The Shuford Program in Entrepreneurship is home for launching innovative problem solvers.
We aim to be the most impactful undergraduate entrepreneurship program in the country by equipping students with the mindset, skills, and real-world experience to lead in any environment.
As part of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Shuford Program in Entrepreneurship draws from an array of majors to foster a rich, interdisciplinary learning environment. We also maintain strong partnerships with professional schools and programs, including Kenan-Flagler Business School, the Hussman School of Journalism and Media, the Gillings School of Global Public Health, and Honors Carolina.
Housed within the Economics Department, it’s one of the few undergraduate entrepreneurship programs in the nation that spans disciplines. While many of its courses carry the ECON label, the Entrepreneurship Minor’s course content and analytical approach transcend economics. This enables us to teach practical business knowledge applicable to any industry, cultivate an “entrepreneurial mindset”, and empower students to tackle real-world problems.
“People don’t care how much you know — until they know how much you care.”
In the Shuford Program, we lean into experimentation, ask bold questions, and see failure and valley moments as the one way to win because we believe in courageous curiosity. We adapt quickly, persevere through uncertainty, and turn setbacks into stepping stones because of entrepreneurial grit. Relentless excellence is nonnegotiable, so we hold ourselves to the highest standard — willing to be vulnerable while iterating, improving, and evolving daily. From the students to the staff, we lead with humility, integrity, and confidence — and teach others to do the same by authentic leadership. We build real connections that last — between students, alumni, and stakeholders — creating value that lives far beyond graduation, and that’s our enduring impact. We anticipate emerging trends, embrace evolving technologies, and prepare students to thrive in tomorrow’s world as a promise of our future orientation.
Our program was founded on the understanding that there is a common and repeatable process for the realization of new ventures, ideas, and concepts. Students adopt this entrepreneurial mindset and learn to apply it to their work at UNC and after graduation.
In 2004, Buck Goldstein, John Akin, and Jack Kasarda launched the Entrepreneurship Minor to encourage arts and sciences students from diverse backgrounds to view the world through an entrepreneurial lens. Over the next decade, the minor grew in impact and popularity. In 2017, the College of Arts & Sciences received a generous gift from the Shuford family. This gift transformed the academic minor into a robust & comprehensive program, renamed the Shuford Program in Entrepreneurship in their honor.