A new master of entrepreneurship and innovation (MEI) program cleared another hurdle last week when it was approved by Queen’s Senate.

The new graduate program, aimed at students with a passion for developing, testing and implementing new ideas, is scheduled to launch this fall pending approval by the Ontario Quality Council at its meeting later this month.

Queen’s School of Business (QSB) and Queen’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science will jointly design and deliver the program, which has a projected initial intake of 30 students.

“To develop 21st-century skills, students are turning to the types of entrepreneurial and experiential learning opportunities that this new program will offer,” says Principal Daniel Woolf. “The new program supports the university’s commitment to expand graduate credentials that build upon the learning students did during their undergraduate degree.”

The program is open to candidates with an honours undergraduate degree in any discipline. Students can customize the program according to their background and interests in entrepreneurial, corporate or social innovation.

“We are pleased to partner with Engineering and Applied Science to develop this innovative, high-quality program that targets a specific need in society,” says Elspeth Murray, Associate Dean, MBA and Master’s Programs, QSB. “The program will provide strong theoretical and experiential underpinnings to accelerate students’ ability to become effective leaders in highly entrepreneurial and innovative career pursuits.”

The 12-month professional program will feature a mix of lectures, seminars, supervised independent research, case analysis, team work, and venture development. The program is unique in North America because master’s programs in entrepreneurship and innovation are usually concentrated within a faculty’s MBA stream or a specialization within a master’s of engineering degree.

“The program builds on the considerable strength of both faculties in educational programming and delivery,” says Kimberly Woodhouse, Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. “Increasingly, effective business models for entrepreneurial ventures are informed by the design thinking that lies at the heart of engineering.”

The new master’s program builds on the success of Queen’s Summer Innovation Initiative (QSII), another joint initiative between QSB and Engineering and Applied Science where undergraduate students from a variety of academic disciplines come together to develop companies or contribute to corporate innovation in partnership with industry.

View the MEI brochure for more information.