two things: 1. A human-centered approach to solving problems, and 2. Using an iterative process to arriving at a better solution.
Communication and Culture
ADV 332C New Media Entrepreneurialism
Entrepreneurism in technology and media has accelerated at a rapid pace – so too have the opportunities for disruption and new business models. This has created an abundance of opportunities for the entrepreneur within traditional media, new media and technology more broadly. We will bring real-life experience/exposure for those who hope to enter this important arena with a series of interviews with real-life practitioners from social media, venture capital, and others with expertise in this important arena. In addition, we will explore the foundations of entrepreneurship, startups, and the entire ecosystem around entrepreneurialism & technology.
ADV 332D Entrepreneurialism in Comm
This independent study course is designed to help would-be entrepreneurs develop a pitch deck for presentation to angel (other) investors. Small teams will be be assembled (405). After initial approval of a concept there will be a mid-semester check-in culminating in a final presentation to a group of angel investors at semesters end. The final product and presentation will be graded by the Professor and panel and is the sole grade for the course. This course requires a self starter who is highly independent and works good with teams. The professor will provide consultancy services throughout the process but will be looking for the teams to do their own executive summary, initial financial projections, etc. Ultimately the course is designed to allow student the opportunity to build and practice a presentation in front of a group of real investors.
ADV 332D ENTREPRENEURIALISM IN COMM
Project-oriented exercise where small teams conceptualize a business idea in communications, curate the insights and opinions of fellow team members, and ultimately develop a business plan around their new endeavor. A panel of local entrepreneurs will provide feedback and critique. Three lecture hours a week for one semester.
BGS 370S SOCIAL CULTURAL ENTRPRNRSHP
This upper-division course is designed for business majors interested in learning how to create a mission driven business targeted towards solving a pain in the market that will produce a positive social impact. Social entrepreneurs use sound business principles to create meaningful solutions designed to transform fields such as education, health, environment, and enterprise. The goal of a social entrepreneur is both to do-well and to do-good. The course is structured to provide students with an of awareness of culturally marginalized groups and an introduction to the fundamentals of startup formation to harness the power of business to enact positive social change.
CMS 341 Digital Communications
The goal of this course is explore the challenges and opportunities brought about when communicating in this ever- evolving digital world. We will consider to what degree computer-mediated communication helps or hinders us in accomplishing our goals as individuals, friends, romantic partners, workers, and citizens. We will explore topics like virtual experience, digital deception, and cmc in romantic relationships. To help us reconcile our experience, we will take our new-found knowledge and weight it against poplar documentaries to better understand the legitimacy of their claims.
CMS 346C CULTURAL IMPACT OF INNOVATION
From barbed wire (invented in Austin!) to the endless scroll of Instagram, technology in imbedded in almost every aspect of our daily lives. Yet, technology doesn’t just appear out of thin air. It is created by designers within cultures of production. It is resisted and reinvented by communities of users, audiences, and activists. In this class, students will learn critical and creative thinking skills through exploring the relationship between technology and society— revealing the ways that innovation disrupts, reflects, and shapes the cultural world. With this knowledge, it becomes clear that we aren’t powerless in this moment of rapid technological diffusion. Our technological landscape is radically contingent and capable of change.
CMS 353C Communication for Innovation
This course examines the critical role that communication and communicative processes play in developing innovative ideas, products, and ways of approaching problems. Drawing on a variety of behavioral theories and empirical studies, students will develop a better understanding of the challenges associated with facilitating innovation in organizations and learn strategies for improving work effectiveness. Classes will focus on critical thinking, problem solving, and application, and students will actively participate in case studies and group activities designed to simulate a variety of organizational contexts. Topics covered include: motivation, decision making, organizational culture, knowledge sharing, and idea generation.
EDC 350 EDUC INNOVATION ENTRPNSHP
The purpose of this course is to give you a clear and fundamental introduction to the elements of product management in the world of technology companies. In doing so you will be exposed to the entrepreneurial process of building a product and service and taking that idea all the way to becoming market ready. 1) Determine the right product-market fit 2) Understand the development process of creating a product or service in technology 3) Validate the product within the market and build traction Course Overview The world of technology startups is centered around creating products and services that can rapidly scale and have a market in which they can gain quick adoption. Often times products and services are launched and they stagger and fail to become adopted. In this course, we will learn what makes a great product stand out, the practice of understanding and knowing your market and customer, and the development process of building such product or service. Whether you launch your own venture or develop new products within a startup or corporation, this course will help you determine when, where, how, who and why a product/service should or should not be developed. Students will meet and learn best practices from successful entrepreneurs and have the opportunity to apply these concepts as they grow their own business in the classroom. The course deliverables consist of a capstone team project called a “Proof of Concept”. This proof of concept will lead to an MVP in the second semester. At the end of the course, students will be proficient in creating and presenting their proof of concept in front of investors, community leaders, and potential customers.
F A 371 WOMEN IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

*Instructor Approval Required

Co-taught by Professor Kendra Scott, designer and founder of KS, and Professor Jan Ryan, serial entrepreneur & Executive Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, this course is designed to provide hands-on, tangible tools to equip and empower female entrepreneurs and those who are interested in the female founder’s unique perspective. With a blend of lectures, experiential exercises and guest speakers, this class will immerse students in the core tenets of creating a new business, confronting common gender biases, and the empowerment to see larger possibilities for their career. For Spring ’22 this course will be taught online for the first two sessions, and thereafter will be located at KS headquarters, at 3800 N Lamar Blvd. near campus. (*See further details about the location at the end of this document.) The goals of the class are twofold: • To help female students (or male) build a new entrepreneurial identity, a mindset which can turn ideas into action • To prepare students with strategies to overcome key hurdles that women entrepreneurs face in business today in our society.
HIS 350R Hist Black Entreprn in US
Within the construct of African American Business history, race, American capitalism, contemporary American popular culture and global capitalism, this course will focus on an important aspect in the contemporary political economy of black Americans. Specifically, the commodification (sale) of black culture provides the conceptual frame for an examination of the phenomenon of both the superstar black athlete as an entrepreneur and the Hip Hop Superstar as an entrepreneur in post-Civil Rights America. The emphasis in this course, then, is to critically examine and analyze the impact of a multiplicity of societal, cultural and economic factors in the post-modern information age, propelled by new technologies in the New Economy of Global Capitalism. Also, consideration will be given to the new diversity as it impacts on the political economy of African Americans and American capitalism.
J 331F Entrepreneurial Journalism
This course focuses on two major topics: 1) the role of entrepreneurship and innovation in the transition of journalism from the industrial era to the digital age; and 2) tools and methods to develop innovative projects of news and information enterprises for the emerging media ecosystem that has been formed by the digital revolution. The class will study the impact of digital technologies on the news industry, both in terms of content production and consumption. Special attention will be given to the changes in business and distribution models and the ways people consume (and produce) news and information. The historical evolution of the business of journalism will also be examined, including the current challenges the industry is facing in adapting to the new media ecosystem. Through case studies and testimonials of guest speakers with firsthand experience as entrepreneurs, students will dissect journalistic initiatives based on innovative uses of digital technologies. Students will also work on their own entrepreneurial projects. The course culminates with the presentation of students’ projects of digital media startups, preferably in the area of news and information. During the semester, the class will also produce a website with journalistic profiles of leaders of startups based in Austin, especially those directly or indirectly related to media. The course will be based on the fundamental elements of journalism, such as ethics and fairness, and its role in a democratic society. It will focus also on how to transfer those values to the new media ecosystem in effective and sustainable ways.
J 331M MEDIA INNOV ENTRPRENEURSHIP
This course focuses on two major topics: • The role of entrepreneurship and innovation in the transition of media from the industrial era to the digital age, with an emphasis on journalism; and • Tools and methods to develop innovative entrepreneurial projects for the emerging media ecosystem that has been formed by the digital revolution. The class will study the impact of digital technologies on media in general, but with special attention to changes in business and distribution models, as well as the ways people consume, produce and distribute news and information. The historical evolution of the business of journalism will also be examined, including the current challenges the news industry is facing in adapting to the new media ecosystem. Through case studies and testimonials of guest speakers with firsthand experience as entrepreneurs, students will dissect journalistic initiatives based on innovative uses of digital technologies.Students will also work on their own entrepreneurial projects. The course culminates with the presentation of students’ projects of digital media startups, preferably in the area of news and information. During the semester, the class will also produce journalistic profiles of leaders of startups directly or indirectly related to media. This course is based on the fundamental elements of journalism, such as ethics and fairness, and its role in a democratic society. It will focus also on how to transfer those values to the new media ecosystem in effective and sustainable ways. Also, we will emphasize discuss the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in the construction of the new media ecosystem for the digital era.
P R 332C NEW MEDIA ENTREPRENEURIALISM
Entrepreneurism in technology and media has accelerated at a rapid pace – so too have the opportunities for disruption and new business models. This has created an abundance of opportunities for the entrepreneur within traditional media, new media and technology more broadly. We will bring real-life experience/exposure for those who hope to enter this important arena with a series of interviews with real-life practitioners from social media, venture capital, and others with expertise in this important arena. In addition, we will explore the foundations of entrepreneurship, startups, and the entire ecosystem around entrepreneurialism & technology.
P R 332D ENTREPRENEURIALISM IN COMM
Think “SHARK TANK”. This independent study course is designed to help would-be entrepreneurs develop a pitch deck for presentation to angel (other) investors. Small teams will be assembled (6-9 per group) based on your skills and field of study. At our first meeting, you will receiveyour team assignment as your working group for the balance of the semester. Each group will select a CEO as a point of contact with the TA and will submit a business start-up idea within 6 days of our firstclass. After approval of a concept, there will be a mid-semester check-in (rehearsal) to check progress and get advice and counsel from Professor Bunting as you continue to iterate on our plan - culminating in a final presentation to a group of experts at the semester's end. The final product (pitch deck) and actual team presentation (along with individual score) will be graded by the Professor and panel. This presentation is 65% of your grade. This course requires a self-starter who is highly independent and works well with teams. Collaboration and the ability to meet after hours is required. The professor will provide limited directional advice throughout the process but will be looking for the teams to do their own executive summary, initial financial projections, etc. Ultimately the course is designed to allow students the opportunity to build and practice a presentation in front of a group of real investors. The team dynamic is key and your peer grades (based on your participation) is equal to 20% of your overall grade. The rest of your grade will come from the entrepreneurship modules -- see grading policy for a more detailed breakdown.
Policy and Social Change
ARC 327R Design of New Communities
This graduate seminar examines the search to establish new sustainable communities, - environments that are livable, humane, accessible, compact, integrated, resourceful, and with low carbon footprint. As such, designed neighborhoods should also offer delight, be supportive of children, and built to last. The seminar therefore looks at the ideals, theories, and principles that people have held in the belief that a designed community is preferable to random incremental growth, commonly referred to as sprawl. These experiments act as models of “ideal” layout and design. The seminar is structured in three sections, each reviewed against an economic, social, and political context: 1. Early Model Settlements. This section considers the basic ideas towards the formation of designed new communities in non-urban and urban settings from early origins. Early 19th century concepts are explored as a basis to a thorough examination of the garden city and garden suburb movements, and opposing deterministic propositions of architects. This leads to contrasting views of 20th century ideals ranging from planned suburbs to new towns. 2. Late 20th Century Settlements. An examination of more recent theories and designed case studies related to the urban edge condition, and designed urban infill projects, plus ways that cities have approached rapid growth and expansion. An examination and critique of the work of the group broadly referred to as the “New Urbanists” is undertaken. 3. New Housing and New Communities. The twenty first century has seen rapid urbanization combined with a re-examination of the prospects of the inner city, often involving difficult, vulnerable, and brownfield sites. The Urban Land Institute Hines Competition has also focused on inner city communities. Examination of these, and the previous case studies, aims to promote understanding of pedestrian and bike systems, new transit, sustainable housing, and urban ecologies, innovations in energy, water, and waste. By offering a critique of previous attempts at settlement design, theories and principles are devised for possible approaches towards the design of new communities in review city contexts. Recent built case studies are considered, particularly with regard to sustainable design practice. New designed communities in cities such as Stockholm, Malmo, Amsterdam, Freiburg, Vancouver, and London provide insight and principles for ways ahead. A central feature of this part of the seminar will be a design case study undertaken by students for the design of a new community.
BGS 370S SOCIAL CULTURAL ENTRPRNRSHP
This upper-division course is designed for business majors interested in learning how to create a mission driven business targeted towards solving a pain in the market that will produce a positive social impact. Social entrepreneurs use sound business principles to create meaningful solutions designed to transform fields such as education, health, environment, and enterprise. The goal of a social entrepreneur is both to do-well and to do-good. The course is structured to provide students with an of awareness of culturally marginalized groups and an introduction to the fundamentals of startup formation to harness the power of business to enact positive social change.
DES 322 DESIGN AND SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT
Nothing happens in a vacuum. This course approaches design as a political and socio-cultural practice - as a toolkit for activism by publicly questioning, critiquing, and generating new ways of thinking about the most pressing issues of our day. Through a series of research-driven projects, students will explore the possibilities and the limitations of art and design in addressing complex political and socio-cultural realities. Themes may include but are not limited to race, decolonization, labor laws, surveillance and data-driven systems, incarceration, immigration, climate, conspiracy, health, equality, human rights, socioeconomic equity, education, gender, and other topics of interest to students in this class. The course will introduce students to different possibilities of socially engaged practices, such as making invisible systems legible, translating complex issues to new audiences, and putting theory and critique into practice.
EDC 350 EDUC INNOVATION ENTRPNSHP
The purpose of this course is to give you a clear and fundamental introduction to the elements of product management in the world of technology companies. In doing so you will be exposed to the entrepreneurial process of building a product and service and taking that idea all the way to becoming market ready. 1) Determine the right product-market fit 2) Understand the development process of creating a product or service in technology 3) Validate the product within the market and build traction Course Overview The world of technology startups is centered around creating products and services that can rapidly scale and have a market in which they can gain quick adoption. Often times products and services are launched and they stagger and fail to become adopted. In this course, we will learn what makes a great product stand out, the practice of understanding and knowing your market and customer, and the development process of building such product or service. Whether you launch your own venture or develop new products within a startup or corporation, this course will help you determine when, where, how, who and why a product/service should or should not be developed. Students will meet and learn best practices from successful entrepreneurs and have the opportunity to apply these concepts as they grow their own business in the classroom. The course deliverables consist of a capstone team project called a “Proof of Concept”. This proof of concept will lead to an MVP in the second semester. At the end of the course, students will be proficient in creating and presenting their proof of concept in front of investors, community leaders, and potential customers.
I 320 DESIGNING FOR HEALTHCARE-WB
Healthcare changes everyday. From the people who practice medicine, to the technology behind  personal health and professional practice. The goal of this course is to help develop practical  design and research skills while learning about the many facets of healthcare. Students will get a high level overview of healthcare systems in relation to technology across  history, mindsets, the world, ethics, and wellness. By the end of the course, students will have a  holistic understanding of healthcare as a system, healthcare as impacting people, and healthcare  as information.
MAN 366P Studies Socl Entrepreneurship
Social entrepreneurship refers to the creation of innovative organizations that address social problems using business methods. Social entrepreneurs tackle some of the world’s most challenging social, economic, and environmental issues, such as homelessness, illiteracy, and lack of access to food, clean water, or quality healthcare. They combine the knowledge and skills used in traditional business with a passionate commitment to create a societal impact. To accomplish their goals, social entrepreneurs create ventures that are structured as for-profits, nonprofits, or hybrids. The growth in the number of social ventures in both emerging economies and the developed world, and their success in addressing social problems, has generated an explosion of interest in social entrepreneurship – which now accounts for more than a third of all new U.S. entrepreneurial activity. What distinguishes social entrepreneurs from conventional entrepreneurs is their unrelenting dedication to achieving a social mission, rather than measuring success exclusively by a financial bottom-line. However, today's social entrepreneurs also must strike an important balance—to thrive in a corporate-oriented environment and create effective organizations, they must integrate business management principles with philanthropic goals. This course will focus on this tension and mechanics of starting and managing a social venture and will allow students to fully understand what it takes to create a business plan for their social venture and turn it in to reality.
Science, Technology, and Engineering
ADV 332 TECHNOLOGY MARKETING ADV
One of the biggest challenges we face in the technology & consumer electronic industry is that the bright minds that develop digital products and highly complex technologies generally are less qualified at marketing and communication skills. Likewise, those gifted with great communication acumen, rarely possess the technical understanding of the products they must market. Every discipline within the high-tech industry is ultimately dependent on engineers augmenting their developments to make them more marketable, and marketing experts need to grasp the challenges of taking new (and sometimes rarely understood) new technologies to the consumer and B-to-B market. By exploring actual case histories, interviews with leading technology advertising and marketing executives and a review of some of the more topical trends in technology communications – we will bring real-life experience & exposure for those who hope to enter this important arena. In addition, we will explore the latest trends in digital advertising from mobile to social and its impact across marketing segments and industries. Entrepreneurialism in new media will also be covered, as will the exploration of career opportunities involving all of the aforementioned. We will also spend 2 weeks with online modules regarding Entrepreneurship as we work through case studies.
ADV 378 CREATIVITY IN AI-WB
Students will explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and creative processes. They will examine how AI can enhance and augment human creativity in various domains such as art, music, writing, and design. Through lectures, discussions, and hands-on projects, students will gain a deep understanding of the latest AI technologies and techniques used to generate innovative content. They will also critically analyze the ethical implications and societal impacts of AI-driven creativity. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to harness the power of AI to push the boundaries of human creativity.
ANS 379 5-SCI TECH SOC CONTEMP ASIA
“Science, technology, and society” (STS) is both the name of an emerging field, a set of interrelationships studied by scholars in a variety of disciplines (e.g sociology, anthropology, history, and cultural studies), and a holding tank for a set of methodologies and philosophical claims that arguably transcend their application to science per se. In any case, the questions it opens are reasonably important in today’s world. How do social forces/interests impact scientific practice, and vice versa? How is science actually done? How have technological changes impacted personhood, citizenship, etc.? How does technoscience relate to society, and how is this relation governed?
BGS 372T HEALTH CARE INNVTN & ENTRPRSHP
Description: Health care expenditure accounted for 20% of GDP and provided 12% of our nation’s jobs in 2020. And in spite of its ubiquity and excesses, our nation is experiencing an inarguable health decline. Life expectancy plunged 2.7 years from 2019 to 2021, the largest drop in approximately 100 years; and COVID accounted for only half of premature deaths. Overdoses, inadvertent injuries, a mental health crisis, dementia, and chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease account for many more. Similarly, the United States reports the worst maternal mortality among high-income nations, with deaths being more prevalent now than 20 years ago. Yet in the face of these dismal statistics, we remain optimistic and see promise in what’s possible. Students will be introduced to innovators who are tackling some of health care’s greatest challenges. The first three weeks will provide an overview of the US health care landscape, and in subsequent sessions we will bring a variety of guests representing start-ups, established companies, insurers, and investors. The course will focus on entrepreneurship in the U.S., but a few sessions will examine innovation in the context of international, low resource settings. In the context of entrepreneurship and solution-building, we will address the complexity of building companies in health care, including: determining your real customer? Is it a patient, a physician/provider, a payor, an employer, or a hospital? How will they justify buying something “extra”? What is unique about a sales cycle in health care? And how do privacy safeguards and other regulations impact time-to-market? Finally, given the apparent stagnancy of incumbents, why is it so hard to displace and/or disrupt them? What makes it so hard to scale successful pilots or programs? Finally, the incentives of health care financing and spending risk ignoring the needs of the most vulnerable. So how can we ensure that innovation improves, as opposed to exacerbates, our nation’s disparities in access and outcomes for the underserved?
BIO 302G BIOTECHNOLOGY & THE FUTURE-WB
“Biotechnology & Our Future” is an introductory biology class for non-science majors and fulfills the requirement of 3 credits of natural sciences for all non-science majors. As such, it will provide a comprehensive introduction to the key themes of biology, including biological macromolecules, cell structure and function, energy metabolism, molecular genetics, inheritance, cellular division, evolution, and ecology. However, this course also has the special focus of learning about biotechnology in the model context of the climate crisis. Students will learn about different aspects of the climate crisis and the fundamental biology concepts needed to understand each aspect. The course has three units: The Carbon Cycle, Atmospheric Chemistry & Marine Systems, and Disturbance & Terrestrial Systems. Biotechnologies addressing each of the facets of the climate crisis will be addressed in conjunction with the underlying biology of each problem-technology pair. Additionally, this course is intended to provide proficiency and basic literacy in scientific thinking and skills. Integrated with the course content are several skills modules that focus on quantitative reasoning and analysis, hypothetical research frameworks, accessing and evaluating information, oral communication of scientific concepts, self-directed learning, and working effectively in teams. This course is will help you understand the biological world while empowering you to navigate an increasingly challenging informational landscape. Finally, though this course is a Biology course, I encourage all students to also view it as a language course—there are more new vocabulary words in the average introductory biology course than in an introductory foreign language course! Because this is a non-majors course, we will try to make vocabulary a less significant component, however, it is inescapable. You will want to make regular vocabulary memorization practice a part of your study routine. As an online course, this class requires a higher level of independence in learning and initiative. We will try to foster these skills and provide a scaffolded time line to help stay on track. However, the expectation is that students are well-prepared to learn in an online setting.
C S 373 Software Engineering
This is a course on software engineering. There is intentionally a big disconnect between the lecture material and the projects. The lectures will be about Python, relational algebra, SQL, refactoring, and design patterns. The projects will be about your team figuring out on its own how to build a dynamic website with a RESTful API and a database backend, using many, many tools that will not be taught. It is also strongly focused on using tools to improve the quality of software development.
C S 374L Longhorn Startup
Longhorn Startup Lab (LSL) is an intensive project-based course in the Spring semester that identifies student entrepreneurs who are building scalable technology companies and gets them real course credit for working on their startups while still in school. These students receive weekly one-on-one mentoring sessions with successful entrepreneurs. The semester culminates in a Demo Day where the students present their companies to the Austin community. Any student from any college can register but final team selection is by approval of the instructor.
CHE 379 ADV INNOV TECH FOR BEG-JPN

*Instructor Approval Required

This course is a study abroad Maymester course in Japan. Students spend three weeks in Tokyo and one week in Kyoto and Hiroshima. In Tokyo, students work on class projects in collaboration with Japanese students from Seisen University. The course introduces students to core concepts in nanotechnology fused with principles of innovation, business creation, entrepreneurship, intellectual property and the global economic and collaborative environment in Japan. Students are challenged to contemplate economic, environmental and societal implications of new, rapidly developing nanotechnologies, especially considering recent enabling technical developments in information technology, environmental sensing, energy sustainability and medicine and exploring fundamental issues related to intellectual property, the innovative process, international competition and cooperation, and the roles of governmental policy and societal perception of nanotechnology. Course Outline: Defining Nanotechnology and Trends in Nanotechnology—quantum behavior and unique size-tunable properties of nanomaterials, nanomedicine, bio-inspired materials; The Importance of New Tools and New Ideas in Innovation; Impacts of Nanotechnology on the Environment; Energy Sustainability and Nanotechnology; Business and Industry Uses of Nanotechnology; Academia meets Industry: Fundamentals of Technology Transfer and Innovation; Opportunities for Students in Nanotechnology; Intellectual Property—creating it, owning it, using it; International Partners—Networks of Collaboration and Competition; Entrepreneurship Basics: Funding strategies for early stage technological development; Governmental policy—the catalyst and the poison.
CHE 379 Nanotechnology Innovation-JPN

*Instructor Approval Required

Nanotechnology provides an ideal backdrop to learn about innovation as the field is interdisciplinary in nature and international in scope. Much of the newest nanotechnology developments are ripe for early stage commercialization efforts and the development of new businesses. The course explicitly teaches how change and innovation occurs to empower you to make a difference in the world by creating and commercializing new technology. Learning about the best practices in technology innovation management will allow you, the next generation of engineers, to better focus research efforts on what is most likely to achieve commercial success. The course combines technical expertise and knowledge with creative and exploratory work for you to become a successful innovator and leader upon graduation.
CHE 379 Engineering Global Health-ESP

*Instructor Approval Required

This course provides an overview of contemporary technological advances to improve human health. We will consider four questions throughout the semester: What are the problems in healthcare today? Who pays to solve problems in healthcare? How can we use science and technology to solve healthcare problems? Once developed, how do new healthcare technologies move from the lab to the bedside? We will compare and contrast answers to these questions throughout the developed and developing worlds. We will also consider legal and ethical issues associated with developing new medical technologies. We will use case studies to examine a number of diseases and healthcare technologies. Students will complete a semester project to design a new technology to meet a global health need. This course is preapproved to meet the technical elective requirement for CAEE, BME, CE, CHE and ME.
CHE 379 Entrepreneurship

*Instructor Approval Required

Chemical Engineers are creative and inventive and are great problem solvers! They have big ideas that can be turned into entrepreneurial endeavors. In today’s global and interconnected world, students with a science or engineering background have ample opportunity to mesh their technical know-how with the free market. Because of the nature of technical training that most engineering courses provide, there is a tendency of engineering students to seek linear processes that result in quick solutions. Entrepreneurship is associated more with managed chaos than linear processes. Entrepreneurs deal with ambiguity and uncertainty. Entrepreneurship is a method of management that focuses on output rather than organizational structure and is effective in handling change and rapid growth. The purpose of this course is to give students a foundation in entrepreneurship. This course provides practical approaches of taking a business idea and monetizing it. Entrepreneurs must have a clearly conceived way for the business to make money by a defined business model. Each enterprise/business is different and will have a different business model. Special attention will be made on developing a business model built around the value proposition targeting valid customers. The importance, preparation and use of the business plan are covered in detail. The business plan is an ingredient of any start-up and remains important as a business grows. This course also covers challenges outside the operations area that are helpful to an entrepreneur, such as: funding, legal matters, negotiations, leadership, team building, ethics, and behavior requirements. The student should leave the course with an understanding of the essential elements of a start-up and entrepreneurial management.
DES 330T INTRO TO DESIGN IN HEALTH
Introduction to how design is playing a role in the changing healthcare industry. Students can expect to explore the creative design-based approaches and problem-solving methods and their application to solving contemporary health care challenges.
E S 301 Engr Design/Problm Solving
The Engineering Design and Problem Solving course will introduce students to the scope of engineering, foundations of engineering science, and engineering design. Engineering fundamentals and design methods are addressed through rigorous design challenges and reverse engineering and redesign modules. The modules are designed so that the students learn specific engineering content as they solve engineering problems in multiple contexts. Knowledge, Abilities, and Skills Students Should Gain From This Course: As outlined in Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) standards: (a) an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering (b) an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data (c) an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability (d) an ability to function on multidisciplinary teams (e) an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems (f) an ability to communicate effectively (g) the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context
E S 377 STEM INNOV AND TECH COMM
This course is designed to provide practical tools and know-how when thinking about STEM-focused innovation and technology commercialization. This class will introduce concepts of Needs Driven Innovation (derived from Stanford’s Biodesign), address the role of intellectual property protection and its link to the knowledge economy, look at the creation of a pitch deck for STEM technologies, explore technology commercialization in STEM sectors like energy, medical devices, software security, materials, and others, examine the anatomy of SAFE and convertible notes, and discuss other relevant topics to empower and inform a developing entrepreneur. Students will participate in lectures and discussions with specialized guest speakers.
E S 377 Grand Challenges-21st Century
Facing the twenty-first-century engineering grand challenges. Topic description: Introduction and orientation to the Grand Challenges Scholars Program. Team-based design projects with focus on 1) Grand Challenges, 2) Interdisciplinary Curriculum, 3) Entrepreneurship, 4) Global Perspectives, and 5) Service Learning. Restricted to Longhorn Grand Challenges Scholars candidates from all years and all majors. Visit program website for more information.
E S 377E Longhorn Startup Lab

*Instructor Approval Required

Longhorn Startup Lab (LSL) is an intensive project-based course in the Spring semester that identifies student entrepreneurs who are building scalable technology companies and gets them real course credit for working on their startups while still in school. These students receive weekly one-on-one mentoring sessions with successful entrepreneurs. The semester culminates in a Demo Day where the students present their companies to the Austin community. Any student from any college can register but final team selection is by approval of the instructor.
HIS 322M History of Modern Science
This course explores a selection of topics and episodes in the history of science. The main time frame ranges from the 1580s to 1945 (the end of World War II). The major scientific developments discussed will include the Copernican revolution, Newton’s contributions to physics, the origins and rise of Darwin’s theory of evolution, the history of electricity, the Eugenics movement, the Scopes Monkey Trial, the origins of Einstein’s theories of relativity, and the early development of nuclear weapons.
ITD 370 DESIGNING WITH MACHINE LEARNING

*Instructor Approval Required

More data has been created in the past 2 years than in the entire prior history of the human race. Today less the 0.5% of that data is analyzed or used, but this is changing quickly. Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are making it possible to mine and use vast data pools to create more personal, contextual, and efficient software experiences. Money, saving and investing—where USAA grounds its business—is a particularly fluid and data rich space that also touches on core human needs such as security and agency. It is in this space—financial security—that we will situate our coursework. Throughout the class you will use the design process and a design thinking approach to focus the power of machine learning and artificial intelligence on solving real, human problems. We will explore what it means to design for an AI/ML enabled experience, discover and empathize with the human needs of USAA members, and then design possible solutions that incorporate ML and AI capabilities to improve USAA members’ financial security. The end result will be ideas, apps, and experiences that are not only technologically innovative, but economically viable and emotionally desirable.
ITD 370 When Topic Is Appropriate
*This course has an application process. Students must submit a letter of interest and resume to be considered.
M E 379M Engineering Entrepreneurship
Studies in Civil Engineering. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Various specified topics or conference course. Prerequisite: Varies with the topic and is given in the Course Schedule. For each semester hour of credit earned, the equivalent of one lecture hour a week for one semester. Additional hours may be required for some topics; these are identified in the Course Schedule. Topic 1: Technological Innovation: Bioethical Issues. Topic 2: Energy Policy and Ethical Conflicts. Topic 3: Engineering Ethics in a Corporate World. Topic 4: The Environment, Resources, and Technological Risks. Topic 5: Engineering Entrepreneurship. Topic 6: Engineering in a Legal Environment.
MAN 337 Tech Transfer/Entrepreneurship
COURSE PURPOSE: Wealth Creation and job creation starts with the application of science to the world of business. Automobiles, computers, software, airplanes, telephones, cell phones, materials for clothing and all other products starts with science. Our job is to understand how technology transfer, or science from laboratories, enters the business world to create entrepreneurial start-up firms or help to re-image existing firms. This course wraps technology transfer around the start-up or new venture development; it covers the mechanisms of the star-up process and the importance of understanding our capitalist system. We use theories of organizational science to understand how to create effective teams that will take a product to market which has been created in scientific laboratories. Entrepreneurship and innovation are the principal source of jobs and wealth in market economies. Thus this course is concerned with entrepreneurship based on new new science or technologies. Technology transfer is at the very center of business enterprise and entrepreneurship. It is the process of taking innovations out of laboratories and finding commercial applications for those technologies. The course is also concern with explaining “how” entrepreneurship takes place as well as “why” it takes place. The “how” of new venture development is related to the entrepreneurial process (innovation, technology transfer assessment, business plans, fund raising, launching of the enterprise, and the harvest or selling of the enterprise)? Research in this area is rich, comes out of the discipline of Management and, tends to concentrate on case studies and best practices. Related to this is the importance of the Eco-System; Austin, Silicon Valley and Boston are great eco-systems. It is difficult to engage in technology transfer without a great ecosystem. The “why” of entrepreneurship is concerned with why people and groups of people engage in the entrepreneurial process? Research in the area is found in the disciplines of History, Sociology, Psychology and Economics, and is less concerned with case studies but instead concentrates on statistical analysis of measured variables of individuals and groups of individuals. The course concentrates on the entrepreneurial process and theoretical aspects of new venture developments. Readings range from the development of high tech firms (remember that high tech is everything from the discovery of fire, automobiles and airplanes) to the entrepreneurial lessons of American immigrants. The course also utilizes “live” case studies; these are individuals who have created wealth and will share their knowledge with the class. The overall aim of the course is to create within you the idea that someone has to concentrate on wealth creation and job creation within the context of market economies. You will be guided by tools of the process, The “Quicklook” and the Business Model Generator. These tools are designed to analyze the market potential of new technologies. You will have an opportunity to create your “BIG IDEA” with your classmates as team members. The final project is for the teams to present their “BIG IDEA” to the class, which is a presentation on technology transfer.
NSC 324 INTLLCTL PRPTY LAW FOR TECH
Intellectual property law has four main subject matter areas: patents, trade secrets, copyrights, and trademarks. The first two are particularly germane to technologists. This course will address patent and trade secret law taught at the level of a non-lawyer who is studying or practicing science or engineering. The overriding objective of the course is to familiarize technologists with intellectual property concepts that will be relevant to them as practicing scientists or engineers, as well as to enable them to both protect their own intellectual property and evaluate the intellectual property of others. With respect to patent law, topics will include (1) the sources of the patent laws; (2) what a patent is, and how it is obtained; (3) text-based searching for issued patents and published patent applications on the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“PTO”) website; (4) patent ownership, assignment, licensing and standing to sue; (5) patent scope (both in terms of duration and subject matter); (6) patent infringement; (7) the dizzying array of defenses available to someone accused of patent infringement; and (8) remedies available for patent infringement. With respect to trade secret law, topics will include (1) what a trade secret is, and how it is obtained and maintained as a trade secret; (2) trade secret misappropriation; (3) defenses available to someone accused of trade secret misappropriation; and (4) remedies available for trade secret misappropriation.
NSC 325 Inventors Program Practicum (When Topic Is Appropriate)
Topics vary.
NTR 324 Advanced Food Science
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to 1. use and interpret experimental data to compose scientific literature 2. give and receive analytical feedback of scientific writing 3. analyze scientific literature, and use current research to apply to experimental design, and composition of scientific papers. 4. professionally present food science principals as they relate to food product development 5. identify and present future directions for food product development. 6. effectively design a food product tailored to a target market, and present results in a professional level cooking video. 7. plan recipe manipulations, create a market order, and aggregate a market order for materials purchase 8. use food science lab equipment for food product analysis and interpret resulting data.
PHL 322 Science and the Modern World
Scientific discoveries have profoundly altered the way we see the world and our place within it. Three branches of science that have dramatically changed the way humans see themselves are cosmology, the science that deals with the large-scale structure of the universe, quantum theory, which deals with the small-scale structure, and evolutionary biology. In this course we will accomplish two main goals. First, we will learn the history and content of a few of the most revolutionary theoretical developments in human history. Second, we will consider aspects of the broader philosophical significance that these developments are supposed to have.

Integration Essay

A 3-4 page essay in which you reflect on what you learned and accomplished through your BDP experience.

Important Notes on Fulfilling Your BDP Requirements


For more information on courses, please consult your BDP advisor (bdp@austin.utexas.edu) or the course schedule.