Entrepreneurship. It’s all about taking risks ... and reaping rewards. It’s about coming up with innovative business ideas and masterminding plans to make those ideas real. It’s also about putting it all on the line, including your graduation date.

In our nationally recognized entrepreneurship program, the curriculum is about as real world as you can get. The course work is in-depth, students are competitive, and our capstone course—New Venture Creation—is immersive learning at its finest.

The pass/fail course works like this: You develop a thorough business plan and present it to a panel of business professionals. If they think your idea is well constructed and feasible, you can start pressing your cap and gown. But if they think your plan wouldn’t cut it in the real world, then you’ll have to go back to the drawing board and do it again next year.

Days before the spring 2008 Commencement, Cody Parkhouse presented a plan for an online community for Ball State students and a free place to exchange information, goods, and services. Parkhouse says he had been looking forward to this final test since his freshman year.

“Just one project determines your college fate,” he says. “But I’m excited about the challenge and to show off all of my hard work.”

Parkhouse passed and graduated.

Ball State’s entrepreneurship program consistently ranks among the top in the nation. But we do not just teach entrepreneurship; we unleash the entrepreneurial perspective. And we do it well. Today, many entrepreneurship alumni are out in the world.