Tulane Entrepreneurship & Innovation Course List

Tulane is an outstanding place for students to develop innovation and entrepreneurial skills. Through the Tulane Innovation Institute, the Albert Lepage Center for Entrepreneurship, and the Phyllis M. Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking, students gain access to education, mentorship, and funding that help turn ideas into ventures. 

Entrepreneurship is integrated across academic programs, giving students opportunities to think creatively and solve problems. 

The Tulane Innovation Institute also trains faculty across all schools to incorporate an entrepreneurial mindset into their courses. 

Please see below for a list of many of the courses offered to students.

Tulane Innovation Institute Affiliated Courses  

Startup Strategy Lab (SLAM3915)

Bring your ideas to life and compete for a share of $50,000 to make them a reality. This course lets students team up, pitch solutions, and practice analyzing markets, identifying problems worth solving, and crafting compelling messages. Students gain hands-on experience building presentations, telling stories that inspire, and answering questions confidently. Even without an idea, this class develops skills in clear communication, strategic thinking, and adaptability. The course equips participants with tools to tackle new challenges, create opportunities, and carry these skills across majors. Allyson Heumann |Open to Undergraduate and Graduate students

Innovation and Technology Development: Creating Societal Impact with Research (SCEN 6660-02)

This course provides tools to transform research and discoveries into real-world solutions. Students learn to develop products and services for commercialization using frameworks like the business model canvas. Emphasis is on translating academic research into practical innovations with societal impact. The class guides students in turning ideas into tangible solutions, considering feasibility, ethics, and potential market applications. Students gain experience in shaping research projects toward real-world outcomes.
 Claiborne Christian | Open to School of Science and Engineering Graduate Students

Venture Capital and Angel Investing  (BUSG 4230)
This course, in partnership with the Tulane Venture Fund with $10 million for Louisiana startups, is ideal for those interested in funding innovative ideas. Students will learn about angel and venture capital investing through a practical, hands-on approach. Topics include opportunity sourcing, evaluation, decision-making, deal structuring, follow-on investments, and exits. Mentored by experienced industry veterans, students will gain real-world insights into the fund's operations, enhance their investment skills, understand entrepreneurial finance, and prepare for a career in venture capital. David Thompson | Prerequisite(s) FINE4130.

UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL COURSES

Entrepreneurial Leadership & Problem Solving (SLAM 1010)
Students learn key leadership, analytical, and managerial skills through a liberal arts lens. Students explore major forces shaping today’s global economy — including digital innovation, big data, entrepreneurship, collaboration, and the creative and cultural industries — while examining the historical and social contexts behind them. Along the way, they develop practical problem-solving abilities and reflect on how these themes connect to their academic interests and long-term career goals. The course is designed to help students strengthen their confidence, adaptability, and strategic thinking across a wide range of professional pathways. Jason Seidman, Gard, Wayne R.
 
Entrepreneurial Landscape of New Orleans (TIDE 1555)
Students receive a behind-the-scenes look at New Orleans’ entrepreneurial ecosystem — from the lessons learned after Hurricane Katrina to the ongoing work required to build an equitable, accessible, and collaborative startup community. Students hear directly from local entrepreneurs, support organizations, community partners, and investors who shape the region’s innovation economy. The course also incorporates data from the Greater New Orleans Startup Report, with insights shared by the Lepage Center, offering students an in-depth understanding of the current state of early-stage business activity in the city. Evan G. Nicoll and Rob Lalka


Entrepreneurship (BSLS 3600)

This interactive online course explores entrepreneurship, the personality traits of entrepreneurs, and methods for analyzing new venture opportunities in marketing, production, and organization. Students examine legal considerations, financing, and intellectual property protection. The course develops skills for launching a new business venture and for critically assessing opportunities. Joshua L. Forman 
 
Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship (MGMT 3200)

Students learn skills for careers in entrepreneurship, venture capital, and startup ecosystems. Students learn to evaluate business models, conduct due diligence, and pursue funding. Classes include discussions with entrepreneurs, readings by investors, and exploration of entrepreneurship’s societal role. Emphasis is on understanding the local ecosystem and gaining tools to pursue opportunities strategically. Alissa Bilfield or Brandon Soltwisch  

Digital Entrepreneurship (SLAM 3100)

Examine entrepreneurship in the context of new media and digital technologies. Students explore cultural transformations from digital innovation and initiate entrepreneurial projects using emerging technologies. Hands-on activities develop creative problem-solving and practical business skills.  Jason S. Seidman  

Social Entrepreneurship (SISE 3042)

Focused on social entrepreneurship, this course explores the development of innovative solutions to social and environmental issues. Students assess business models for social impact, integrating mission with strategy, and examine skills necessary to create sustainable change in communities worldwide. Verse C. Shom  

Entrepreneurial Hospitality (BUSG 4050)

Entrepreneurial Hospitality combines analytical and creative approaches to identify market gaps in the service industry and design new businesses. Students apply business strategy and design thinking to prototype value propositions, revenue models, and sales channels. Activities include market research, trend analysis, brainstorming, business model construction, prototyping, customer journey mapping, branding, sales forecasting, and final pitches. The course encourages co-creation, guided by instructors and industry professionals.  James S. Geier

Cases in Entrepreneurship (MGMT 4110)

Students analyze thirteen business cases with guidance from a professor and visiting executives. The course develops analytical skills in finance, accounting, marketing, and management while exploring entrepreneurship, family businesses, and small businesses. Students gain experience brainstorming, innovating, and communicating effectively, learning directly from successful entrepreneurs.  Robert T. Lalka    

Entrepreneurship Engineering & Bioscience (SCEN 6000)

Senior students move engineering and bioscience projects to commercialization. Topics include competitive business plans, intellectual property, venture capital engagement, and sustaining competitive advantage. Ethics is emphasized throughout. Guest speakers provide insights from venture capital, law, banking, and entrepreneurial experiences. Also open to graduate students. Edward W. Karp  

Student Venture Accelerator 2 (MGMT 4210)
This course is designed for students ready to build and launch a real business. Working from the Lepage Center’s Student Venture Incubator, teams refine an idea through customer interviews, product-market fit analysis, and securing initial paying customers. Students develop core components of a venture — from the business model and financial plans to marketing, sales, hiring, and foundational documents. They also prepare for a simulated board meeting. Throughout the semester, students receive individualized coaching from the professor, experienced mentors, entrepreneurs-in-residence, and the Lepage Center’s expert network, all aimed at helping each startup advance toward viability. Rob Lalka

Strategic Management (MGMT 4010 )
Students identify and diagnose strategic issues companies face in complex, competitive environments. Strategic Management encompasses a series of interrelated steps by which managers conduct analyses at the industry, business, and corporate levels; decide on strategies to enhance firm competitiveness; implement those strategies; and evaluate and modify them as needed. Students assume the role of the practicing general manager and develop a capacity to propose and implement sound, realistic, and specific solutions for the firm’s strategic problems. Matthew Higgins

GRADUATE LEVEL COURSES


Architecture & Soc. Innovation (ARCH-4937-01A)

This seminar explores the intersection of architecture, innovation, and social impact. Students analyze methods for translating design and research into solutions that address societal challenges. Kenneth A. Schwartz  

Bioinnovation Research (SCEN 7020)

Students research to advance bioinnovation, developing new technologies with potential for commercial or societal impact. The course emphasizes rigorous methods, critical thinking, and applications of research in real-world contexts. Donald P. Gaver  

Innovation & Tech Commercialization (MGMT 7180)

This course teaches innovation theory and practices across startups and intrapreneurial units in established companies. Students develop formal business models for technological innovations in healthcare, energy, water, and the environment. Classroom lectures and experiential training combine to advance theoretical frameworks and practical skills, enabling students to move inventions toward commercialization and societal benefit. Sherif A. Ebrahim    

Management of Technology & Innovation (MGMT 7210)

Students explore frameworks for managing technology advancement to maintain a competitive advantage. The course examines why companies rise or fall based on innovation capability. Tools and strategies for managing process and product innovations are introduced. Sherif A. Ebrahim  

Entrepreneurship Eng & Biosci (SCEN 6000)

See description listed above.

Social Innovation Tools (SBPS 6700)

Students gain skills in systems thinking, systems-led leadership, and human-centered design to address complex societal problems like climate change, violence, and health inequities. Training includes mapping systems, identifying intervention points, reframing challenges, and collaborative problem-solving. Examples span domestic, international, and global contexts, with design thinking workshops for hands-on learning. Participation in the Fast 48 workshop incurs an additional fee.  Jylana L. Sheats  
  
 

This list reflects the course catalog at the time of publication, per the Office of the Tulane Registrar. Visit classschedule.tulane.edu. 

If you are offering an entrepreneurship or innovation course at Tulane and would like to be added to this list, please email innovation(at)tulane.edu.