Courses
The courses you’ll take in the MTEI program will give you advanced knowledge in the business of technology, and help you to develop critical skills that are highly sought after by employers. These include the ability to think strategically, to solve problems decisively, to communicate clearly, and to successfully lead others.
Our courses are taught by highly experienced scholars in technology entrepreneurship and innovation. Our faculty members are nationally recognized with technology innovation and teaching awards and contribute to the worldwide body of business research and knowledge.
MTEI 5510: Entrepreneurial Finance
This course is designed to inform founders, policymakers, support organizations, and key new-venture team members about key elements of new venture finance, while adopting a special focus on cash flows and private equity, from inception to IPO or acquisition. Topics include sources of capital (such as venture capital); business angels; CPCs and public fundraising activities; valuation; deal structuring; term sheets; issues related to management compensation; and types of harvest and their consequences for the new venture team and investors.
MTEI 5520: Technology Entrepreneurship
This course examines management models, the designing of business models, and the frameworks that aid in platform-innovation creation and technology platform management in complex markets. Topics include lean canvas, minimum viable product, customer validation, pivoting, product roadmaps, project prioritization, lean stack methodologies, platform creation, marketing and growth, control and evolution. Students examine how external entities affect business-model design and platform mobilization. Students identify opportunities and risks for technology platforms in various contexts.
MTEI 5530: Innovation Processes and Management
Innovation is a complex process requiring an aggregation of knowledge, a variety of technologies, and competencies. Guiding this process is the main challenge to fostering and benefiting from innovation. This course focuses on guiding the innovation process, especially when seeking to manage and benefit from innovation in uncertain environments. The course combines the theory of innovation management, including business models for innovation, with an introduction to innovation management tools.
MTEI 5540: Entrepreneurial Marketing
This course will address marketing strategies for entrepreneurial and early-stage firms. Topics usually include (1) value creation and product development (2) customer selection (3) brand development and positioning (4) capturing value through pricing (5) go-to-market strategies and (6) customer profitability, lifetime value and marketing metrics. Successful entrepreneurs will be invited as guest speakers. The course requires applied learning through cases, simulations and hands-on projects in entrepreneurial settings.
MTEI 5550: Leading Technology Innovation and Change
Ironically, many of the skills required to lead innovation (e.g., associating, questioning, observing, and networking) run counter to highly valued skills in tech industries (e.g., subject matter expertise, problem-solving ability, singular pursuit of excellence). We will question traditional models of leadership and power and discuss some ‘fatal flaws’ that leaders must avoid to excel in this area.
MTEI 5560: Technology Strategy and Productivity
This course equips students with knowledge of key processes, models, and frameworks to develop and rapidly align a technology strategy for innovative organizations. Methods for leveraging technology to increase productivity and innovation in organizations are detailed. Students assess strategy maps with respect to state-of-the-art technologies. Topics include best practices for technology adoption, emerging technologies assessment, and technology outsourcing, strategic partner alliances and business development. As a course outcome, students conduct applied projects to demonstrate their knowledge of technology strategy creation.
MTEI 5570: Accounting for Innovation
This course examines management planning and control and reporting systems in an entrepreneurial organization. Emphasis is on processes and techniques of performance analysis in the technology and innovation context, leading to improved management decision-making. Some topics may include variance analysis, capital structures and governance, and analysis metrics. Integrative problem solving and case-analysis are emphasized, at both group and individual levels.
MTEI 5580: Globalization and Innovation Systems
Global innovation networks are rapidly changing to include developed and developing countries. Understanding innovation systems and the dynamics of establishing global innovation networks is key for tapping into new forms of knowledge production and exploitation. This course focuses on how firms connect with local and global networks, and how firms can engage in global value chains.
MTEI5585: – Applied Master Project – Investor-Ready Business Plan
Working in small teams, students deliver an investor-ready business plan based on the real needs of people in the group. The evolution of the business plan builds on the subjects learned in their required courses and is designed to take entrepreneurs, founders and innovators from the idea to the investable stage.
MTEI5595: – Applied Master Project – Launching and Growing
Key elements in innovation and entrepreneurship are launching and growing products or businesses. This project course allows students to gain hands-on business experience by working with clients of Saint Mary’s University Business Development Centre or on a student product concept. Students will embed their product development skills by helping a client (or their own business) move their product through the commercialization or growth process.
For more detailed course information, view the Saint Mary’s Graduate Academic Calendar.