About the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship

How is the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship different from other university programs?
This will be the largest interdisciplinary entrepreneurship school in the nation. No other university connects its entrepreneurship curriculum to a set of broad-based outreach programs designed to help entrepreneurs and small businesses. The outreach mission of the new school will be conducted through the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship, which has a long 20-year history of serving entrepreneurs and small businesses throughout Florida.

When will the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship start to operate as its own school with its own academic programs?
A soft-launch of the interdisciplinary entrepreneurship degree is set for fall 2017. This date allows the school to ensure smooth operations in advance of the public launch set for August 2018. This will also create a graduating class for the 2018-2019 academic year.

How many entrepreneurship majors do you expect over the next few years?
Once the new curriculum launches, we expect to slowly increase the number of entrepreneurship majors. In the first year, 100 majors are expected compared to the current 40 majors in the College of Business. The program expects to admit several hundred majors by the end of the third year.

Will the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship remain part of the College of Business?
The Jim Moran Institute will remain in the College of Business where it has thrived for more than 20 years. Working very closely with the new school, the Jim Moran Institute will continue its extensive outreach mission across the State of Florida to help tie real-world entrepreneurship practice with entrepreneurship education delivered across campus in our classrooms, labs and incubators. The combination of the new school’s interdisciplinary approach and the Jim Moran Institute’s outreach will forever change the face of entrepreneurship in the State of Florida and create a lasting impact on our economy.

Under what academic unit will the Jim Moran School operate?
To ensure complete integration and coordination, the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship will reside under the provost and operate much like a college.

Who is in charge of the Jim Moran School?
A faculty director, appointed by the provost, will lead the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship.

Where will the Jim Moran School be located?
Both the school and the Jim Moran Institute will be located in or near downtown Tallahassee, where they will be in close proximity to the state capitol, local businesses, and statewide associations. The school’s and the Jim Moran Institute’s director and other staff members will be housed at this facility. Although the school’s faculty (including the EIRs) will maintain offices within their current colleges and departments, they will rotate offices in the school’s main location throughout the year. The school’s faculty will continue to teach in their home college as well as the Jim Moran School.

What degree will graduates of the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship receive?
They will receive either a Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship or a Bachelor of Arts in Entrepreneurship. The school will also offer a redesigned, interdisciplinary minor in entrepreneurship.

Will the College of Business still offer its own undergraduate entrepreneurship major and minor?
No, the academic programs currently housed in the College of Business will be moved to the Jim Moran School and will become more interdisciplinary in scope. The College of Business will retain the ability to offer graduate degrees in entrepreneurship.

Why is this change being made?
This change is imperative in order for Florida State University to expand enrollments in the entrepreneurship major and minor. Faculty and space resources in the College of Business, where only 40 students per year can pursue a degree in entrepreneurship, limit current enrollments. However, the demand for entrepreneurship education is very strong and growing. To move forward, more faculty and space are needed.

Simultaneously, as part of the Entrepreneurial University Initiative, Florida State University has a number of Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIRs) housed in 12 different colleges across campus. While the EIRs are part of a Council of Entrepreneurship that meets regularly and has made great strides, it is unable to fulfill its entrepreneurial vision due to the lack of a coordinated educational program aimed at all students across campus. The Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship will bring the College of Business programs together with the Council of Entrepreneurship and other human and physical assets around the university to fully realize the vision of the Entrepreneurial University. The linchpin and focal point of this vision is the creation of an interdisciplinary entrepreneurship curriculum. By elevating the entrepreneurship major and minor to the university level, FSU can leverage the talents for each EIR, each college, and multiple physical spaces to create the nation’s largest interdisciplinary entrepreneurship program. This collaborative approach, housed within the school, also will allow Florida State University to meet the growing demand for entrepreneurship education.

Why is this a good change?
This change allows more students to earn an entrepreneurship degree or a minor in entrepreneurship. As soon as the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship opens its doors, it can grow its enrollment to meet the increasing demand for entrepreneurship education.

Are current entrepreneurship major and minor students affected by these changes?
Current students will not be affected by these changes and will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in entrepreneurship or a minor in entrepreneurship from the College of Business before the new program begins. Students entering the interdisciplinary program beginning in fall 2017 will follow the new curriculum requirements.

How will the new curriculum in the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship be organized?
The Jim Moran School will be organized across five major focal areas, each with an area coordinator and academic advisor. These areas will offer academic majors under the BS and BA degrees as follows:

Will the curriculum at the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship be the same as before?
No. The major will move from a three-year program to a two-year, upper-division program. This will ease the transition for students coming out of the state college system. Additionally, a faculty committee will be formed to work on the school’s curriculum and will solicit input from the EIRs across campus regarding the best courses for their focal areas. This process will also look at the creation of new courses to ensure the highest quality entrepreneurship curriculum. The school will also offer a redesigned, interdisciplinary minor in entrepreneurship.

What kind of faculty will the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship have?
The courses will continue to be taught by the same innovative, world-class faculty and EIRs as before, and additional faculty who have an entrepreneurship background will be hired as needed.

Will it be easier to get into the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship?
The new school will admit more entrepreneurship students than before; however, prospective students must continue to meet Florida State University’s and the school’s high admission standards. The school will establish its own prerequisites different from those of the College of Business.

Will the curriculum at the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship be the same as before?
No. The major will move from a three-year program to a two-year, upper-division program. This will ease the transition for students coming out of the state college system. Additionally, a faculty committee will be formed to work on the school's curriculum and will solicit input from the EIRs across campus regarding the best courses for their focal areas. This process will also look at the creation of new courses to ensure the highest quality entrepreneurship curriculum. The school will also offer a redesigned, interdisciplinary minor in entrepreneurship.

What kind of faculty will the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship have?
The courses will continue to be taught by the same innovative, world-class faculty and EIRs as before, and additional faculty who have an entrepreneurship background will be hired as needed.

Will it be easier to get into the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship?
The new school will admit more entrepreneurship students than before; however, prospective students must continue to meet Florida State University's and the school's high admission standards. The school will establish its own prerequisites different from those of the College of Business.

18 December 2015