August 30, 2022

Change is inevitable, and being at the forefront of change ensures success in any industry, but who are the people shaking things up and bringing changes to the business world? Entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurs know that change and innovation are important in any business setting, and they aren’t afraid to think outside the box and become leaders. With an understanding of entrepreneurship and an entrepreneurial mindset, you can be the next leader to make a difference with a startup, inside an existing business, or in an entirely new industry. But how can you learn and grow as an entrepreneur if you’re already working?

We sat down with Kevin Coleman, a recent graduate of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation program to discuss his experience.

Kevin got his undergraduate degree in business administration, giving him a foundation in business which he used to start his career, but, after starting a new job at Drexel he began contemplating going back to school. After some exploration through Drexel’s degree offerings, he settled on a graduate degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Kevin works as the Assistant Director for Strategic Partnerships for Drexel University Online, through this role he’s constantly promoting Drexel’s online programming. Applying to the graduate program let Kevin experience Drexel’s online program from the perspective of a student which has helped him in his current role. Additionally, the skills that he’s learned through the graduate program have helped him with the volunteer work he does in his free time.

How was your experience as a graduate student, and someone who’s working full-time as well?

“I wasn’t quite sure what going to school and doing it 100% online was going to mean for me personally, but I found it was phenomenal and was really a great opportunity to manage my schedule because I could do it on my time”. Another benefit for Kevin was the number of resources that were available to him. He talked about his experience in the program which gave him so much value because of the help he received from his academic advisor, the seamless enrollment process, and the knowledge he gained from the professors at the Close School. When talking about the professors he said, “The professors are phenomenal, they are industry experienced, or experts that really bring their real-world experience into the classroom, this made it less of an academic exercise and allowed me to see what really happens in the industry as it relates to what we’re learning”.

Since graduating, how have you been able to implement what you’ve learned from the graduate program at work and in your personal life?

When talking about his start in the program he said, “After my first few weeks in the program, I realized, man, I needed to understand a lot of this 10 years ago! I realized I could take my giant stack of papers that made up my business plan and put it on a single sheet of paper called the lean canvas. The lean canvas really set the foundation for where my business is going instead of just going through the motions and creating a long document that's obsolete the day that the ink dries”. After learning more about entrepreneurship, Kevin was able to implement it into his job with his entrepreneurial mindset while working with partner groups and looking at things differently to understand the viewpoints of the customer. It also set the foundation for him as he started to look at working with other startups in his community as volunteer work is an important part of his life outside of Drexel.

Through his experience in the graduate degree program at the Close School, Kevin has developed a much deeper understanding of what it means to be an entrepreneur, and how to implement what he’s learned to become a leader both at his job, and in his volunteer work.

A graduate degree in entrepreneurship can be done from anywhere, with courses online taught by professors who are mentors and experts in their fields, you’ll be able to develop an entrepreneurial skillset to help you stand out from your colleagues, and bring change to your industry. At the Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship, there’s a graduate degree program for all types of entrepreneurs including:

• MS in entrepreneurship and innovation
• MS in biomedicine and entrepreneurship
• MS in creative education and entrepreneurship
• MS in legal studies and entrepreneurship
• Graduate minor in entrepreneurship and innovation

Along with the different degree options, there are also plenty of graduate certificate options that can help accelerate your career and differentiate you from your competition giving you the skills you need to be successful.

• Graduate certificate in corporate entrepreneurship
• Graduate certificate in new venture creation
• Graduate certificate in social entrepreneurship
• Graduate certificate in food innovation

What will you do to make a change and innovate in your industry? Learn more about the different graduate degree options here.