DAAP Graduate Programs introduces a new entrepreneurial pathway
Graduate students in art and design can now earn a certificate in entrepreneurial studies
Starting fall semester 2025, DAAP will offer a pathway on entrepreneurship for both Master of Design and Master of Fine Arts graduate programs. This pathway includes an embedded 12-credit hour certificate, enabling students to earn entrepreneurship skills through a certificate integrated into the established curriculum.
Students will participate in courses covering an array of entrepreneurial topics, including entrepreneurial strategy, management of innovation, global entrepreneurship, leadership and organization, to name a few. These classes will be taken at the Lindner College of Business.
UC DAAP students work together on a project. Photo/Lisa Ventre/UC Marketing + Brand.
The DAAP Associate Dean of Reasearch and Professor, Dr. Claudia Rebola, partnered with Marianne Lewis, dean of Carl H. Lindner College of Business, to introduce this new pathway for DAAP students to promote collaboration across colleges.
"Our master's programs in design and fine arts are already well-recognized on their own, but the addition of an entrepreneurship pathway elevates them to a new level of competitive expertise in their fields,” says Rebola.
Rebola says the idea to partner with the Lindner College of Business to integrate entrepreneurial studies into the DAAP curriculum developed from feedback current graduate students provided on ways to expand their learning campus wide.
Students work displayed in an interactive gallery. Photo/Hatsue Andrews.
“By bridging fine art with fields such as business, science, and technology, we can enrich artistic practice with knowledge, skills and ways of thinking—ultimately preparing students to engage with a broader, more complex world," says current master of fine art graduate student, Nazanin Najdmofarrah.
Chris Sutter, associate professor of management and the Fealy Family Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship, supervises the entrepreneurial certificate for the DAAP graduate students.
“DAAP students will benefit by developing their entrepreneurial mindset and acquiring business skills. At the most fundamental level, entrepreneurship is about building things when there isn't an existing template to follow. We look forward to continuing to build interdisciplinary opportunities for UC students from around the university,” says Sutter.
DAAP students will benefit by developing their entrepreneurial mindset and acquiring business skills.
Chris Sutter Associate professor of management, Fealy Family Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship
Dr. Claudia Rebola. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand.
The efforts to merge the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and Master of Design (MDes) programs with the entrepreneurial certificate were also supported by Heekyoung Jung, Master of Design program director and Kate Bonansinga, School of Art director.
"The entrepreneurship pathway offers our master of design students a dynamic opportunity to expand their creative practice, equipping them with the skills and insights needed to navigate industry landscapes, explore creative entrepreneurship, and drive market research through innovative design solutions,” says Heekyoung Jung.
“This is just the beginning,” says Rebola, “we hope to connect with the other colleges on campus to create a variety of opportunities for students to learn from other colleges.” At the heart of these opportunities is a commitment to student-centric strategies aimed at supporting graduate students on their unique paths in higher education.
Feature photo at top by Lisa Ventre/UC Marketing + Brand.
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