Courses
Course Description:
In the modern competitive and global world confronting today's engineers, innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E) are increasingly important perspectives for every engineering career. Individuals proficient in I&E are likely to possess unique competitive advantage over those who donot. This course develops the foundation for developing such proficiency by examining the functional roles of the business/commercial aspects of engineering disciplines as well as establishing a basis for innovative thinking. Specific cases where I&E has lead to new products innovation and new enterprise development will supplement course materials. Recommended background: None.
To tackle the World's Great Problems requires technical skills to come up with innovative new solutions. As you become a WPI engineer, you will learn the foundations of engineering and how to use your knowledge to develop innovative new ideas. To implement these new ideas, however, it is increasing important for engineers to understand the context of their innovations and how to move them toward the marketplace. At WPI we have many opportunities for you to engage in entrepreneurship activities, but many do not engage until their junior or senior year.
The course brings entrepreneurship to first or second year students and builds a foundation that enables students to better take advantage of other opportunities later in their studies.
The specific goals of the course are two-fold. The first is to introduce a series of entrepreneurial skill sets in the format of a functional "tool box". The second is to develop these concepts in a context of innovation and global competition. These two paths are inextricably linked to the probability of the success of any technological solutions and their commercial viability.
The style of the course is participatory and will culminate in a written and verbal presentation of a Project Plan Analysis for an innovation-based technology endeavor. Case examples grounded in technology applications will be used. A suggested model for analysis and presentation will be offered.
This course satisfies the "Entrepreneurship" requirement for RBE students and counts as a free elective for all others.
Undergraduate Courses
Entrepreneurship (ETR)
ETR 1100 Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation
The course brings entrepreneurship to first or second year students and builds a foundation that enables students to better take advantage of other opportunities later in their studies.
ETR 3910. Recognizing and Evaluating New Venture Opportunities
This course focuses on identifying ideas for new businesses and learning how to evaluate those ideas to determine if they are feasible.
ETR 3920. Planning and Launching New Ventures
This course focuses on business plan development, especially the financial aspects of the plan.
ETR 4930. Growing And Managing New Ventures
This course focuses on techniques to grow the new venture and how to manage both the growth and operations.
ETR 3633. Entrepreneurial Selling
This course will examine the elements of the sales cycle and formulation of strategy for the successful selling transaction.
Innovation
MKT 3640. Management Of Process And Product Innovation
This course is based on the hypothesis that high performance firms depend on a sustainable pattern of new and innovative processes and products. Successful companies are examined in regard to their strategies for innovation and technology transfer.
Graduate Courses
Entrepreneurship (ETR)
ETR 592. New Venture Management and Entrepreneurship
This course introduces students to a new way of thinking and a new set of economic relationships through its requirement that they plan and launch a new e-commerce venture.
Innovation
MKT 563. Marketing of Emerging Technologies
This course focuses on the new product development process in high-tech corporations, from idea generation through launch.
