Yes! We encourage students to start taking entrepreneurship courses as early as you are interested. This will get you introduced to the entrepreneurship and innovation resources around Penn State and your campus as soon as possible. Also, the earlier you start taking entrepreneurship courses or start working on a new product or start-up, the longer you'll have access to free Penn State resources...and free is good!

There are benefits to taking even one or two entrepreneurship courses: you'll be developing valuable knowledge, skills, and attitudes to help you in any career path. If you need suggestions on what courses to take, contact Jamey Darnell at jad961@psu.edu. If you're at Penn State Abington, contact Dr. Gary Calore at gsc1@psu.edu. If you're at Penn State Berks, contact Dr. Sadan Kulturel at sxk70@psu.edu.

Before jumping into an entrepreneurship course, attend some entrepreneurship events. An entrepreneurship calendar for Penn State University Park is under development, and will be listed here ASAP. Penn State Global Entrepreneurship Week happens every fall, with over a week of entrepreneurship activities. Each Spring is IST Start-up Week, with featured speakers and workshops. 

If you're enrolled at another Penn State campus, check out what's happening near you. There are six entrepreneurship centers located at Commonwealth campuses:

• Penn State Abington: Abington Maker/Innovation Space Partnership
• Penn State Erie, the Behrend College: Environment for Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (ERIE) Lab
• Penn State Harrisburg: The Center for the Next Step
• Penn State Lehigh Valley: SEED Project
• Penn State New Kensington: The Penn State Alle-Kiski Economic Generator
• Penn State Wilkes- Barre: Entrepreneurial and Business Development Lab 
• Penn State Univeristy Park: Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank
• Penn State Altoona: Aloona LaunchBox supported by the Hite Family

Drop in any of these locations and introduce yourself to the staff to get started!

No. Many students in the ENTI Minor enter the courses without an idea and very few have a business underway. Our goal is to help students develop their opportunity recognition skills to find a problem, need, or "pain" that they want to solve.

The minor will help you develop skills that are important to move an idea to a solution, product, or venture. There are very, very few entrepreneurs who have all the skills and knowledge needed to be successful, so taking the entrepreneurship courses can be key to success.

Both are good minors. The BUS/LA minor includes traditional business coursework in economics, accounting, finance, marketing, and management. The ENTI approach is more focused on mindset, leadership, innovation, and the start-up process. There are no traditional business courses in ENTI. If you want business skills, major in business or minor in BUS/LA. If you want enterprising skills, ENTI might be right for you.

This question has multiple answers. The general guideline is simple: if there are courses in your major listed as technical electives or out-of-college electives or support of option, ENTI Minor courses may be able to be counted for both completion of the ENTI Minor and your major. For example, for engineering students, ENGR 407 is a required course in the Technology Based Entrepreneurship cluster and can be counted as a technical elective in most engineering majors. Another example: Journalism majors who choose the New Media cluster may count up to 6 credits toward their major and ENTI. Arrange to meet both your major adviser and a cluster director to make sure all the courses you are planning to take meet minor and/or major requirements.

Yes. At least eight SHC theses have been written with an entrepreneurship or innovation focus over the past decade. You should contact your potential thesis supervisor as early as possible and start the dialogue on your thesis topic.

Three suggestions:

1. Do a patent search to see if patents already exist that are similar to your idea. Penn State has a Patent Search Tutorial.
2. If you have done some searching and need help, contact Penn State's Patent and Trademark Resource Center librarian, John Meier, at jjm38@psu.edu. He's a wonderful resource, and likes helping students.
3. Determine a way to describe your potentially patentable idea in non-confidential way — meaning you don't reveal specific details, but you clearly outline the benefits and how it's better than the existing solution. Talk to fifty people and see if they are as excited as you. If they are, keep up the good work. If they are not as excited as you, listen to their feedback and use it to modify your idea, make it better, or perhaps drop it.

You have some great options.

1. For students at University Park, the Penn State SBDC (Small Business Development Center) has drop-in consulting hours every Tuesday and Thursday from 4-5 p.m. in Kunkle Lounge (Hammond Building) during the semester. This is free, confidential advice on early steps in deciding if your idea can realistically be a commercial product or service. If the consulting hours don't work for you contact Linda Feltman at lcf8@psu.edu or 814-863-4293.
2. Reach out to one of the ENTI cluster directors or the ENTI contact at your campus and set up a meeting to discuss your idea. Faculty will never "take" your product concept: they will be happy to be a mentor and advisor.
3. See the resources listed in question 3.

I have an idea for the new product or service, but I'm worried about sharing the idea because someone might steal it. What do I do?