Experiences

Entrepreneurship & Innovation (E&I) Experiences are high-impact learning opportunities related to entrepreneurship. Want to start a business? Write a business plan? Do a crowdfunding campaign? Attend Startup Weekend? Develop a prototype? All of these could count as an E&I Experience.

How do I sign up?

  • STEP 1: Verbal instructor approval.

Experiences are initiated by the student and are done as a project in a course in which the student is enrolled. The instructor should agree verbally (or by email) to the project plan before the student registers the experience or begins the work.

    •  For example, if a student wants to do an E&I Experience in the Fall 2019 semester, they will need to secure the support of an instructor of one of the courses in which they are enrolled that semester. The final decision about whether to support the proposed E&I Experience, as well the final sign-off when the project is completed, rests entirely with the instructor.
    • Any undergraduate can do an E&I Experience in any course, however, students in the E&I Minor are required to complete two E&I Experiences. One of their E&I Experiences must be done in a course that they are not counting toward the 15 credit-hour requirements of the E&I Minor.  Whether or not the Experience is done in a course that counts toward the E&I Minor, a student’s instructor still needs to approve the Experience per the guidelines on this page.
  • STEP 2: Complete online form.

Students should log into the Registrar’s website at https://reg.msu.edu/. Click on Student Resources // Forms // Student-Instructor Forms. On that screen look for the form called “Application for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Experiences Option.

    • The form asks five simple questions about the proposed project:
      1. Description of Proposed Option Coursework (Subject matter purpose, methods)
      2. Rationale (Explain how project satisfies one of the entrepreneurial criteria)
      3. Work to be completed (Describe specifically the work product)
      4. Evaluation Criteria (Describe specifically what will meet expectations)
      5. Date by which the project is to be completed (Ideally the work should be completed during the semester, but cannot be any later than the start of the following semester). 

Once you complete the online form, it will be automatically routed to the course instructor for approval. Please note: You can check the progress of your form online.

  • STEP 3: Make it happen!

Attend, enjoy, and complete the experience. Reflect on your learning. Then complete the evaluation criteria (#4 in Step 2) on time. Have your instructor sign-off.

What about internships?

Internships can count as E&I Experiences, but they must be approved in advance by both the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the instructor (the person who awards the course credit for the internship). Because each internship is unique, these are handled on a case by case basis. Please talk to your instructor first, to ensure they are supportive. Be certain to review the FAQs.

Transcript

Students who complete an E&I Experience in a course will have the following appear on their permanent transcript next to the course name:  ENTREP & INNOVATION OPTION. You can see how this will appear on the sample transcript.

I did the work. Now what?

Once the student completes the work, and only after the instructor submits their final grade for the course, the instructor fills out an Administrative Action Form online to complete the process and ensure the student is recognized for their E&I Experience. The student can track the progress on the Registrar’s Website (link above).

How about some examples?

The Examples page provides a long list of sample projects and ideas.

Other important considerations

Any student can complete an E&I Experience and have it reflected on their transcript. Students earning the E&I Minor are required to do two of them, one of which must be done in a course that does not count toward the 15 credit-hours of the E&I Minor.

  • Students cannot do the same two experiences twice. In other words, students cannot participate in Startup Weekend two times. The experiences must be unique.
  • Similarly, students cannot do both Experiences with the same instructor unless they get approval.
  • Students cannot do both Experiences in the same course. They must be done in two different courses.

Where can I get more details?

E-Advisors are well versed in the E&I Experiences program and are also familiar with the programs and curricula of each college. For both students and faculty, they should be your first point of contact. 

I’m confused.

Be sure to check out the FAQs since most questions are answered there. Or feel free to contact us. We are here to help you be successful.