Introduction
Challenge Convention, Reinvent Business, Change the World
The LMU M.S. in Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Innovation is designed for students who are determined to make difference in their organization and in society. Our program will prepare you to launch your own firm, join a venture capital-backed start-up, step in as a change agent in a large corporate enterprise, contribute to a social enterprise or bring new, innovative skills to your family business.
Our unique curriculum delivers essential theoretical, applied and experiential learning, blending several major disciplines including entrepreneurial management, science/engineering, and environmental law/policy. Faculty will facilitate opportunities for you to connect and learn best practices from the leading firms in southern California while networking and gaining valuable experience. Our capstone project provides you the opportunity to practice creating innovative solutions, either with a leading company or your own entrepreneurial/start-up project.
This is not your typical graduate program. Our faculty emphasizes exploring, creating, doing, and building — not tests, homework, and grades. We welcome visionaries — people passionate for change, brave to challenge convention, and eager to reinvent the business.
Program Delivery and Schedule
The M.S. in Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Innovation can be completed in 12 months (fall, spring, and summer) on a full-time basis or 24 months on a part-time basis; admission is offered for fall enrollment. Classes are delivered in a hybrid format; some classes will be taught in an online asynchronous modality while the remaining classes take place in-person.
In-person classes are offered Monday to Thursday every other week starting at 6:30 p.m. to provide students with the flexibility to balance traditional coursework with their capstone project and co-curricular programming; classes consist of 20–30 students.
Fred Kiesner Center for Entrepreneurship
Throughout the M.S. in Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Innovation program, you will engage with the southern California ecosystem through a comprehensive set of co-curricular programming from the LMU Fred Kiesner Center for Entrepreneurship. These events and activities provide numerous opportunities to develop your entrepreneurial vision and introduce you to potential career paths while providing hands-on mentorship. Programming offered includes site visits, pitch competitions, expert lectures, and networking events.
Our Beautiful Southern California Campus
Los Angeles is the creative capital of the world and a global engine of innovation and invention. Aerospace, entertainment, technology, fashion, international finance, biotechnology, manufacturing, marketing. It's all here in the 3rd largest metropolitan economy in the world. Located in the heart of Silicon Beach, our Playa Vista campus is surrounded by more than 500 technology start-ups — some of the nation's most innovative and creative companies. This dynamic region is the 3rd largest start-up ecosystem in the U.S. and a thriving hub for synergistic learning.
Bold. Creative. Socially Conscious.
The LMU M.S. in Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Innovation curriculum provides students the essential skills and experiences needed to differentiate yourself in today's competitive economy. You will develop your entrepreneurial and innovative mindset while being introduced to the sustainability framework, emerging technologies, and basic scientific concepts. Valuable experience is gained by completing a capstone project in your chosen area of focus.
Our program can be completed in 12 months on a full-time basis or 24 months on a part-time basis for a total of 36 units.
Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the LMU M.S. in Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Innovation will:
Understand the various environmental and societal issues and challenges that the world is/will be facing as well as the new opportunities those challenges bring.
Develop essential technical competencies including important analytical methods (lifecycle analysis) as well as an appreciation for opportunities and challenges in commercializing clean technologies.
Apply a design and innovation tool-set to analyze and create new disruptive products, services, and processes.
Demonstrate an entrepreneurial mindset as well as core entrepreneurial management competencies, e.g., strategic and financial planning as well as sales and marketing capabilities in the development of a new project or business.
Analyze and apply concepts and issues of entrepreneurial leadership, law, and ethics.
Enhance professional acumen through executive mentoring, internships, new venture launches, and related co-curricular activities.
Transformative and Purposeful
All M.S. in Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Innovation students complete the following courses:
Creativity, Innovation, and Design
Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Entrepreneurial Finance and Accounting
Entrepreneurial Leadership, Organization, and Executive Mentoring
Growth Marketing, Analytics, and Sales
Entrepreneurial Law
Environmental Problems, Issues & Impacts
Environmental Law & Policy
Developments in Clean Technology Applications
Sustainable Product and Process Development
All students participate in a 2-semester capstone project in a small team or individually, choosing to focus on either developing a new venture or corporate innovation.
Option 1: New Venture Launch
Students will develop a business idea with the mentorship of faculty, staff, and industry professionals, culminating in a final presentation at the LMU Business Incubator Showcase.
New Venture Launch I
New Venture Launch II
Option 2: Corporate Project
Students will work closely with an industry partner to make a measurable impact on a strategic initiative within the organization, giving a final presentation of their recommendations to the firm's executives.
Corporate Project I
Corporate Project II
Although there are not any electives offered within the M.S. in Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Innovation curriculum, students may enroll in MBA Program elective courses or M.S. in Business Analytics courses on a space-available basis as additional units provided the student meets any course prerequisite requirements.
What Will You Choose?
M.S. in Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Innovation students' careers will be initially defined by choosing one of several paths:
The Entrepreneur
Start Your Own Company
Identify a significant opportunity and take your idea to market.
Launch a sustainable, triple-bottom-line company.
The Builder
Contribute to an Expanding Venture
Join forces with other entrepreneurs and managers in a start-up environment.
Gain an executive position in a high-growth company.
The Advocate
Lead a Social Enterprise
Launch or join a social enterprise and create the change you want to see.
Utilize your entrepreneurial and managerial competencies to bring both innovation and processes to the social sector.
The Change Agent
Innovate Inside an Established Firm
Design and launch a disruptive product.
Redesign processes to make them more sustainable and profitable.
As you grow your career, you may find yourself flipping back and forth between these roles. Some entrepreneurs stay with their initial passion project their entire career, and others found multiple companies. Some use their profits from successful ventures to fund non-profits or more socially conscious enterprises. A select few go back and forth between the start-up ecosystem and corporate environment.
In the world of entrepreneurship, everyone’s story is different. If you do not have a clear goal or idea in mind when you join our program, our mentors, faculty, and staff will help you find your path.
Admission
Eligibility Requirements
Bachelor's degree from an accredited U.S. institution or the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's degree from a foreign institution.
Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Application Deadlines
Fall (August) 2021
The fall 2021 semester begins on August 30, 2021; we will begin reviewing applications in January 2021.
January 10, 2021: Round 1
March 10, 2021: Round 2
May 15, 2021: Round 3 (international applicants)
May 31, 2021: Round 3 (domestic applicants)
We will continue to accept applications after May 31, 2021, until all spaces are full.
