University Entrepreneurial Program Spotlight: Baylor University

Baylor University has ranked #12 in the U.S. for its Entrepreneurship program. Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business Entrepreneurship program has educated and molded aspiring entrepreneurs for over 40 years by involving students in emerging business ventures.

Baylor, a Christian university in Waco Texas, is an institution that has been nationally ranked as #12 in the nation for its Entrepreneurship program by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine. Baylor’s Entrepreneurship program, an extension of the Hankamer School of Business, has educated and molded aspiring entrepreneurs for 40 years. Baylor is an institution that focuses on hands-on education by involving students in new and emerging business ventures.

Hankamer’s John F. Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship

The John F. Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship & Free Enterprise at Baylor began educating up and coming entrepreneurs in 1977. The center offers 31 entrepreneurship-related undergraduate courses as well as a doctoral program. According to Entrepreneur, Baylor graduates have started 280 companies just in the last five years, raising over $50 million in funding. The university offers both graduate and undergraduate studies in Entrepreneurship.

The goal of the John F. Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship & Free Enterprise is …to extend an arm of support to the local, national and global business community in such a way as to facilitate new business and further the goals of established businesses. –Baylor University.

Courses & Costs

Baylor has a 39% acceptance rate, with 2,100 students currently enrolled in entrepreneurship classes. The cost to attend Baylor is ,194, with a minimum requirement of an ACT score of 26 or an SAT score of 1190.

The Entrepreneurship major is divided into two tracks: the Social Entrepreneurship track and the Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation Course Plan. Required courses to major in Entrepreneurship & Corporate Innovation or Social Entrepreneurship (not including general education courses):

Entrepreneurial Process
New Venture Finance: The Entrepreneur’s Perspective

This major consists of 15 entrepreneurship-specific course hours focused on educating students to find thriving careers in entrepreneurship and become equipped with an arsenal of venture management techniques.

There is also a minor in Entrepreneurship available to non-business majors. This program consists of 18-course hours that help to equip students with the necessary skills to start and successfully manage a new business venture.

Faculty

The director of the John F. Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship and Free Enterprise is Dr. Kendall Artz. Dr. Artz is an educator who has dedicated his career to the growth and development of the Baylor University Entrepreneurship program for more than 20 years. He began his career at Baylor in 1995 as an assistant professor. He became Chairman of the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship in 2001, maintaining that position until 2013 when he was named the chairman of the Department of Entrepreneurship.

Artz has been awarded multiple rewards and honors for his contribution to the entrepreneurial community. This includes the Outstanding Teaching Awards from both Baylor University and Purdue, the Outstanding Researcher Award at Baylor, a finalist for the National Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year Award, and was selected to become a member of the Executive Committee for the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers. n 2015, he was named a Justin G. Longenecker Fellow in Entrepreneurship by the United States Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE). Fellowships are rewarded to a select few for making strides in entrepreneurial education through writing, reading, and public services.

Dr. Artz, a seasoned instructor of up and coming entrepreneurs, has been published in multiple scholarships, such as the Journal of Business Research and Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization. He is an example of the dedication this institution has regarding the education of its students.

Study Abroad

Baylor Universities Entrepreneurship program offers a unique opportunity to its students through its Study Abroad program. Thanks to a particular emphasis on global entrepreneurial understanding, students have the chance to qualify to participate in the following programs for credit:

Baylor Business in Europe
This program consists of five weeks of undergraduate or graduate study while traveling through seven European countries. Students meet entrepreneurs and observe global organizations to understand better the various challenges and opportunities that come with developing a global business venture.
Baylor in the Caribbean
This program is available to undergraduate and graduate students. Students travel to Costa Rica and focus on the startup and management of growing business enterprises.
Social Entrepreneurship in Africa
This is a 15-day summer abroad program that focuses on challenging students to use their developing entrepreneurial skills to address social issues in Africa.

Student Competitions

In February 2018, Baylor University hosted their seventh annual Baylor New Venture Competition (NVC). The NVC is an on-campus event consists of a two-day business plan and elevator pitch that promotes student entrepreneurship. The program began with an anonymous gift to the university and the Hankamer School of Business. The NVC is an opportunity for students and recent Baylor alumni to showcase business ventures that they created and managed themselves. In order to compete, one must be a current student or have graduated no more than 18 months prior.

The competition consists of two rounds:

Documentation Rounds
This section of the competition is a two-part submission process:
- Round 1: Executive Summary
  Competitors submit a 2 page Executive Summary of their potential business concept. After a council of judges asses the submissions, the top 50 teams are chosen and advance to the next round.
- Round 2: Business Plan
  The 50 remaining teams then submit a business plan that follows a designated guideline. 10 of these 50 teams will be chosen to proceed.
Live Presentation Rounds, In-Person
- Pre-Competition Activites
  This part of the competition is a day dedicated to in-depth, individualized coaching sessions.
- Finals
  Finals occur in 2 sections – Morning Finals and Afternoon Finals. 5 of the 10 finalists present to a panel of judges in each section.
- Judging Review & Final Scoring
  Judges review all submissions and finalize their scores. Award winners are announced that evening at the awards banquet.

Winner of first place receives a cash prize of $50,000, along with multiple consulting hours with various companies such as Renovatio Cloud Solutions, Hulsey PC, Addison Treehouse, and many others. Second place winners receive a cash prize of $25,000 and consulting hours of a lesser quantity. Third place winners receive $10,000 cash and some consultation time.

Baylor Alumni Network

Baylor University strives to ensure the success of its students, pre and post graduation. Once a student graduates from Baylor, they are given the opportunity to join the Baylor Alumni Network, an initiative that provides alumni with a strong network. With this network, not only can graduates connect with their fellow alum, they can also delve into a multitude of networking opportunities with successful professionals of various ages and careers.

Baylor University is an institution that prides itself on providing students with opportunities to cultivate their skills and to grow as professionals. Up and coming entrepreneurs in this program are given a community and a quality education in which they can build their future on.