Entrepreneurship and Innovation, MS

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Department Chair: Mark Cannice, Ph.D.

Program Director: Gleb Nikitenko, EdD

The 12-month USF M.S. in Entrepreneurship and Innovation is designed to ensure new and recent college graduates gain essential skills and experiences in order to best compete for a place in today’s innovation economy and launch a professional entrepreneurial career from Silicon Valley.

Whether your goal is to launch your own firm, join a venture-capital-backed startup, step into a business development role in a large corporate enterprise, contribute to a social enterprise or bring new innovative skills and associations to your family business, the USF MSEI delivers essential theoretical, applied, and experiential learning to help you achieve your objectives

In the USF MSEI, students learn from leading scholarly and professional faculty and gain vital mentorship and professional enterprise and entrepreneurial experience.

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Program Goals

Develop cadres of entrepreneurial and innovative leaders who help fashion a more humane world through the creation and development of products, services, and enterprises that serve communities around the globe.
Accelerate the students’ intellectual and professional growth leading to the launch of new professional careers or new ventures by building business and technical capabilities and professional experiences.
Engage students in the Silicon Valley ecosystem through a comprehensive set of curricular and co-curricular programming and activities that introduce students to new professional and entrepreneurial career opportunities.
Promote and support the global entrepreneurship and innovation network of current students, alumni, and affiliated external partners that enhance the professional opportunities for all.

Program Learning Outcomes

Apply a design and innovation toolset to analyze and create new disruptive products and services.
Build essential technology competencies that can be effectively employed in startups, social ventures, family businesses, and corporate enterprises.
Demonstrate strategic and financial planning capabilities in the development of a business plan.
Develop key competencies in the area of entrepreneurial sales and marketing analytics.
Analyze and apply concepts and issues of entrepreneurial leadership, law, and ethics.
Enhance professional acumen through executive mentoring, structured internships, new venture launch, and related Silicon Valley co-curricular activities.

Major Requirements (36 units)

In 3 consecutive semesters over 12 months, MSEI students complete 36 units-32 units of core coursework and 4 units of electives (2 units each in semesters 2 and 3).

A 4-day customized orientation is required for all MSEI students just prior to the start of classes.
All MSEI courses are taken in a prescribed sequence in a cohort (no prerequisites).
All MSEI courses are letter-grade based (standard)
Students are expected to have basic skills in MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
Students must complete all degree coursework with a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA

Core Courses

Practicum Courses

The practicum is offered during the second and third trimester of the program.