MS in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (MSEI)

The Master of Science in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (MSEI) program is designed to offer students with business, technical or other non-business degrees a comprehensive education that prepares them to launch entrepreneurial ventures or new business ventures in large organizations. The program is structured as a 16-24 month, 30-unit program for both business and non-business majors alike and utilizes primarily face-to-face courses but will also integrate hybrid instruction where appropriate. Through coursework and experiential learning activities, students will be exposed to the key concepts of entrepreneurship including creativity and ideation, evaluation and screening of business concepts, business model formulation, startup models and the entrepreneurial process, team formation, marshaling resources, planning techniques, and launch strategies. Increasingly, students are seeking specialized graduate programs rather than the traditional Masters in Business Administration (MBA), according to the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Whereas by design a generalist MBA has breadth requirement and discourages focus on a particular discipline, specialized master's programs are designed to allow and encourage such focus, and that such specialized degrees are increasingly offered at business schools around the country. The MSEI proposed program taps into that trend, offering students an immersive experience focused on the entrepreneurship specialization. According to the Kauffman Foundation, entrepreneurship is on the rise in the US and a recent survey of the field by Inc. magazine noted that the U.S. now has 27 million entrepreneurs. This is significant in that it encompasses nearly a fifth of all working adults.

Bachelor's Degree: A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, with required minimum GPA of 2.75 calculated using the entire degree or the last 90 quarter (60 semester) units, which may include post-baccalaureate work. Applicants in the process of finishing an undergraduate degree may apply, with acceptance contingent on the successful completion of the undergraduate degree.Personal Statement: A statement that provides insight on the student's motivation to join the program, how the student plans on using the degree to further his/her professional goals and the personal qualifications that will contribute to the successful completion of the program. This can be submitted in one of two possible formats: (a) a written statement of no more than 500 words; or (b) a short video, not more than 2 minutes in length.