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Welcome message from Robyne Hart, Director of the ACM Business, Entrepreneurship, & Society program
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Building a successful business from the ground up is what Chicago is known for. Simply put, there isn’t a better place to experience entrepreneurship and innovation in action. Chicago is home to historic figures like Montgomery Ward, who built the first catalog business and fought hard and long to preserve the lakefront of Lake Michigan from commercial development. It’s also home to internet-based companies like Groupon and Sittercity, both of which started small and have grown to be the largest websites of their kind in the world. Inventive thinking and creative problem-solving have always been ingrained in the fertile soil of the Chicago. With a bustling downtown business district that showcases everything from Fortune 500 companies to ground-breaking startups, Chicago offers students a valuable opportunity to see how companies are built and compete in this new era of the global marketplace.
The ACM Business, Entrepreneurship, & Society program introduces and builds upon the central themes of entrepreneurship – creativity, innovation, and problem solving – as the fundamental tools of successful businesses and organizations of all types. In addition, students are asked to consider and apply these themes within the broader context of their experience living and working in the major urban center of Chicago. Each fall and spring semester, students participating in the program will participate in four key academic components. The Chicago Core Course is an interdisciplinary course examining the city of Chicago by exploring how business, arts, and socio-political issues intertwine. The Seminar course focuses specifically on issues related to business and entrepreneurship, including opportunities to meet with innovators and entrepreneurs around the city. The Internship is a chance to gain hands-on experience, as students work with a local business or not-for-profit organization for the duration of the semester. The Practicum is where students develop an independent study project (ISP), drawing on Chicago’s resources to create an original project related to entrepreneurship and innovation. Note: Students participating in the spring trimester option will take the core course, program seminar, and will have a choice between an internship or an independent study project.
Students live with other Chicago Programs participants in furnished, shared apartments in various neighborhoods throughout the city of Chicago. Classes are held at the ACM Chicago Programs office on State Street, in the heart of downtown Chicago. Students will also spend a great deal of class time outside the traditional classroom, exploring the city and interacting with a wide variety of businesses and organizations. Through their experiences living, working, and learning in Chicago, students will develop contacts with Chicago-based business leaders and entrepreneurs, learn to recognize entrepreneurial opportunities in everyday life, and deepen their knowledge of the city from a variety of perspectives in order to better understand the interconnections among business, society, and the arts within Chicago's vibrant urban milieu.
For more detailed information, please use the links located on the left-hand side of this page.
Quick Facts
- Terms: Fall semester, spring semester, & spring quarter/ trimester (March-May)
- Language prerequisite: None
- Language of instruction: English
- Living arrangements: Apartment
Application deadlines
March 15, 2010
Fall 2010 semester
March 15, 2010
Spring 2011 semester early application date
Do I need to apply early?
The early application date is available for students whose college requires that all off-campus study applications for the entire upcoming academic year must be completed the prior spring semester. If your college does not require a spring decision for programs the following spring, you may simply apply by the regular application deadline.
October 31, 2010
Spring 2011 semester
If the deadline has passed and you are interested in applying, contact the ACM Office immediately. Late applications may be accepted on a space-available basis.
Related Programs
Program contacts
Emily Gaul
Program Associate
205 W. Wacker Drive, Suite 220
Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: 312.263.5000
egaul@acm.edu
More program contacts »
Publications & Resources
Chicago Programs brochure
Chicago Programs Student Handbook 2009-10
Chicago Programs internship list