MBA: Entrepreneurship & Innovation Specialization

Gain the Skills Needed to Innovate and Grow Businesses

Minnesota Carlson's MBA with a specialization in entrepreneurship and innovation provides a blend of coursework and hands-on experiences to give you the tools you need to start and grow new companies or to drive innovation in established organizations. In this specialization, you'll gain the vital knowledge and understanding of how to analyze the changing competitive landscape faced by organizations, the leadership skills to develop and implement action plans to provide organizations with a competitive advantage, the ability to recognize and develop new business opportunities, and the managerial skills necessary to successfully deal with the challenges of innovation, manage a diverse workforce, and navigate the political landscape within a firm.

Further focus your learning by choosing from two tracks:

  • The New Venture Track: For students interested in identifying new business opportunities and starting and growing new ventures
  • The Corporate Innovation Track: For students interested in creating new ventures and successful innovations within an existing company
     
format
Format

Full-Time: On-campus 
Part-Time: In-person, Online, HyFlex

duration
Duration

Full-Time: 2 years 
Part-Time: Average 3.5 years

work experience
Work experience

Full-Time: Average 5 years 
Part-Time: Average 6 years 

start date
Start date

Full-Time: Fall (September) 
Part-Time: Fall (September); Spring (January); Summer (June)

Curriculum: Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Our coursework helps prepare you to launch a career in consulting or new business creation. Take part in entrepreneurship opportunities like the STARTUP course—test business model assumptions and receive feedback from instructors and mentors—and Ventures Enterprise where you hone your skills by creating, developing, and sustaining new business ideas. 

Students complete 12 elective credits for the entrepreneurship and innovation specialization. Students are advised to take the three foundational entrepreneurship and innovation courses, and then an additional six credits from the list of recommended electives based on your track. Please note, not all courses listed are offered every semester. Use the One Stop Class Schedule to verify each semester's course offerings and the assigned professor.

  • ENTR 6025: Introduction to Entrepreneurship - 2 Credits
  • MGMT 6071: Strategic Management of Technological Change - 2 Credits
  • MGMT 6055: Management of Innovation and Change - 2 Credits

New Venture Track:

  • MGMT 5102: STARTUP: Customer Development & Testing - 2 Credits
  • ENTR 6021: Developing New Ventures - 2 Credits
  • ENTR 6023: Financing Business Ventures - 2 Credits
  • ENTR 6036: Managing the Growing Business - 2 Credits 

Corporate Innovation Track:

  • ENTR 6036: Managing the Growing Business - 2 Credits
  • ENTR 6037: Corporate Venturing - 2 Credits
  • ENTR 6041: Initiating New Product Design - 4 Credits
  • ENTR 6042: Implementing New Product Design - 4 Credits

Both Tracks:

  • MGMT 6004: Negotiation Strategies - 2 Credits
  • MGMT 6031: Industry Analysis and Competitive Strategy - 4 Credits
  • MGMT 6033: Strategy Implementation - 2 Credits
  • MGMT 6034: Strategic Leadership - 2 Credits
  • MGMT 6041: Competing Globally - 2 Credits
  • MGMT 6084: Management of Teams - 2 Credits
  • MGMT 6085: Corporate Strategy - 4 Credits
  • ENTR 6090: Topics in Entrepreneurship - Credit varies
  • MGMT 6402: Integrative Leadership: Leading Across Sectors - 3 Credits 
     

We recommend students consider incorporating interdisciplinary courses to obtain a well-rounded business foundation. The following courses are suggested as complementary to a specialization in entrepreneurship and innovation. 

  • ACCT 6102: Financial Statement Analysis - 2 Credits
  • MKTG 6088: Strategic Marketing - 3 Credits
  • MCOM 5535: Business Presentation Skills for Leaders - 2 Credits
Group of entrepreneurship MBA students around white board

Grow Your Entrepreneurial Skills with an MBA

No matter your career aspirations, Minnesota Carlson is here to support you. You can work with the Carlson Business Career Center (CBCC) to search for jobs, polish your resume, and practice your interview skills. It's a one-stop shop to help you on every step of your career journey.

This specialization prepares you for careers in the following and more:

  • Business ownership
  • Business consulting
  • Financial analysis
  • Sales management
Explore Careers
911,400

job openings are projected each year in the field1

$76,850

median salary per year for business and financial occupations in 20221

More Ways to Customize Your MBA

Explore our other specialization options:

More Specializations

Frequently Asked Questions

Explore some of our frequently asked MBA specialization questions below.

Apply to the MBA program using our online application. You will not apply to the specialization. Request information for the Full-Time or Part-Time MBA program and we're happy to answer any outstanding questions.

Generally, specializations require students to complete a track of 12-13 credits of courses within a specified subject area. Course recommendations for each specialization are outlined on the documents posted on the specialization webpage.

Yes. Choosing a specialization is not required, and you can change your pathway during your program to pursue another.

A specialization indicates your mastery of and demonstrated interest in a specific area of business, as well as your commitment to that area. Being able to tailor your degree to your goals makes you uniquely qualified for the roles you're planning to pursue after graduation.

Our graduates pursue a wide range of careers. Carlson alums lead numerous corporate venturing and innovation groups and include founders of successful startups such as Zipnosis, Bright Health, Sezzle, and Fulton Beer.

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Source

  1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Business and Financial Occupations.