EU's Master in Innovation & Entrepreneurship program explores the main components of innovation and new venture creation from theoretical and pragmatic perspectives, providing insight for entrepreneurial endeavor.
Focusing on the development of creative-thinking and management skills, this program will deliver solutions to innovation and entrepreneurial challenges while exploring business opportunity and conceptualizing business models. Candidates for this program could pursue a career in a new area of business.
Program Structure
The Master in Innovation & Entrepreneurship (60 ECTS) is a one-year program, divided into three terms. Each term comprises two subject-specific courses plus a project-based module and a skills-development module. Throughout the year, students will also participate in real-life case studies and company visits, as well as the innovative Business Immersion Weeks which take place every term. In order to graduate, participants must also complete a Final Capstone Project (6 ECTS).
Year 1
Term 1
(18 ECTS)
The Entrepreneurial Cycle: Idea to Business
Students will be introduced to the various stages of how to build successful and innovative business ventures. It applies key theoretical concepts drawn from the latest studies and knowledge of entrepreneurial management practices. Students will examine and critically analyze the stages of the entrepreneurial cycle from the first idea to the introduction of the final product or service to market. The course provides students with a broader perspective of entrepreneurship by examining entrepreneurial behaviors and capabilities for new business ventures. In addition to developing core competencies in both academic research and practical entrepreneurial management, the course will prepare students to develop an applied understanding of how ideas can transform into value.
Subject-specific module | 3ECTS
Creativity and Innovation
This course is a structured journey into the inspiration, ideation and implementation spaces of innovation. Students will understand how to identify and define problems, develop and validate solutions through designing learning experiments. The design thinking process will be explored, along with different creativity techniques that will help students understand how to create value for any type of organization. Students will practice problem-solving, interviewing and prototyping customers, and develop the mindset and skillset to be creative intra- or entrepreneurs.
Subject-specific module | 3ECTS
Winning Strategies for Market Entry
This is a practical course structured as a project with an iterative format. It is designed to provide a dynamic and engaging experience of executing a strategy consulting project based on a case study. Students will learn to self-organize and collaborate with teammates to solve problems and manage projects effectively and successfully by learning to implement feedback. In addition, students will learn to apply tools and soft skills that will enable them to solve challenges and execute projects as external or internal consultants, individual contributors, or organizational leaders.
Project-based module | 6ECTS
Tools for Success
Successful managers skillfully manage their resources and risks to produce a desired organizational outcome. A key and often overlooked challenge for managers is the ability to manage without influence: in other words, to gain the support of stakeholders and access to resources not directly under their control. Students will explore project management, effective negotiation and communication skills with a practical, hands-on approach through case studies and class exercises. This course will also review socio-political complexities, creativity and emotional considerations as well as approaches to maximize influence. Students will acquire the fundamental tools, concepts and behavioral skills needed to successfully lead and realize benefits from projects, negotiations and communications.
Skills-development module | 5ECTS
Business Immersion Week
Business Immersion Week is dedicated solely to business-related activities outside the classroom. Students take part in a wide range of events including company visits, escape rooms, managerial problem-solving games and entrepreneurial endeavors. Through this intense week of dynamic activities, students hone their business skills and put theory into practice.
Skills-development module | 1ECTS
Term 2
(18 ECTS)
New Product Development
The aim of this course is to provide a thorough understanding of specific contemporary issues that arise when developing new products and services for consumers and businesses. It is designed to help students understand and critically analyze the process of creating opportunities that can contribute to the growth of a business. Students will understand the main components of a change-oriented system for product and service development and management decisions. The cornerstone is a project in which teams study product and service delivery in selected industries and develop an innovative product design based on user needs. This course takes a pragmatic, real-world approach and embraces the latest thinking in new product development.
Subject-specific module | 3ECTS
Corporate Identity and Intellectual Property
The current competitive business landscape makes it even more essential for successful businesses to be unique and distinguish themselves for their originality in both their offerings and their positioning. The current digitization of the economy as well as the disruptive forces of new technology mandate firms at the early stages of the business cycle to create and seek legal protection of their ideas and intellectual works from being duplicated. Hence, businesses recognize that their success is contingent upon their understanding of the legal and regulatory landscapes that provide protection against the misuse of their intellectual property (IP). This course aims to provide a brief introduction to the understanding of intellectual property issues. Furthermore, as future managers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and business leaders, students will learn about the essential intellectual property rights in business (copyrights, trademarks, patents), as well as how to manage their IP assets.
Subject-specific module | 3ECTS
Strategic Development for Business Success
This is a practical course in strategy development structured as an agile project, culminating in creation of a strategy based on a luxury tourism case study. The course is designed to provide a dynamic and engaging experience of developing a strategy by understanding context, choices and determining goals which will determine resource allocation and defend competitive differentiation. The project will involve market research, analysis of segment attractiveness and competitive position building on capabilities and existing strengths. The final strategy will devise development of winning plays for competitive advantage aligned to the company mission and performance objectives. Students will learn to self-organize and collaborate with teammates to effectively manage content modules with group work as with a real management consulting project.
Project-based module | 6ECTS
Developing a Leadership Edge
This course equips students with the skills required to become effective leaders. Students will learn how to take decisions under uncertainty, build the capabilities needed to lead across local and international boundaries, and learn how to bridge culture gaps and differences to create value for the organization. Students will further develop the ability to lead through challenging dilemmas and explore the role of emotional intelligence in transforming a good leader into a great one. This course will equip students with the knowledge and skills required to formulate contemporary leadership strategies, which will allow for both short- and long-term success. The course takes a pragmatic, real-world approach and embraces the latest thinking in leadership development.
Skills-development module | 5ECTS
Business Immersion Week
Business Immersion Week is dedicated solely to business-related activities outside the classroom. Students take part in a wide range of events including company visits, escape rooms, managerial problem-solving games and entrepreneurial endeavors. Through this intense week of dynamic activities, students hone their business skills and put theory into practice.
Skills-development module | 1ECTS
Term 3
(18 ECTS)
Private Equity and Venture Capital
This course offers a comprehensive introduction to the private equity and venture capital industries. It will cover important topics including private equity firms, venture capital, and venture capital funding stages. Students will examine the benefits and opportunities accessible through private equity and venture capital investments. By the end of the course, students will be able to understand the differences between private equity and venture capital, identify opportunities for investment, and understand the different stages of venture capital funding.
Subject-specific module | 3ECTS
Managing Strategic Corporate Growth
The course is designed to help students develop an overall appreciation of the importance of strategy and growth for businesses and the skill set required when competing locally and globally. It is focused on the information, analyses, organizational processes and skills and business judgment managers must use to devise contemporary strategies, position their businesses, define firm boundaries and maximize long-term profits in the face of uncertainty and competition. It will equip students in the knowledge and skills required to formulate strategies for growth through developing clear objectives for internal business processes related to everyday operations, customer management, innovation, budgets, and regulatory standards, which will allow for a superior firm performance both short term and long term.
Subject-specific module | 3ECTS
New Product Development for Growth
This project-based new product development course is designed to provide students with experience in creating and developing a new product from ideation to launch. The course follows the lean startup method. The basic principle of this method is to launch a new product as quickly as possible in order to obtain customer feedback at a very early stage. This is done in a build-measure-learn cycle, which is constantly repeated to develop a product that is designed to be as close as possible to the customer's needs.Students will learn to apply this iterative approach in a concrete case study. They will not only learn the methodological basics and the required toolbox, but also the mindset, which is fundamentally different from that of classic product development. At the end of the course, participants should be able to successfully apply the Lean Startup method in concrete product, service, and business development situations.
Project-based module | 6ECTS
Building Successful Teams
This course equips students with the skills required to build and lead successful, high-performance teams. The students will learn to manage team dynamics in local and global environments and navigate through corporate and cultural challenges, including crisis management, miscommunication, and conflict resolution. A hands-on approach to team development will be introduced. Considerable attention will be paid to team leadership and empowerment within an ever-changing business environment.
Skills-development module | 5ECTS
Business Immersion Week
Business Immersion Week is dedicated solely to business-related activities outside the classroom. Students take part in a wide range of events including company visits, escape rooms, managerial problem-solving games and entrepreneurial endeavors. Through this intense week of dynamic activities, students hone their business skills and put theory into practice.
Skills-development module | 1ECTS
Graduation (Requirements)
Final Capstone Project
This Capstone Project is an opportunity for students to apply their knowledge and skills from previous courses in their program to either create a business plan or expand on a previous project. Through this project, students will comprehensively understand business principles, methods, tactics, and practical insights into the tools and resources required to begin or manage a successful business.
6ECTS
Learning Outcomes
This program develops a comprehensive view of innovation in the entrepreneurial process and demonstrates how fundamental it is in creating a competitive advantage either within a start-up context or in an existing organization. During this program, students will:
- Learn the core essentials of entrepreneurship and new venture creation.
- Develop innovative and high-potential business opportunities.
- Comprehend the nature of innovation and its importance in opportunity creation.
- Drive innovation and business development.
