AUSTIN, Texas – Move over, Matthew McConaughey. The University of Texas at Austin has a new celebrity professor, and she has the credentials for the job.

What You Need To Know

  • Kendra Scott co-teaching "Women in Entrepreneurship" course at UT 

  • Course is worth 3 credits and will feature lectures, guest speakers, etc. 

  • 30 UT students enrolled in the spring 

  • Due to COVID-19, course will take place entirely online 

Texas-based fashion designer Kendra Scott will co-teach the three-credit Women in Entrepreneurship course via a new faculty appointment as a professor of practice in the College of Fine Arts.

Scott, the founder and CEO of Kendra Scott, LLC., will teach the course with Jan Ryan, professor of practice and executive director of the Center for Creative Entrepreneurship.

“I’m honored to join the university as a professor of practice, and am so excited for the opportunity to work directly with this next generation of courageous leaders,” Scott said. “We’ve seen a real hunger for programming and classes that lift up and support aspiring female entrepreneurs, and I am eager to further our work with the WEL Institute by bringing my own experience and expertise to the classroom.”

The course is designed to empower female entrepreneurs and will feature lectures, experiential exercises, and guest speakers. In addition, it will offer women strategies for overcoming challenges faced in business and contemporary society.

“Uniquely, this class will allow us to offer a ‘live’ case study of one of the most innovative brands in retail today,” Ryan said. “We want students in this class to walk away with the tools they need to feel empowered to take control of their careers.”

Scott started her business with just $500 from a spare bedroom back in 2002. Since then, it has blossomed into a billion-dollar brand with more than 2,000 employees.

The course will be open to 30 students who were admitted via an application in the spring. Due to COVID-19, it will be held exclusively online.