This is an introductory course in business and entrepreneurship. Students examine the main disciplines (accounting, finance, marketing, management, operations and entrepreneurship) within business and learn business terminology. The course introduces company, market and industry research and statistics to analyze new business ideas. The various types of entrepreneurship, business formation, ethics and social responsibility are discussed.

This is a preparatory course for participation in the MICA Art Market as a vendor. The course introduces business concepts, technological systems and vending protocols for student businesses participating as first time vendors. Students will discuss and receive feedback on their products, visual merchandising, branding, business communications plan, and marketing materials. Emphasis will be placed on business protocols and systems for customer service and retention. Various types of accounting, inventory, revenue, and sales tax capture technology are reviewed. Resources for government filings will be shared without providing tax advice. MICA Art Market application requirements and event guidelines will be provided.

Students will work independently to produce creative items for sale in MICA’s Art Market. They will complete a mini-course on Business Basics in preparation for MICA’s holiday market and learn the fundamentals of pricing, marketing, and branding. All students are expected to engage with MICA Art Market for a minimum of one 10-hour day utilizing their skills acquired in this Entrepreneurship course.

In this course, students learn to approach social and market-based problems with an entrepreneurial mindset. Through research, students identify areas ripe for innovation, and learn strategic approaches for developing and marketing creative projects, products, and services. Topics covered include core entrepreneurial thinking; design thinking strategies; appropriate business models; research and marketing; business ethics, and options for financing. Students wishing to investigate new or existing ideas using entrepreneurial thinking are encouraged to take this course.

This course offers students the opportunity to work in teams to create a pop-up shop or other sales venture. The collaborative activities provide real-world learning for students interested in working as an independent artist or designer producing items for retail sale. In this course, students explore current practices in the creative economy, and how to develop and apply business knowledge to creative endeavors, especially with attention to the practices of creating multiples for sale. Students learn about various types of professional practices; stages of product development, business plan development, financial responsibilities, retail merchandising and marketing, and sales management. Topics such as market segmentation, materials research, strategic budgeting, branding, online marketing, sales tax, and site analytics are discussed. Over the course of the semester, students develop fundamental knowledge and skills that will help them apply sound business practices to their own creative work. The course culminates with a real-world sales project to take place in the MICA store or in an e-commerce store.

Taken the fall semester of students’ last year at MICA, this course provides an accelerator experience for students to learn and implement the business concepts needed to prepare the launch of an arts based business or social venture. Students work through a lean business model canvas to create a business plan. Topics include design thinking, market and customer research, financial modeling, validation and pitching. The capstone culminates with students participating in a pitch competition, Kickstarter campaign or similar experience to propel their business forward.