MSc Entrepreneurship & Innovation Timetable and Modules

Michaelmas Term (September to December)

• Business Model Innovation
• Entrepreneurial Mindset & Well-Being
• Entrepreneurship in Practice
• Strategic Entrepreneurship
• Technological Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Hilary Term (January to April)

• Corporate Innovation
• Entrepreneurship in Practice
• Financing Entrepreneurship
• International Entrepreneurship
• Social & Sustainable Entrepreneurship

Trinity Term (May to August)

• Dissertation/Company Projects (Individual and group opportunities available)

Electives

• Digital Growth Marketing (Hilary Term)
• Research Methods (Hilary Term)

Supporting Activities

• Clinics for Entrepreneurs 
• Pitch Training 
• Consulting Project 

Module Descriptions

Business Model Innovation (5 ECTS)

The aim of this module is to provide students with an understanding of Business Model Innovation (BMI). BMI is the process by which today’s businesses create superior value for customers by meeting their needs and delivering value more effectively and efficiently than competitors. Through this process, entrepreneurial ventures capture greater value from their customers. The process of business model innovation (BMI) is central to an entrepreneurial process. Over an intensive week, students will learn and apply the BMI process. Students will participate in classroom learning, rooted in relevant theory and practical tools. Students will be organised into diverse teams to empathize with customers, and design value propositions and business models accordingly. Teams and sub-units (e.g. pairs) will work extensively outside of formal sessions where they will engage potential customers, collaborators, and each other.

Entrepreneurial Mindset and Well-being (5 ECTS)

This entrepreneurship course explores the key formulas for business and personal success, focusing on performance mindset and well-being. An entrepreneurial mindset identifies opportunities where others see risk, generates solutions to everyday challenges, and is resourceful, adaptable, and resilient in complex, uncertain conditions. Well-being is not only a vital part of everyone’s life but it is also a crucial entrepreneurial skill that enhances personal performance and fuels business development. Entrepreneurial Well-being 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, self- regulation, meta-cognition, decision-making, leadership, influence and positive engagement). The aim of this module is to provide students with an understanding of the objective and subjective aspects of mindsets that lead to entrepreneurial success and sustainable performance. It examines the risks of allowing short-term decisions to override what’s best for our long-term performance and well-being, ultimately acting against the entrepreneur’s own best interest. It is different from other business courses because the subject is one’s own development in relation to life as an entrepreneur. It treats the Self as the primary instrument and resource of entrepreneurship. This module will help students to gain insight and understanding into the scientific ideas that underscore performance, appreciate the practical implications, and learn to apply the skills and tools in their own lives, personally and in organisational settings.

Entrepreneurship in Practice (10 ECTS)

The ‘Entrepreneurship in Practice’ module consists of workshops on key entrepreneurship topics not covered in detail by core or elective 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.

Strategic Entrepreneurship (5 ECTS)

This module explores the role of strategic entrepreneurship in spurring the growth of any enterprise. Strategic entrepreneurship refers to the integration of strategic management and entrepreneurial action to enhance an organisation's competitive advantage and growth. It involves the simultaneous pursuit of opportunity-seeking (entrepreneurial) and advantage-seeking (strategic) behaviours to ensure long-term success. Hence, this course introduces techniques of strategic analysis and exposes students to the methods of analysing, crafting and implementing strategy. This will enable participants to develop a practical knowledge of strategic management. The course develops an appreciation of the wider business enterprise, its internal and external contexts and the activities and processes it is built on. Students who complete the course will be able to better understand and analyse strategic decisions they are exposed to in their careers. Further, they will also be better equipped to engage in the strategic management process themselves.   

Technological Entrepreneurship and Innovation (5 ECTS)

This course introduces the key concepts, processes, and practical applications of technology-driven entrepreneurship and innovation. It focuses on how entrepreneurs create value through technology, covering areas such as business model development, prototyping, identifying high-potential commercial opportunities, and securing essential resources such as talent, technology, and capital. Students will also explore building and testing product-market fit, while considering the ethical and social implications of technology-based enterprises. To complement the theoretical learning, students will work on a staged portfolio that enables them to apply core concepts across different business models. The module covers essential technology trends, including Generative AI, cloud computing, data analytics, prototyping, and effective team collaboration.

Corporate Innovation (10 ECTS)

This module focuses on the strategies and dynamics that underpin innovation development in scale-up companies. Scaleup companies are defined as startups that have expanded their business in the first five years of operations and have added at least ten employees. More specifically, the module will blend a theoretical and practical approach, bringing relevant theories on innovation development and growth in startups to class and focusing on practical learning. The course is divided into two blocks: the first focuses on key theoretical contributions in corporate innovation and strategies for startup and scaleup growth; the second will concentrate on experiential learning through the analysis of real cases of scaleup companies.

Financing Entrepreneurship (5 ECTS)

This module is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the financial complexities associated with launching, managing, and financing innovative ventures. In entrepreneurship, financial decisions are crucial for the success and sustainability of startups and innovative projects. The module will cover a range of topics, from venture valuation and funding strategies to risk management, including an analysis of funding strategies and financial modelling with strategic financial decision-making. It is delivered through a combination of analysis and discussion of cases, lectures, and exposure to leading industry speakers. Thus, students become familiar with major financial issues in the entrepreneurship and innovation space.  

International Entrepreneurship (5 ECTS)

This module provides students with both theoretical and practical insights into the internationalisation of young entrepreneurial firms and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It focuses on how culture, technology, and related forces interact with an entrepreneurial mindset to drive cross-border entrepreneurship. Through a combination of theoretical perspectives and case studies, the module explores how small and recently established firms compete and create value in the global economy. The module pays special attention to market entry strategies, platform-enabled digital ventures, and born global companies. In-class discussions will be enriched by guest lectures from entrepreneurs operating across national borders. The most successful companies today have all scaled across multiple geographical regions.

Social & Sustainable Entrepreneurship (5 ECTS)

This module develops a critical awareness of social entrepreneurship, exploring its major approaches, opportunities, and challenges, particularly in an international context. Social entrepreneurship is an impact-driven form of entrepreneurship that addresses societal challenges, often aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This module explores the theoretical foundations and practical aspects of social entrepreneurship, analysing patterns of social entrepreneurial behaviour on both local and global levels. Social enterprises, which seek to create significant social impact, operate across non-profit, private, and public sectors, and within a variety of organizational settings.

Digital Growth Marketing (5 ECTS)

This module equips students with the skills of a growth hacker, addressing the challenge that even great entrepreneurial ideas can fail to scale due to poor marketing. Digital Growth Marketing is a form of entrepreneurial marketing where growth is integrated into products and processes from the very start, using digital technologies. With advancements in marketing tools like Generative AI, platforms, and digital infrastructure, entrepreneurs can more effectively design, market, and scale their ventures. The module is designed to develop students' critical digital skill sets, mindsets, and toolsets as entrepreneurial growth marketers. Throughout the course, students will apply data-driven and AI-assisted practices in real-world scenarios, using technology as a 'second brain' and a 'second pair of hands' to create and implement marketing plans. The course also covers digital and AI strategies for both B2C and B2B markets, applicable to startups and large corporations. It begins with situational and customer analysis, followed by the development of User Personas and mapping Customer Journey patterns. Students will then explore various marketing approaches tailored to different scenarios, such as company size (SMEs vs. large corporations) and marketing objectives (branding, lead generation, and driving store traffic). Key elements of the module include an in-depth analysis of digital marketing and communication assets. Key areas covered include:

• Content & Social Media Marketing
• Search Engine Marketing (SEO)
• Paid Advertising
• Email Marketing & CRM
• Web Analytics
• AI Tools for Digital Marketing

Dissertation/Company Project (30 ECTS)

This programme uniquely offers three broad types of capstone projects to assess a student’s capacity for independent learning. These project options reflect the diversity of interests and purposes students typically bring to the programme.  The three possibilities are as follows:

1. Business Development: Students incrementally develop, document, and reflect on the process of actualizing an early-stage venture, ending in a business plan and a deep critical reflective piece as deliverables.
2. Company Project: Students select a company, identify a unique intrapreneurial/strategy challenge, and work on it. They submit a consultancy-style report that develops and defines theory-informed strategies to resolve the difficulties identified. A critical reflective piece accompanies the report.
3. Theoretical dissertation: Students focus on a research question and conduct theoretical and field research to answer it. A critical reflection on the learning journey is included at the end of the dissertation. Under this category, there is a unique option of an Action Design Research (ADR) dissertation project. ADR combines the merits of a business development project and a theoretical dissertation. Unlike traditional research, where a researcher typically investigates a question by observing and asking questions to participants, researchers are active participants in their ADR studies. In other words, the researcher is not a detached observer but an engaged participant in their own study.