In what order should I take entrepreneurship classes at MIT?

There are 60+ classes in entrepreneurship at MIT. Which one is right for you?

Try out the Course Advisor on Orbit, the one-stop-shop for MIT student entrepreneurs. You can also search for classes in the MIT Course Catalog. 

Now, what's the best order in which you should take these classes? Here is one way to think about this - there are introductory classes, foundational classes, advanced skills, functional skills, sector focus classes, in company experiences and other electives. 

Following are a few examples of courses that fall into these categories.

About Entrepreneurship: Introductory courses for the curious entrepreneur

• For MBA students on the E&I Track:
  • 15.360 - Introduction to technical entrepreneurship 
• For engineering students who are curious about startups and want to learn what it is all about:
  • 2.913 / 6.907 / 6.933 - Entrepreneurship for Engineers 
  • 2.912 / 3.085 / 15.373 - Venture Engineering  
• IAP credit-bearing courses
  • 6.906 / 6.936 StartMIT - Your on-ramp to entrepreneurship at MIT
  • 15.393 The Nuts and Bolts of new ventures

Foundational classes: Capstone course to learn entrepreneurship by practicing the discipline. 

• For students who are either ready-to-go entrepreneurs (they know they want to start a startup), curious entrepreneurs (they are not sure but would like to learn more) and corporate entrepreneurs (they plan to become internal innovators in established busineseses):
  • 15.390 - New Enterprises

Advanced foundational skills: For entrepreneurial students who want to learn advanced skills for building a startup. 

• 15.394 - Entrepreneurial Founding and Teams
• 15.911 - Entrepreneurial Strategy 
• 15.378 / 15.3781 - Building an entrepreneurial venture
• 15.392 - Scaling entrepreneurial ventures

Functional skills: For entrepreneurial students who want to build out specific skill sets.Examples include but are not limited to the following: 

• 2.916 / 10.407 Funding strategies for Startups
• 15.387 Entrepreneurial Sales
• 15.431 / 15.4311 Entrepreneurial Finance and Venture Capital
• 6.903 Patents, Copyrights, and the Law of Intellectual Property
• 15.618 / 15.6181 Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Startups and the Law
• 15.785 Digital Product Management
• 15.369 Corporate Entrepreneurship

Industry focus: Deep dives into various industry sectors such as energy, healthcare, life sciences, FinTech and the like. Examples include but are not limited to the following: 

• 15.366 Energy Ventures
• 15.367 / HST.978 Healthcare Ventures
• MAS.664 Media Ventures
• 15.375 / MAS.665 Development Ventures
• 15.497 FinTech Ventures
• 15.363 Strategic Decision Making in the Life Sciences

In-company experiences: Students are matched with a company and conduct a project in the field. Some of these classes are international. Examples include but are not limited to the following: 

• 15.368 Disciplined Entrepreneurship Lab (IAP only)
• 15.389 Global Entrepreneurship Lab, aka G-Lab
• 15.399 / 15.3991 Entrepreneurship Lab, aka E-Lab

Other electives: These include specialty classes focused on sectors, such as commercialization of materials technologies, new models for global business and more.