So, you’re ready to go to the deep end? You’re in the right place. The AVP Startup Minor is for those, who want to take their entrepreneurial capabilities to the next level. It’s for those who are not afraid of being the first to go where no one’s been before. It’s for you.
The minor consists of the Startup Experience course and several topic courses based on your interests, as displayed in the image below. Startup Experience provides you with indispensable skills for an entrepreneur and there’s no replacement for the experience. The topic courses cover important and integral skills of entrepreneurship: leadership, design thinking, finance, innovation, prototyping, and much more. These are more specific courses and great for both providing an overview as well as a way to start accumulating expertise in a specific skill.
The project course Startup Experience is required for the minor. For topic courses, you can also suggest alternative entrepreneurship-related courses available elsewhere in Aalto University. Work with the Kiuas accelerator or other players in the entrepreneurship ecosystem can be credited as part of the AVP Startup Minor on a case-by-case basis.
The minor is available for all Aalto students. You can add it to your personal study plan. If you have any further questions, have a look at the frequently asked questions below, or feel free to contact our Professor of Practice Lauri Järvilehto.
FAQ
What’s the very first step that I need to do in order to start the AVP Startup Minor?
You need to confirm the AVP Startup minor in your HOPS (personal study plan). It is open to all students.
Are Startup Experience and Starting Up courses mandatory?
Startup Experience is a mandatory course for the minor, Starting Up is not. However, Starting Up explains the basics of start-up entrepreneurship with practical examples and interviews, from basic terminology to financial statements. We highly recommend this course if you’re considering the minor.
What are the courses that I can/should take?
There are many courses you could choose from! To make deciding easier, we made some customized tracks based on your potential interests, displayed in the image above.
I am a bachelor student. Can I also take this minor?
As we mentioned before, the minor is open for all students. That being said, it’s recommended that BSc level students would focus on BSc level minors. It is not forbidden to take an MSc level minor, which AVP Startup minor is, but it’s not something we encourage.
Is it possible to do double minors?
Different schools at Aalto University have different degree structures. For example in Aalto SCI, an obligatory minor is not included in all programmes. If a student is taking a long major, then they can include one minor in elective studies. In some programmes, however, the curriculum already contains an obligatory minor and in these cases, you can also include a second minor in elective studies. This is not a simple question because degree structures and curricula vary. We’d recommend you discuss with your study advisor more in detail for your specific case.
I’ve received 1-2 credits from “Varying contents”. Could I include this in the AVP Startup minor?
If you have participated in entrepreneurial ecosystem activities such as Junction or Slush and received credits with varying contents title, then yes, you can include those into your minor. We believe that what you need to learn is not only limited to academics, but that hands-on experience is also important. If you have actively worked in the ecosystem and you’d like to get credits for it, please discuss more with Professor Lauri Järvilehto. In this case, you will be asked to write a 5-8 page reflection essay by a given deadline.
I am not from Aalto University. Is there a way for me to take this minor?
There might be! It’s not completely up to us though — if you’re in another university, you’ll need to consult with them first. Exchange studies, flexible study rights (JOO) or non-degree studies could be an option. Read more to find out about the different possibilities.