BioEngineering

Technology Entrepreneurship
Certificate Program (TEC)

Core Curriculum & Pathways

As a unifying core curriculum, the TEC will require two MBA courses for each student: PEI Bridge Elective "New Venture Creation" (2 units spring quarter) and Marketing/Strategy (2/2 fall quarter). The Bridge elective will serve as a mechanism for bringing science and engineering graduate students up to speed with fundamental business concepts and language prior to entering the MBA courses described below. Together these core courses provide fundamental skills for new technology development that are key to corporate intrapreneurship or new start-ups. The core will give students a broad acquaintance with many different aspects of entrepreneurship as a basis for career choice. The many facets of entrepreneurship-such as organizational form, funding sources, analyses of strengths and weaknesses, the start-up team, and the product launch-are illustrated through field and case studies. The marketing course will examine the skills and tools that entrepreneurs need for bootstrap marketing in their start-up firms. Through classroom and field exercises, students will learn to identify target market segments, position their product or service, estimate demand, set prices, gain access to channels for products or services that are still in the early stage of their development, and manage the marketing issues of rapid growth.

The students will then select between a Corporate Pathway and an Entrepreneurship Pathway, depending on their particular interests. Each student will be required to take a minimum of two additional courses (4 units each) from a menu of options (for a total of 16 units of core requirements and electives). The Entrepreneurship Pathway will include Financial Management/New Venture Financing (4 units) as a pathway requirement and can then choose the fourth course in this pathway from several options. The Corporate Pathway will require Corporate Entrepreneurship (4 units), which presents an overview of the skills needed to create and implement new ventures or businesses within the established organization. Students can choose the fourth course from several options. In addition, students in both pathways will have independent study options for specialized projects that meet individual needs.

 

Corporate Pathway

Entrepreneurship Pathway