Clemson introduces MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Published: January 24, 2012

GREENVILLE — Clemson University has introduced a new MBA concentration that is intentionally designed to encourage the creation and development of new businesses. 

An initiative of Clemson’s College of Business and Behavioral Science, the new one-year program will incorporate traditional finance, marketing, human resources and management knowledge with immersive, entrepreneurial-based coursework.

“One of the primary goals of the MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation is to ensure that we incorporate a bias for creativity, experimentation and innovation,” said Associate Dean Greg Pickett. “Just as an entrepreneurial mindset encourages big ideas, the knowledge gained from our unique curriculum provides students the real-life tools necessary to bring ideas to the marketplace.”

Students entering the graduate program will work with instructors and advisors to build the tangible and practical skills necessary to launch a venture while developing a business plan, securing seed capital and obtaining legal incorporation for identified concepts. Students begin with an idea and graduate with an incorporated business along with their MBA degree.

According to David Wyman, associate director of the Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership, “turning passion into action is a key element of this new program, resulting in the creation of real companies, which will in turn create jobs and help drive the economic engine of the Upstate for years to come.”

Students in the program will have direct access to a world-class mentorship network, incorporation and digital marketing assistance and opportunities to pitch to “angel fund” investors for seed capital to aid the growth of their new ventures. 

“The Clemson MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation is designed not just to build the knowledge necessary for future success,” said Pickett, “but to provide the guidance and framework needed to establish the next generation of business start-ups.”

The College of Business and Behavioral Science plans to welcome the first cohort of students to the program in June 2012. For more information or to apply to the program please visit www.clemson.edu/mba.

END

Clemson at the Falls
Clemson at the Falls is a vibrant center for business education conveniently located in the midst of a growing, globally engaged community in the heart of downtown Greenville. In addition to providing an innovative MBA program to enhance the marketability and income potential of students, the campus offers professional development and continuing education for those already in the workplace, customized training programs for companies, and guidance and support for small business and entrepreneurs who are among the leaders in job creation. For more information, visit www.clemson.edu/atthefalls.