Corporate Innovation & Entrepreneurship

The Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIENT) major is designed to help you develop problem-solving and creative thinking skills, along with the ability to spot trends, recognize opportunities, and develop plans to capitalize on high-potential ideas. Emerging entrepreneurs and innovative managers of small to large businesses must be competent in various mediums of communication, have good negotiation skills, lead with ethics and integrity, and be grounded in business aspects of planning, capital investing, goal setting, and decision making.

For more information about the Corporate Innovation & Entrepreneurship major visit:

Smeal Majors: undergrad.smeal.psu.edu/majors/corporate-innovation-and-entrepreneurship

Academics & Advising: ugstudents.smeal.psu.edu/academics-advising/information-on-smeal-majors/corporate-innovation-and-entrepreneurship

Major Sustainability: majorsustainability.smeal.psu.edu/

To learn more about student organizations related to your major and/or interests, visit ugstudents.smeal.psu.edu/student-organizations.

Corporate Innovation & Entrepreneurship Career Paths

Below are just a few of the many career paths you can take with a corporate innovation and entrepreneurship degree. Check out these websites to learn more about careers in your major!

EntrepreneurTake risks to implement new and innovative business ideas. They are also the leader of their company and responsible for their own success and failure and for their employees.
Product ManagerProject managers manage projects on time and in budget, by planning and allocating resources and people. They track work that needs completed, set deadlines and delegate tasks to the project team, identifying any potential risks. Types of work include construction, engineering, marketing, and more.
Product DevelopmentProduct managers assist in the development of commercial or industrial products. They work with marketers, accountants, scientists, executives, and other professionals to ensure the safety, functionality, and style of the goods produced.
ConsultingConsultants help companies save costs without compromising the quality of the service or process by providing guidance for their business. Some of the important skills they have are critical thinking to find solutions that will benefit the company, problem-solving skills to come up with recommendations, and communication to relay these effectively. Find your future in consulting! Check out this consulting industry snapshot created by the Forté Foundation. This is a great resource to explore industries that interest you the most.
Sales & MarketingPlan campaigns to create interest in their product or service always keeping the end goal or big picture in mind. These roles create and evaluate marketing strategies and are in charge of managing a team of marketing professionals. Skills include excellent communication, organization, planning and a positive attitude towards their work.
Business DevelopmentBusiness developers assist companies to acquire new customers and sell additional products or services to existing ones. They play a crucial role in helping their companies expand and grow.