MSt in Entrepreneurship

Students on the course will 'learn by doing' to an extent - taking action, either through their own startup ventures or through more provisional 'experiments', to put the theories, frameworks and tools they learn into practice and reflect on the outcomes of these actions. This learning-by-doing will take place within reflective groups or 'Action Learning Sets' of students, and will be guided by an individual mentor (a practitioner from within the Entrepreneurship Centre’s vetted pool of enterprise mentors) assigned to each student.

The programme aims to:

• develop learner knowledge and skills in topics relevant to the creation and management of high-impact entrepreneurial ventures. These include but are not limited to: discovering and evaluating entrepreneurial opportunities, entrepreneurial finance (including raising finance); marketing; strategy and business model development; developing and leading teams of entrepreneurs and innovators; networking and pitching.
• develop learners’ mindset for innovation (eg the ability to 'manage under uncertainty' and to 'sell while still building') and their ability to integrate into innovation ecosystems in Cambridge or elsewhere.
• develop learners’ ability to function as leaders of innovation projects, whether inside established organizations or in startups.

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

1. Generate/identify ideas for entrepreneurial ventures, evaluate the potential for success of those ideas, turn the ideas into a set of hypotheses to be tested and objectives to be pursued, select apposite methods and techniques for testing assumptions and execute some of those methods and techniques. Understand the mechanisms and contingencies underlying the tools used for the above.
2. Identify rational, social and emotional levers to be used in the persuasion of the critical audiences of innovators, early adopters, co-innovators and distribution partners required to get a venture off the ground. Understand the mechanisms and contingencies underlying the tools used for the above.
3. Choose a set of activities a proposed venture will and won’t undertake. Understand how defensible capabilities and relationships are built within a venture. Understand how ventures maintain an appropriate level of agility. Understand the mechanisms and contingencies underlying the tools used for the above.
4. Understand the foundations of effective entrepreneurial/innovation teams and the steps and dynamics than lead to effective or ineffective team behaviours.
5. Understand the behaviours, practices and cognitions followed by entrepreneurs, the contribution they make to successful entrepreneurship (and the mechanisms believed to create that contribution), and the contingencies concerning their effectiveness. Through course-fostered experiences and reflection, they should be able to undertake some of these behaviours and practices and adopt some of the cognitions.

Find out more

For full information about the course, visit the Judge Business School website.

If you have any questions about the application process, contact our Admissions team: mst.admissions@ice.cam.ac.uk or +44 (0)1223 746262.

For all other enquiries, contact mstentrepreneurship@jbs.cam.ac.uk

Teaching

The primary approaches to teaching and learning are:

• Taught sessions by academics and leading practitioners
• E-learning, including online content based discussions
• Group work, involving dialogue, debate and presentations throughout the taught modules
• Individual work, involving research and written presentation of findings on selected topics
• Support and facilitation by a CJBS team of faculty, tutors and supervisors
• Supplemental online materials and collaborative e-learning to maximize knowledge sharing
• Group projects
• Simulations

Core modules

The programme has a core element spread over four modules, which cover the elements in common to all entrepreneurial ventures. These are

1. Opportunities, Business Models and Entrepreneurial Strategy
2. Entrepreneurship Skills and the Entrepreneurial Mindset
3. Assembling and Managing Innovative Teams
4. Persuasion, Sales and Social Capital

Elective modules

A further six elective modules must be taken as follows:

Financial Literacy is required of all students who cannot, prior to undertaking the module, pass an exam in the subject to be agreed by the Degree Committee. 

Students may choose one of 15 specialist pathway modules, but a pathway is not required - they may opt for an extra elective instead if they wish. For 2019-20, the pathways are:

1. Fintech Entrepreneurship
2. Health Care Entrepreneurship
3. Biotech Entrepreneurship
4. Consumer and Retail Entrepreneurship 
5. Cleantech Entrepreneurship
6. Agritech Entrepreneurship
7. Creative Industries Entrepreneurship
8. Entrepreneurship Education
9. Manufacturing Technologies and Industry 4.0 Entrepreneurship
10. Govtech Entrepreneurship
11. Proptech, Construction Tech and Property Development Entrepreneurship
12. Transport, Logistics and Mobility Entrepreneurship
13. Defence Technology Entrepreneurship
14. Enterprise Software and Cybersecurity Entrepreneurship
15. Legaltech Entrepreneurship

There are 17 elective units (organised in 8 elective modules) from which students will choose the appropriate number (four if Financial Literacy and a Pathway module are taken, five if only one of these is taken, six if none of these is taken). These are:

1. Intellectual Property
2. Managing Early Stage Finance
3. Pitching and Investor Networks
4. Lean Startup Theory and Practice
5. B2B Marketing
6. Decision Making and Systems Thinking
7. Managing the Early Growth of a Firm
8. Leadership and Vision
9. Digital Marketing
10. 21st Century Entrepreneurship: Sustainability and Emerging Topics
11. Raising Early Stage Finance
12. Raising Later Stage Finance
13. Managing Scaleups
14. Design: Creating, Making and Service Design
15. Becoming a Startup Engineer
16. Intrapreneurship Theory
17. Intrapreneurship Practice

Students may only take Intrapreneurship Practice if sponsored by their employer to do so, as the module requires project work within their employer.

A final report of 15,000 words makes up the remainder of the programme.

Supervision

Each student will be allocated a project supervisor towards the end of the first year and start of second year. Supervisors will provide general academic advice to students, and subject-specific advice relating to the project. Students and project supervisors normally meet about once a month to discuss progress, but meetings may be more or less frequent depending on the project.

Seminars and classes

During Year 1, approximately 40 hours during residential weeks. During Year 2, approximately 20 hours during residential weeks.

Lectures

During Year 1, approximately 40 hours during residential weeks. During Year 2, approximately 10 hours during residential weeks.

Small group teaching

During Year 1, approximately 20 hours during residential weeks. During Year 2, approximately 10 hours during residential weeks.

Feedback

Students receive detailed written feedback after each written assignment.

Assessment

Thesis

A project of 15,000 words is the main work for year 2 of the programme. In the 'learning by doing' spirit of the programme, we expect for most students, their 'project' will be the entrepreneurial venture they are developing, and the written work will document the experiments and trials they undertake in developing their venture. However, projects will be allowed, subject to supervisor and Programme Director approval, on a wide range of Entrepreneurship topics.

Essays, projects and written papers

The core courses will be assessed by essay. The elective courses will be assessed by a combination of coursework (including essays), class participation and case study analyses.

Other assessment

Active participation in online learning activities and in person discussions is expected of all students to support collaborative learning.

Fees

The fees for 2019 entry will be £16,869 per annum for Home/EU students and for overseas students.

Students will be expected to cover any costs of travel, accommodation and subsistence during residential sessions in Cambridge.

Funding

Sources of government funding and financial support - including Professional and Career Development Loans

Applications will be accepted online from 3 September 2018 to 31 May 2019.

Read the MSt Application Guide to find out more about the application process and what you need to do and consider as a potential applicant. See below for details of the supporting documents you will need to provide when applying for this course.

Your application will include answers to several short questions concerning your entrepreneurial goals and objectives, and the efforts you have taken to advance any entrepreneurial projects prior to the programme.

Selection process

Stage 1: Once the admissions team has received an application and the supporting documentation, the applicant is notified if she/he has been shortlisted for a Skype interview with the Programme Director. The purpose of the interview will be to further gauge the candidate's suitability for the course. 

Stage 2: The Admissions Committee of the programme makes a recommendation about the applicant, and this is submitted to the CJBS Degree Committee for approval.

Stage 3: When an applicant is successful, the Registry Manager of the Institute of Continuing Education will issue a formal offer letter. The offer of a place at the programme will tend to come with conditions attached. These might be financial (proving that the applicant has the funds to pay for the programme), language related (proving that the applicant’s English language skills are proficient), and/or academic (submitting original documents). It is the applicant’s responsibility to meet these requirements and provide the necessary evidence.

Stage 4: The offer will also be subject to the applicant obtaining college membership. The request for membership to the applicant’s college of choice is done by the Programme Manager mstentrepreneurship@jbs.cam.ac.uk

Stage 5: This is the final stage of the applications process. Once you have met all the conditions of your admission and have the offer of a college place, you will be notified that you may begin your programme at the start of the academic year. At this stage you can start making arrangements such as visa, travel and accommodation.

Admission of students into our programme is a rolling process, and therefore we welcome and encourage an early submission of applications.

The duration of the selection process will vary depending on committee meeting dates, although standard applicants can expect to hear if they have been shortlisted for an interview within 8 weeks of submitting an application. Then, if successful, a conditional offer should be sent to the applicant within 8 weeks of attending the Skype interview. Please note that this is only an average timeline to be used for reference.

Supporting documents

Below are details of the Course Specific Questions and other supporting information you will be asked to provide before you can submit your application. These are marked with an asterisk (*). References and transcripts can be provided either at the time of submitting your application or shortly after.

If you have any questions, please contact ICE Admissions: mst.admissions@ice.cam.ac.uk and we will be happy to help. 

References

You will need to provide the details of two referees who should be senior people acquainted with your work and who are able to comment on your academic and/or professional suitability to undertake the course.  Ideally one reference should be academic and one professional. If this is not possible, two professional references may be accepted.

You will be asked to provide email addresses for your referees so that they can submit their reference via the online referencing system, so it is important for you to ensure that your referee is able to provide a reference for you before you submit your application form.

You should try to advise your referees to include the following information:

• How long they have known you and in what capacity.
• Their opinion of your experience, achievements, professional interests, and the capabilities which you will bring to the course.
• Whether they believe you have the academic and analytic skills to successfully study at Masters level.
• Whether they believe you will fit well on a Master’s-level course
• Whether they consider you have the enthusiasm, commitment and determination necessary to complete the course successfully.

If your referees are unable to use the online referencing system, or do not have an email addresses, please contact the ICE Admissions office for further assistance.

Transcripts

A transcript is a list of all the courses you have taken during a programme of study, with the result you obtained, and with the credit value if applicable.

If you are currently studying, please provide a transcript listing the courses taken during your programme of study, with the results or grades obtained for each.

If you have previously completed degree-level study, please provide a transcript or degree certificate for each degree-level programme you have studied, showing the date the degree was awarded and the final class or grade obtained.

The transcript should be uploaded via your Applicant Portal. Please note that we may also ask you to send the originals via post if we make you an offer of admission and supplying these may be a condition of your offer.

If your documents are not in English, you must also upload a full translation of each document, prepared by a registered translator.

Pathway specialism*

The programme allows you to choose a pathway specialism. Or, you can choose no pathway, which allows you to take an extra elective. You can change pathway anytime during the first four months of the course. However, we would like to know your current pathway choice.

The options you will have are:

• Biotech Entrepreneurship
• Health Care Entrepreneurship
• Fintech Entrepreneurship
• Cleantech Entrepreneurship
• Creative Industries Entrepreneurship
• Entrepreneurship Education
• Government Services Entrepreneurship
• Manufacturing Technologies Entrepreneurship
• Construction and Property Entrepreneurship
• Agritech and Food Entrepreneurship
• Retail and Consumer Entrepreneurship
• No pathway

Please also specify how certain you are of this choice on the application form.

Entrepreneurship questionnaire*

Please answer all mandatory questions on the application form.