NCET

Across Nevada, prospective students are examining the best options for furthering their educations. This includes everyone from graduates fresh from high school as well as adults who are returning to school to further their educations, advance their skill sets or pursue new career paths.

We’re fortunate, here in Nevada, that opportunities abound when it comes to entrepreneurship education. As far as I’m concerned, pursuing a course of study that focuses on entrepreneurial principles and practices provides students with skills and knowledge they will find applicable in many aspects of their professional lives throughout the duration of their careers.

Sierra Nevada College has perhaps one of the most impressive entrepreneurship educational curriculums around. The school has a philosophy of crafting its course content to “develop the knowledge, abilities and skills needed in the 21st century marketplace and matching those skills to appropriate and successful entrepreneurial enterprises.” Sierra Nevada offers a major in Entrepreneurship which focuses on creativity, invention, innovation and business plan development. It also encourages students to engage in critical thinking and assessment exercises and to learn how to identify opportunities. Sierra Nevada students are regularly finalists in NCET’s Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup Business Plan Writing Competition each year. You can visit www.sierranevada.edu to learn more.

University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) offers a minor in Entrepreneurship, with areas of study focusing on new venture creation, entrepreneurial finance and applied entrepreneurship. UNR students are frequently finalists in the annual Governor’s Cup as well. I believe that’s due in large part to the commitment of business professors at UNR who take an active role in introducing students to real life principals of business start-up, management and expansion. Because of this in-depth mentoring, UNR students pursuing entrepreneurship education have the very real potential of graduating not only with a college degree, but with a viable business concept, or even an actively-running business, thanks to the support and encouragement of UNR’s dedicated staff. You can learn more at www.UNR.edu.

Truckee Meadows Community College’s School of Business & Entrepreneurship aims to provide students with courses that teach up-to-date, practical business fundamentals. The school is clearly making great strides, as TMCC has taken top honors in the Governor’s Cup twice in the last three years. Degrees include a certificate of achievement, an associate of arts, or an associate of applied science. The school also boasts an Entrepreneurship Club, which I find to be of particular significance. The club is designed to inspire and encourage entrepreneurship and it also provides an environment where students can exchange ideas, develop networks and truly begin making viable business connections. You can find out more at www.TMCC.edu.