The Bachelor of Innovation (BI) family of programs is an interdisciplinary undergraduate program. The BI™ is actually a family structure, much like a bachelor of science or a bachelor of arts, in which particular majors are defined. The BI is a very structured program with a general education core, a common core in innovation, an in-depth major field of study/emphasis core, and a cross-disciplinary core to help ensure the breadth needed for innovation.
Bachelor of Innovation Requirements
Credit Hours: The total number of credits needed to graduate in the BI in Business will be 120 credit hours.
General Education: Requirements cover the basic breadth of background needed: Social Science, Sciences, Math, Humanities, etc. This set of courses will depend on the college of the emphasis major; for example, the student who is enrolled in the BI of Business Administration would use this block of courses to fulfill the College of Business general education requirements.
The Innovation Core: This requires 27 credit hours, geared toward innovation and entrepreneurship; a key component is multi-disciplinary team activities over the sophomore, junior and senior years.
The Degree/Major Emphasis: This is the set of courses that a student takes to satisfy the main area of emphasis—the “core” of the bachelor’s degree program. For the BI in Business, it is expected to be 42 credits, designed to follow the requirements for a similar accredited degree program in the College.
Cross-Discipline Core: Each cross-discipline core is a coherent collection of 21 credits from one “cross over” area that each student selects in their degree program. The goal is to provide some basic knowledge, appreciation and experience about what professionals in that area do and to provide sufficient background to effectively interact in that domain. The cross discipline core is a targeted list of courses, not just a total number of credits in an area.
Creative Communication Core: This (for any BI major) will provide coverage of a variety of communication mechanisms. These will be a collection of existing courses, including both traditional (e.g., oral communication) and nontraditional (e.g., visual arts) communication approaches
Globalization Core: This (for any BI major) will provide a selection of courses on international issues. It will have a language requirement (passing at the second year level) and also international business/policy courses. It is being considered that students in this option should be required to demonstrate at least three months residence in a non-English speaking country, and a one-semester study abroad will be encouraged. While abroad, involvements in the Innovation team projects will be “virtual”, but will be required.
Technology Core: This requirement (for non technology degrees) will provide a broad coverage of engineering and technology. These may be new courses (if resources permit) or may be a collection of existing “introductory” courses in engineering.
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