Certificate Entrepreneurship & Business

How can an idea be turned into a viable business model? What needs do potential customers have? How can market opportunities be assessed, financing options considered and innovative solutions put into practice?

The Entrepreneurship & Business Certificate provides practical skills to help students systematically develop entrepreneurial ideas and plan projects on a sound basis. The courses teach fundamental business administration principles and demonstrate how these can be applied to developing business ideas, planning projects and implementing innovations.

Whether you are developing your own start-up idea, implementing an innovative project or preparing for future professional challenges, the skills acquired can be applied in a variety of contexts. The certificate is offered jointly by the Transdisciplinary Course Program (TCP) and the Startup Center at the University of Tübingen and can be completed alongside a Bachelor's degree.

• Recognising opportunities and developing ideas: Identifying customer needs and relevant problems and deriving initial approaches to solutions.

• Developing business models: Assessing markets and business ideas, as well as structuring and refining concepts.

• Understanding financing opportunities: Learning about fundamental financing options and taking them into account when planning entrepreneurial projects.

• Presenting projects convincingly: Communicating ideas clearly, structuring arguments and presenting entrepreneurial considerations in a comprehensible way.

• Putting innovations into practice: Combining entrepreneurial thinking with fundamental business knowledge to further develop ideas and prepare for their implementation.

A total of at least 15 Credit Points (ECTS) are required to obtain the certificate. At least 6 ECTS must be earned in the compulsory section and at least 9 ECTS in the elective section.

Compulsory section (at least 6 ECTS)

Entrepreneurship Essentials – 6 ECTS

How can an initial idea be turned into a concrete project or business model? The compulsory course Entrepreneurship Essentials provides fundamental entrepreneurial skills and shows how business ideas can be systematically developed further.

The course focuses on customer needs, market potential, business models and financing opportunities. Engaging with these topics helps students structure their ideas, understand their economic foundations and plan possible steps towards implementation. Presenting a project idea also provides an opportunity to communicate entrepreneurial thinking convincingly and apply it in practice.

Elective section (at least 9 ECTS)

The elective section allows students to explore their individual interests in greater depth and develop additional skills for a range of professional and entrepreneurial challenges.

The required ECTS can be earned by participating in courses offered by the Startup Center, provided that these courses award ECTS, as well as courses offered by the Transdisciplinary Course Program (TCP). Information about the current course offerings can be found on the websites of the Startup Center and the Transdisciplinary Course Program (TCP), as well as on ALMA.

In addition, students can earn up to 6 ECTS by participating in an initiative in the “Business & Marketing” area in combination with the reflection workshop. Further information about the initiatives and the reflection workshop can be found here.

Who is the certificate suitable for?

The certificate is aimed at Bachelor's students from all academic disciplines who wish to develop entrepreneurial thinking and action and acquire practical skills.

The content is relevant to a range of interests and goals: from developing one's own business idea and contributing to innovative projects to acquiring skills in project planning, business model development, financing and innovation management. Even without a specific intention to start a business, the knowledge acquired provides a foundation for evaluating ideas systematically, approaching projects in a structured way and developing a better understanding of economic relationships.