Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Graduate Certificate)
Program Overview
The entrepreneurship and innovation certificate program provides insights and practical experience for both current and future for-profit and not-for-profit professionals working in a wide range of settings, including business, engineering, science and technology, health care, the arts, sports and entertainment, communication and information technology, manufacturing, and community and economic development. This cross-disciplinary certificate program has been designed to provide you with the specialized knowledge, skills and experience required to develop, launch and grow a new venture. The courses offered are developed and provided in collaboration with other Wayne State University schools and colleges, and many classes can satisfy the requirements of both your degree program and the certificate program.
Students who participate in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Certificate program are eligible to apply for support from the Belinsky Entrepreneurial Learning Laboratory (BELL). The BELL assists sustainable, investment-ready student startups and supports the development of commercialization pathways for WSU intellectual property by providing mentors and subject matter experts, direct support and limited funding to assist in the process of attracting additional funding in the form of revenue growth, grants, loans or direct investment. Direct support is provided by BELL Fellows, and certificate program students are eligible to apply for these fellowships. Contact the program director for further information.
Admission Requirements
The graduate certificate in entrepreneurship and innovation is open only to those students who can meet the graduate admission requirements of Wayne State University. Further, those admitted to this certificate program are: 1) currently enrolled WSU graduate students who have completed at least 6 graduate credit hours and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above; or 2) students who possess a graduate degree from an accredited college or university. Students must also successfully complete an introductory course and gain approval for their elective selection and plan of work. Students can develop a full plan of work with the program advisor before registering for the introductory course, and are strongly encouraged to do so.
Formal admission to the certificate program requires that students complete an introductory course and obtain approval for their plan of work which includes three elective courses and a capstone course. Students can develop a full plan of work with the program advisor before registering for the introductory course and are strongly encouraged to do so.
The introductory course provides an integrative framework, processes and tools which must be mastered and opportunities to explore resources available within the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. The electives courses are matched to student talents and interests and provide opportunities to acquire additional breadth and depth of knowledge, skills and abilities and opportunities for additional applications of the integrative framework, processes and tools. In the capstone course students are engaged in a project-intensive learning experience in the Detroit entrepreneurial ecosystem. The capstone course is designed to help the student deepen their understanding of and appreciation for what it takes to translate ideas into reality and provides students an opportunity to celebrate and reflect on their passion and ability to launch and support startups of both a technical and non-technical nature.
Program Standards
- A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 will be required for completion of the certificate, with no grades less than a B in each of the core courses.
- Although students are encouraged to complete the certificate in three consecutive semesters, it must be completed within three years of admission. Students may enroll on a full- or part-time basis.
- The certificate will be awarded upon completion of the related graduate program. Or, if the student already has been awarded the graduate degree, the certificate will be awarded upon completion of the certificate program.
- Up to 9 of the credit hours of coursework taken toward this graduate certificate may also be used to satisfy graduate degree requirements, assuming no credits have been applied from a second certificate and also subject to the approval of the relevant academic unit and graduate office.
- The credits earned while completing this certificate program cannot be applied toward another Wayne State University certificate program.
- Credits applied to a graduate certificate cannot be applied toward a subsequent Wayne State University graduate degree.
- No transfer credit will be accepted.
Curriculum Requirements
The student must complete 15 credits, with six credits from the core, and nine elective credits selected from an approved list. Electives which will count toward the completion of the certificate program are open to students who have satisfactorily completed the introductory course and who have been admitted to the program. Students must complete 12 approved credits before enrolling in the capstone course. Students must contact the Program Director at least one month prior to registering for the capstone course so that the details of the Capstone Project can be determined.
Required Core Courses (6 credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EI 7000 | Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Innovation | 3 |
| or MGT 7660 | Entrepreneurial Management | |
| EI 7900 | Entrepreneurship and Innovation Capstone 1 | 3 |
- 1
Approval to take EI 7900 requires completion of nine (9) credits of electives with a minimum grade of C in addition to EI 7000 with a minimum grade of B.
Electives (9 credits)
Three elective courses are also required. A subset of the list of elective courses (free-elective courses) will carry no pre-requisite beyond EI 7000, thereby broadening accessibility to non-business students. The list of approved elective courses will also include restricted-electives, courses which may require completion of discipline-specific course prerequisites. Restricted-elective courses must meet the following criteria: (1) the course learning objectives, content and activities must be explicitly and substantially correlated with the GCEI program learning goals; (2) the course incorporates one or more of the foundation framework elements and/or skill and tool kit components; (3) the student has satisfied pre-requisites for these courses; (4) the student completes these courses after having been admitted to the certificate program; and (5) the credits earned in these courses must also satisfy the degree requirements of the student's graduate degree program.
Note: The list of elective courses will be updated periodically subject to the review and approval of the curriculum committee of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation program and its advisory board.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Free Electives (3 credits each) | ||
| Management and Leadership for Entrepreneurs | ||
| Marketing New Ventures | ||
| Special Topics in Entrepreneurship and Innovation | ||
| Directed Study in Entrepreneurship and Innovation | ||
| Startup Financing and Profitability | ||
| Social Entrepreneurship | ||
| Restricted-elective courses (3 credits each unless otherwise noted; prerequisites may apply) | ||
| Entrepreneurs' Ecosystem | ||
| Entrepreneurial Finance and Venture Capital | ||
| Global Logistics Management | ||
| Integrated Product Development | ||
| Product Lifecycle Management and Sustainable Design | ||
| Management of Technology Change | ||
| Manufacturing Strategies | ||
| Engineering Management Leadership Project | ||
| Leadership and Management of Innovation and Technology | ||
| Social Media and Digital Marketing Analytics | ||
| Business and Sustainability | ||
| Information Analytics: Inbound Information Technology | ||
| Survey of E-Commerce | ||
| Digital Content Development | ||
| Principles for Customer Relationship Management | ||