Filling in the gaps lost in traditional education.

At the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the Bachelor of Innovation program is a fully-accredited alternative to the Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts programs. Within the Bachelor of Innovation, innovation is defined as “transforming ideas into impact”, and students spend much of their education practicing their innovation skills, inside and outside of their degree field.

One of the core components of the Bachelor of Innovation program is the Teams course, where students work on multi-disciplinary teams for a real client to solve their challenges. Students take the same course three times, while their role and responsibility level increase with each course. By the time a student reaches their third iteration of the Teams course, they become the leader of their team and interview fellow students to assemble a team that best meets the client’s needs. The focus on teamwork in the Bachelor of Innovation is something other degree programs lack. Students who graduate from the Bachelor of Innovation program have more experience working on teams than other programs, are used to working with team members who have different skill sets, and are better prepared for the reality of working in their industry.

In addition to the Teams course, students learn the fundamentals of innovation and how to bring their ideas to life through iterative prototyping. Students learn the ins and outs of entrepreneurship, how to create a business plan, and how to seek funding from investors. Students also learn about Business Law and Intellectual Property rights, and discover how to protect their ideas by writing a patent application according to U.S. Patent and Trademark Office guidelines. Additionally, students learn how to seek funding from grants and write a funding proposal according to the Colorado Common Grant Application standards.

The Bachelor of Innovation program provides students with a well-rounded education, plenty of experience working on a team, and prepares them to spend their careers transforming their ideas into impact.