ScienceWorks

Entrepreneurial Studies in the Natural Sciences

Founded in 1994, ScienceWorks: Entrepreneurial Studies in the Natural Sciences is the nation's first and most established undergraduate technology entrepreneurship and career preparation program.

ScienceWorks combines classroom studies with real-world business experience. Through business plan exercises, seminars and workshops, students learn critical business skills that will help them stand out as superior professionals in the job market. Courses integrate written and oral communication, graphical presentation, business finance and accounting, management, marketing, legal issues and regulation, intellectual property, and business ethics.

ScienceWorks participants obtain internships with regional, national and international companies; receive grants to work on new product lines; get exclusive licenses to new technologies; attend lectures and national meetings; and meet world business leaders.

The program complements study in all fields, as students learn how to monetize and manage the development of ideas in corporate, entrepreneurial and philanthropic environments.

The ESNS Minor
The ScienceWorks program includes a one-year course sequence, normally completed during a student’s junior year. Programs fit within a student's academic schedule and meet a variety of graduation requirements for all majors.

During a student's senior year, he or she will study and develop a full-scale business plan in partnership with a technology business or organization. This exercise gives students experience in financial planning, strategic and operational planning, product and service development, market analysis, and staff and management strategy. Students may choose to pursue a minor in Entrepreneurial Studies in the Natural Sciences.

Partnerships and Connections
Carthage is a founding partner in CATI, the Center for Advanced Technology and Innovation in Racine, Wis., a technology transfer, business incubator and entrepreneurship center. Carthage is also a member of the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance, the Racine County Economic Development Corporation, and Kenosha Area Business Alliance.

These partnerships give ESNS students access to patents, grants, business partners and mentors, product sponsorships, and experiential learning opportunities.

The ScienceWorks Advisory Board includes business leaders from many companies, including SC Johnson, Modine, Accenture, Snap-On, and Prophet Asset Management.

Academic Resources

Prospective Students

"This class has been one of my favorites, and I was always excited to go to it. You managed to emphasize the points on how things really work, rather than focusing on the theory of how they should work. Most importantly, the biggest skill learned was how to critically think. ... I have made sure to recommend this class to all my friends and hopefully they will take it."

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"I forgot to give you the good news. I got the job as a Java developer. In my interview, we spent the first hour or so talking about the ESNS program, then only talked about technical skills for about 30 minutes. I greatly appreciate what you and the program have done for me."

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"In my current position, I often deal with many entrepreneurs and business plans, which led me to remember my time at Carthage in the ESNS program. ... When I graduated from Carthage, I never could have imagined that I would be an attorney. I use the information I learned in ESNS on nearly a daily basis."