MBA alum and former Dingman Scholar Matt Fleischer put passion into promise to create a successful beer company Zoey Rawlins, founder of Shop DC and former Dingman Scholar, launched her business by following trends in the marketplace Run by students, The Smith Store offers promotional branded apparel, accessories and gifts The Dingman Center supports entrepreneurs throughout the Washington D.C. Metro Area and beyond The Dingman Center is located at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland

Academic

Entrepreneurship Fellows Program

In your junior and senior years, you will have the opportunity to participate in a Fellows track that allows you to specialize in a specific area of business. Fellows programs will provide a broad range of opportunities to specialize and integrate knowledge gained in the classroom with real-world activities and hands-on applications in laboratories, internships and other action-based learning.

The Entrepreneurship Fellows Program will launch Fall 2007 and will be a special selective track of the General Business major, providing 4 dedicated entrepreneurship courses which will prepare you to develop a great idea into a viable business venture. Entrepreneurship Fellows will participate in co-curricular activities and services through the Smith School's Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship, which provides “Pitch Dingman” lunches, business plan competitions, and an incubator for new student enterprises. More details on this new program will be coming soon.

Students are also encouraged to take entrepreneurship electives during their time at the Smith School of Business. Classes being offered through the Fellows Program and as electives are described below.

Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Courses

Spring 2008

BMGT 365 Entrepreneurial Finance and Private Equity (3)

Prerequisite BMGT 361 or BMGT461; Junior Standing. Studies venture capital and private equity using a combination of cases, lectures and guest speakers. Addresses how venture capitalists provide capital to start-up firms in growing industries and how private equity markets provide capital to help established medium-sized firms (often family businesses) grow and restructure. Focuses on how financial, legal, and economic issues are dealt with in the financial contracts between venture capitalists and their limited partners and between venture capitalists (or other private equity investors) and the firms in which they invest.

BMGT 461 Entrepreneurship (3)

Not open to students who have completed BMGT261 or BMGT361. Credit will be granted for only one of the following: BMGT261, BMGT361 or BMGT461. Process of creating new ventures, including evaluating the entrepreneurial team, the opportunity and the financing requirements. Skills, concepts, mental attitudes and knowledge relevant for starting a new business. This course is restricted to BMGT majors only with 72 credit hours completed. Non-majors should register for BMGT461N.

BMGT 461N Entrepreneurship (3)

Not open to students who have completed BMGT261 or BMGT361. Credit will be granted for only one of the following: BMGT261, BMGT361, or BMGT461. This course is open to all majors except BMGT with 72 credit hours completed. BMGT majors should register for BMGT461.

BMGT828E Independent Work Study in Business Management: Cross Disciplinary Workshop in Strategy and   Entrepreneurship (1)

BMGT 465 Business Plan For The New Venture (3)

Prerequisite BMGT 361 or BMGT461; Each student focuses on the production of a business plan that will be accepted for an annual business plan competition. Business plans of sufficient quality may be submitted to attract financing. Topics include a deep review of business plan construction and its derivative short forms.