Study Abroad in Ireland

You will receive three credits:  BUS 3954

Students should expect class time pre-departure and post-departure, as this is a Spring Semester course.  Times to be announced.

Learning outcomes - At the end of this course, participants should be able:

•  To identify core attributes of an entrepreneur in the United States and Ireland
•  To describe Dublin, Ireland’s unique economy including: national and international markets; geography; local and international business policies; and demographics
•  To describe personal Strengths (defined by Gallup’s Clifton Strengths Finder)
•  To describe how to use Strengths to enhance entrepreneurship and innovation
•  To describe how to use growth mindset to enhance entrepreneurship and innovation
•  To identify how the global economy affects entrepreneurism, innovation, and personal career skills
•  To identify what career skills and Strengths are needed to navigate culture, geography, the global economy, and policy in order to be a successful entrepreneur and innovator

Travel

Date Activity

May 16 Fly to Dublin

May 17-26 Business and cultural activities in Dublin

May 27 Fly to U.S.

Days One through Five:

We will look to leverage our extensive international networks to create a bespoke program for the student cohort. Each day of the program is to be hosted at an incubator, accelerator or university-based entrepreneurship program. We envision a program that follows the typical journey of a new startup, beginning with ideation exercises and ending with a pitch event, with local entrepreneurial leaders, venture partners, and entrepreneurs supplementing this curriculum. Each day is to begin with a half-day, hands-on workshop,  roundtable discussions, panels and networking each afternoon. Students are to create an idea on day one and build upon it across the entire week’s activities, culminating in a pitch event of their startup project.

Day One: Ideation

·         Topics to be covered: The genesis of startup ideas, problems and pains, problem to solutions.

·         Local topics: Overview of the entrepreneurship of selected country, introduction to local ecosystem.

Day Two: Value Creation

·         Topics to be covered: Moving from problem-solution to product, creating a minimum viable product, creating a product narrative.

·         Local topics: Value creation across geography: local, regional, national, European and beyond; translating value from one culture/language to another.

Day Three: Market Validation

·         Topics to be covered: Creating a validation pathway, identifying early customers, gathering validation data, the strategic considerations of pivots and iterations.

·         Local topics: Pivots and iterations across international market, understanding local consumers, how US brands express value locally and vice-versa.

Day Four: Customer Building

·         Topics to be covered: Creating go-to-market strategies, understanding customer acquisition costs, customer relationships, support, supply chain and other market focused challenges.

·         Local topics: Sales challenges, from local to international; creating multi-language products and support; identifying different customer needs across market segments and borders.

Day Five: Pitch Event

·         Topics to be covered: Funding overview; how to predict funding needs, bootstrapping versus diluting, how to pitch.

·         Local topics: Funding in the local market; risk perception among entrepreneurs and funders, entrepreneurship policy.

Days Six through Nine: Explore and interview local businesses through the lens of professional development, growth mentality, and CliftonStrengths

·         Discover the professional and career skills most utilized at each business

·         Discover multiple narratives of entrepreneurship and business growth

·         Discover multiple strategies of continuing innovation

·         Identify how businesses create successes from failures and how they conduct pivot/proceed iterative process

·         Identify the vital leadership skills required to materialize an entrepreneurial  venture, sustain a business, and continue innovation

Day Ten: Cultural Visits

Program participants fly as a group with group flight reservations.

Preparing

Each student must have a valid passport from their home country. You can apply for a passport in Squires Student Center.

Check with your family physician or country health department to see if you need vaccinations.

These sites have additional information:

• Passports
• General Information from the U.S. State Department
  
• International Travel from the U.S. State Department
  
• Students Abroad – U.S. State Department
  
• Customs Information
• CDC Medical Information
  
• CIA Factbook (A great place for information on the countries we visit.)
• State Department Travel Alerts & Warnings

The program fee for students is $4,800. The program fee includes all activities and business site visits, assistance from the company team, breakfast daily, most of in-country transportation, all tips, all hotel accommodations, and airline tickets. 

Cost Summary (estimated)

Note

Virginia Tech reserves the right to make cancellations, date and cost adjustments, and other necessary changes in the program. Prices may change due to global economic conditions.

Financial Aid and Scholarships

Contact the VT Financial Aid office for assistance.

You must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to the University FInancial Aid Office. In addition, you must submit the study abroad cost documentation form to the study abroad office at the International Afffairs building, 526 Prices Fork Road, room 131. The form can be found on the Global Education Office Financial Aid page.

More information on financial aid and scholarships is available at Scholarships and Financial Aid page on the Education Abroad website. You must submit a FAFSA to receive one of these scholarships.

All scholarships require the completion of a FAFSA. Even if you don't quality for financial aid on campus, you might qualify in study abroad. You won't know unless you complete the FAFSA.

Application deadline is December 1, 2018.

There are no prerequisites.

The course is open to all Virginia Tech students.

The link to apply for this program is here.

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