Academics

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Academics

RIT offers several majors and minors related to innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as numerous courses.

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Master's Degrees

MS Service Leadership and Innovation

Having a 360-degree view of customers, the ability to formulate and execute strategic initiatives, and being a visionary leadership that all companies need to be successful – these are the goals of the master’s degree in service leadership and innovation.

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MS Technology Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship

Technology and innovations are emerging at an increasing pace as new products and services are rapidly improving our lives in significant ways. Technology innovation managers and entrepreneurs who know how to lead technological changes in entrepreneurial ways are in high demand to capitalize on process and product development opportunities.

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MBA Business Administration

RIT's MBA combines a strong foundation in business fundamentals with technology-infused core courses to help you stand out and enhance your personal brand.

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Advanced Certificates

Service Leadership and Innovation Adv. Cert.

The advanced certificate in service leadership and innovation provides a curriculum that focuses on the elements of system design and future scenarios to develop strategy, and on organizing plans to achieve future aspirations.

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Technology Entrepreneurship Adv. Cert.

The advanced certificate in technology entrepreneurship provides the skills and knowledge an entrepreneur needs to successfully navigate the process of starting a new venture and managing technical innovation.

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Minors

Students pursuing a bachelor’s degree have the option of completing a minor, which can complement a student’s major, help them develop another area of professional expertise, or enable them to pursue an area of personal interest.

Entrepreneurship Minor

The entrepreneurship minor allows students to learn business skills that can be applied to any professional field. Students gain insight into the customer requirements and financial implications involved in taking a product or service from idea to implementation.

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Innovation Minor

The innovation minor enables students from across all of RIT’s colleges to develop the necessary skills, knowledge, and experiences to become innovators in areas of interest related to their individual academic and professional goals. The core of the minor helps students to define innovation; understand past and current trends in innovation; and gain experience at innovating through project-based, interdisciplinary experiential learning and collaborative activities.

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Entrepreneurship Courses

Digital Entrepreneurship brings together state-of-the-art knowledge in digital business practices with basic instruction in entrepreneurship and business planning. This highly interactive, applied experience will allow students to develop business ideas, discover RIT resources that support new ventures, network with and learn from industry experts, and complete a professional plan to communicate and advance a digital business venture. Student work for this course will involve research and analysis of electronic marketplaces and, ultimately, the design and development of competitive digital startups. Lecture 3, Credits 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer)

This course focuses on commercializing technology, and gives students the chance to work on real business projects involving new technology. Topics covered include assessing inventions for market readiness, drivers of innovation, technology-driven entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship, managing different types of innovation, and the construction of a technology strategy for a firm or business unit. Students learn how to understand both technology and business perspectives as well as how to formulate a profitable technology strategy. Projects focus on current situations in real companies, including, on occasion, student-owned startup companies. (This class is restricted to undergraduate students with at least 3rd year standing.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).

This course enables students to earn course credit, in association with the Simone Center Student Incubator, for advancing a business concept, working on a multi-disciplinary product commercialization team, or working with an existing entrepreneurial venture. Students must apply for admission into this program and follow the guidelines provided by the RIT Entrepreneurship Program.

(Permission of instructor) Undergraduate, Credit 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer)

This course explores the unique processes, skills, functional disciplines and concepts associated with Technology Entrepreneurship from the perspective of an engineer or technologist. It emphasizes the entrepreneurial process from start to finish—but with an emphasis on the “getting started phase”. This course addresses the unique challenges of technologists starting companies from opportunity recognition, product/service creation, value capture through innovation, and the importance of technology-based innovation for the establishment and growth of the new venture in global products and services industries. Lecture 3, Credits 3 (Fall, Spring)

This course is a part of the Master of Science Degree in entrepreneurship and innovative ventures, which focuses on the entrepreneurial and innovation process by which inventions or creative new ideas are brought to market. Graduates achieve a unique combination of technical and business expertise that is especially relevant to startup ventures. Students enrolled in this course may work on their own project or they may work on a project in conjunction with Venture Creations, RIT's business incubator.

(Permission of instructor) Graduate, Credit 3 (Fall & Spring)

This course studies the process of creating new ventures with an emphasis on understanding the role of the entrepreneur in identifying opportunities, seeking capital and other resources, and managing the formation and growth of a new venture.

(Permission of instructor) Graduate, Credit 3 (Fall & Spring)

The School of Individualized Study in partnership with the Simone Center offers independent study course credit for students looking to advance their innovative and entrepreneurial ideas and business concepts. This course requires permission and approval for students to be enrolled. For more information please contact Meg Walbaum.

(Permission of instructor) Undergraduate, Credit 3 (Fall & Spring)

A number of departments on campus offer independent study credit for working on a team-based innovation project. For more information please contact your advisor or Dr. Richard DeMartino.