2021-2022 Catalog

Entrepreneurship (Certificate)

Program Advisor: Karen Hines, Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs

413-236-4533 - khines@berkshirecc.edu

 

Completing the BCC Entrepreneurship certificate program grants students a certificate that is stackable within the Business Administration (A.A) and Business Career (A.S.) program - allowing a student to move from certificate to a two-year to a four-year business or entrepreneurship program.

 

Our Entrepreneurship Certificate program provides students with a robust set of business courses to give them the skills they need to start a business or launch a new idea/concept within an existing business.  In addition, it prepares you to run your own business more efficiently, grow your business, and gain an edge in increasing its success in today’s competitive business climate.

 

Topics covered by this program include:

Opportunity Recognition

Identifying changing conditions or overlooked possibilities in the environment that represent potential sources of profit or return in a venture
Opportunity Assessment Evaluating the structure of opportunities to determine their feasibility accurately
Risk Mitigation Recognizing and reducing the probability of a threat occurring, or reducing the potential impact if the threat were to occur
Conveying a Compelling Vision
Conceiving the image of a future entrepreneurship opportunity and articulating that image in a manner that empowers followers
to respond to it 
Creative Problem-Solving skills From thinking quickly, creatively and laterally while evaluating available options, to resolving customer and employee issues and questions - all while being profitable, engaging, emotionally rewarding, and socially valued
Value Innovation / Creation Developing new products, services, and/or business models that generate revenues and bring about a fair return 
Tenacity/Perseverance Sustaining goal-directed actions when confronting difficulties and obstacles that impede goal achievement 
Building and Using Entrepreneurial Networks Nurturing social interaction skills that enable an individual to establish, develop and maintain relationships with others who assist them in advancing their work or career 
Data analysis  Handling data well and using it effectively 
Communication skills  Developing strong communication skills to inspire others to be more confident in expressing their opinions and encourage them to give feedback, which can speed up the process of finding solutions. 
Critical thinking  Identifying underlying problems and turning such issues into opportunities

 

 

All business certificate and degree programs can be completed on an accelerated basis, and can be applied towards a full degree program in the future.

Admissions Requirements

Documentation of high school graduation or alternative high school credential. Reading and writing competency at a college level as shown by high school GPA of 2.7 within the past ten years,
Accuplacer assessment, or completion of a college composition class. Math at a college level as shown by a high school GPA of 2.7 within the past three years Accuplacer assessment, or completion
of a math course of MAT-028A or higher.

Standard Business Degree Requirements for BCC. Prereq. ENG-020. 4/5 Graduation Requirements with Suggested Block for Program Completion

Expected Outcomes

At BCC, students will learn the fundamentals that will help them learn to better the odds of creating sustainable success in developing a business. Coursework will help develop an entrepreneurial mindset and understand entrepreneurial finance, small business management, marketing, and legal issues for small business owners.

Our curriculum and program are based on providing students the opportunity and skills to improve on each of these competencies.

  • Opportunity Recognition: the capacity to recognize changing conditions or overlooked possibilities in the environment that represent potential sources of profit or return in a venture
  • Opportunity Assessment: the ability to have the flexibility to evaluate the structure of opportunities to accurately determine their feasibility
  • Risk Mitigation: the ability to recognize and take necessary actions to reduce the probability of a risk occurring or reduce the potential impact if the threat were to occur
  • Conveying a Compelling Vision: the ability to conceive the image of a future entrepreneurship opportunity and to articulate that image in a manner that empowers followers to respond to it
  • Creative Problem-Solving skills: the ability to think quickly, think creatively and laterally, evaluate options, to resolve customer and employee issues and questions - while being profitable, engaging, emotionally rewarding, and socially valued.
  • Value Innovation / Creation: capabilities at developing new products, services and/or business models that generate revenues and bring about a fair return 
  • Tenacity/Perseverance: an ability to sustain goal-directed actions when confronting difficulties and obstacles that impede goal achievement
  • Building and Using Entrepreneurial Networks: social interaction skills that enable an individual to establish, develop and maintain relationships with others who assist them in advancing their work or career
  • Data analysis: the ability to handle data well and use it in the most effective way
  • Communication skills: Develop good communication skills to inspire others to be more confident in expressing their opinions and encourage them to give feedback, which can speed up the process of finding solutions.
  • Critical thinking: to enable entrepreneurs to identify problems and turn such issues into opportunities.

Graduation Requirements

Program Courses

CIS-102Fundamental Computer Literacy

4

BUS-111Principles of Accounting I

3

COM-107Introduction to Oral Communication in Business

3

-Or

BUS-247Business Communications

3

BUS-208Principles of Marketing

3

BUS-206Principles of Management

3

ECO-211Principles of Microeconomics

3

BUS-251Law for Business I

3

BUS-216Small Business Entrepreneur & Management

3

Total Credit Hours:25

Total Credit Hours: 25

Suggested Pathway to Graduation

First Semester

CIS-102Fundamental Computer Literacy

4

BUS-111Principles of Accounting I

3

BUS-208Principles of Marketing

3

BUS-206Principles of Management

3

COM-107Introduction to Oral Communication in Business

3

-Or

BUS-247Business Communications

3

Total Credit Hours:19

Second Semester

ECO-211Principles of Microeconomics

3

BUS-251Law for Business I

3

BUS-216Small Business Entrepreneur & Management

3

Total Credit Hours:9