MSc Entrepreneurship & Innovation Timetable and Modules

Note: Modules offered each academic year are subject to change. Listed below are the modules and timetables for 2023/24

 

Michaelmas Term

Hilary Term

Trinity Term 

Electives  

  • Strategic Entrepreneurship

  • Business Model Innovation

  • Entrepreneurship and Corporate Venture in Practice

  • Technological Entrepreneurship and Innovation

  • Well-Being for Entrepreneurs and Intrapreneurs
  • Research Methods for Entrepreneurial Studies
  • Financing Entrepreneurship and Innovation

  • Entrepreneurship and Corporate Venture in Practice
  • Corporate Innovation
  • International Entrepreneurship
  • Dissertation/Company Projects (Individual and group opportunities available)
  • Social Entrepreneurship (Hilary Term)
  • Go-To-Market Strategy (Hilary Term) 

Michaelmas Term (September to December)

Hilary Term (January to April)

Trinity Term (May to August)

Electives

Supporting Activities

  • Clinics for Entrepreneurs 
  • Pitch Training 
  • Consulting Project 

Module Descriptions

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Strategic Entrepreneurship (5 ECTS)
The module aims to provide students with an introductory and up-to-date perspective of the main phenomena characterizing the entrepreneurship field. A key feature of this Entrepreneurship course is the integration of theoretical constructs and real-business issues and best practices. On the one hand, the module will shed light on the latest theoretical concepts developed in the field of entrepreneurship; on the other, it will offer students the opportunity to focus on the strategies of entrepreneurial ventures, start ups, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the domestic and international market.

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Business Model Innovation (5 ECTS)
The primary task of a start-up is to search for a winning business model (BM). A winning BM: creates superior value for customers by meeting their needs; delivers that value more effectively and efficiently than competitors/alternatives; and makes a sustainable profit. The process of business model innovation (BMI) is an entrepreneurial process. The aim of this module is to provide students with an understanding of the BMI process and practically apply key tools and techniques with potential customers and investors.

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Entrepreneurship and Corporate Venture in Practice (10 ECTS)
The ‘Entrepreneurship in Practice’ Workshops consists of six workshops featuring relevant topics in the field of Entrepreneurship that are not addressed in-depth by core or electives modules. Each workshop will be delivered by experienced entrepreneurs, consultants and international professors and will place specific emphasis on real business dynamics. Departing from and building on the topics discussed through the workshops, students will be asked to work in groups in class and after class.

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Technological Entrepreneurship and Innovation (5 ECTS)
This course introduces the fundamental concepts, processes and applications of technology entrepreneurship. You will explore the ways in which entrepreneurs create value in and through science and technology, including taking an idea, sourcing high-potential commercial opportunities for it, gathering resources such as talent and capital, ascertaining the best route to the market, and managing the ethical and social consequences of such enterprise.

To gain practical experience alongside the theory, students will work on a staged portfolio which will allow them to apply the concepts to practice, in different industries. Scientific and technological innovations increasingly specialized, hybridized and globalized, and we will explore contexts as diverse as Bitcoin, the Dark Net and genetic testing. This module will also examine the overarching concepts that span the entire field.

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Corporate Innovation (10 ECTS)
The scope of this module is to shed light on the strategies corporations implement to generate innovation, and the mechanisms underpinning it. The module will first explore the different innovation typologies firms can pursue, with a specific focus on their strategic implications. A strategic analysis of innovation will be followed and complemented by a more operational focus - i.e. the process whereby innovation is developed, how it is brought to the market, and how firms can monetize from it.

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Research Methods for Entrepreneurial Studies (5 ECTS)

This module is designed to equip students with the essential research skills necessary to successfully
complete their final-year M.Sc. dissertations or company projects. Students will
become familiar with the key research methods used in entrepreneurial studies encompassing
both quantitative and qualitative analyses. The module will support students’ development
of different research skills through a series of practical seminars in which existing research
outputs will be examined and assessed in class. Students who plan to continue their educational
career after the completion of the M.Sc. in Entrepreneurship are strongly encouraged
to attend this module.

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Financing Entrepreneurship and Innovation (5 ECTS)
This course deals with important aspects of financing the start, the orderly development and the growth a new or emerging enterprise. We begin by defining entrepreneurship and exploring the elements of a classic successful bootstrap entrepreneurial experience. With this as background, we examine the financial issues (including investor return and capital structure concerns) that confront entrepreneurs as they consider financing options such as venture capital, convertible debt, private equity in various case situations and the challenge of managing growth. We conclude with an introduction to exit considerations such as going public and/or the sale of the business.

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Well-being of Entrepreneurs and Intrapreneurs (5 ECTS)
Wellbeing is not only a vital part of everyone’s life but it is also a crucial entrepreneurial skill that enhances performance by supporting personal development and helping businesses grow. Entrepreneurial Wellbeing is a multidimensional concept that encompasses a variety of human experiences and contexts (e.g. work-life integration, meaning and purpose, optimism and positive affect, vitality and self-esteem, decision-making, leadership, influence and positive engagement). The aim of this module is to provide students with an understanding of the complex, both objective and subjective, aspects of wellbeing. It highlights how we allow short-term decisions to override what’s best for our long-term wellbeing, acting against our own best interests. The course focuses on three key areas of Entrepreneurial Wellbeing: 1) the opportunity for personal development; 2) the ability to more effectively lead others; and 3) the capability to build a healthy team and organisational culture.

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Social Entrepreneurship (5 ECTS)
Social enterprises are organisations that seek to create significant social impact through their initiatives and activities. They are often non-profits, but also operate within the private and public sectors and within a variety of organisational settings. The aim of this module is to help you develop a critical awareness of what social entrepreneurship entails, and the major approaches, opportunities and problems associated with the development of such ventures in an international context. We will examine the theoretical underpinnings and practical aspects concerning various aspects of social entrepreneurship and analyse patterns of social entrepreneurial behaviour locally and internationally.

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International Entrepreneurship (5 ECTS)
The module aims to provide students with an introduction to becoming an entrepreneur. A key feature of this Entrepreneurship course is the integration of theoretical constructs and real-business issues and best practices together with the leadership, strategic thinking and cultural understanding required to be an entrepreneur. On the one hand, the module will shed light on the latest theoretical concepts developed in the field of entrepreneurship; on the other, it will offer students the opportunity to focus on the strategies of entrepreneurial ventures, start ups, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the domestic and international market.

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Go To Market Strategy (5 ECTS)

The module will allow students to explore the most relevant digital strategies’ frameworks applied to business, providing a comprehensive overview from the traditional models of digital business up to the most recent organic and paid traffic sources like Search Engines and Paid Adverstising.
The module will analise the digital strategy of both the B2C (startups and big corporations) and B2B market spaces and firms.
A preliminary focus will be offered on the costone analysis (User Personas and the Customer Journey patterns). Furthermore, students will have the opportunity to assess the different approaches that companies adopt on the basis of different scenarios, such as size (SMEs vs. big corporates), or marketing goals (branding vs. lead generation).
A core part of the module will be linked to the analysis of the single digital marketing and communication assets, like:
• Content & Social Media Marketing
• Search Engine Marketing
• Paid Advertising
• Mail marketing & CRM
• Web Analytics

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Dissertation/Company project (30 ECTS)
The objective of the research dissertation is to allow students to demonstrate and apply the techniques and knowledge acquired from the taught modules to a managerial problem of real world academic, social or economic concern by conducting an independent piece of empirical or theoretical research under the guidance of a Supervisor. In an experiential learning manner, the key actions involved are designed to develop different research skills and demonstrate the student’s ability to write clearly and to undertake various types of management research topics, to reflect on their own development and learning, and to effectively communicate the results of their research.

Students have three possibilities to complete this module:

      1. Business Plan: Develop a business plan for a new business idea

      2. Company Project: Self-select a company and define a specific scaling strategy

      3. Theoretical dissertation

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