FORM RR

UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
THE FACULTY SENATE
PROGRAM REVISION APPROVAL FORM
35 COPIES REQUIRED
PROGRAM TITLE: Master in Business Administration (MBA) with a Focus1 in Entrepreneurship
PLEASE CHECK:

GRADUATE

DEPARTMENT: Graduate Programs

XXX

UNDERGRADUATE
HEAD/CHAIR: Alan G. Robinson, Associate Dean for Full-Time MBA

SCHOOL OR COLLEGE: Isenberg School of Management

Submission Date: 05/04/12

I.

DEAN: Mark Fuller, Dean

Proposed Starting Date 09/04/2012

PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT
A.

Describe the Proposal.

The proposed Full-Time MBA with a Focus in Entrepreneurship entails the completion of 13 required courses (for a total
of 42 credits), 4 credits of general electives and 9 credits of electives in the field of entrepreneurship resulting in a 55credit degree. (See attached proposal for a more detailed description of the Full-Time MBA with a Focus in
Entrepreneurship.)
B.

Provide a brief overview of the process for developing the Proposal.

The Graduate Programs Office in the Isenberg School of Management met with Professor James Theroux, the head of the
Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, for an initial discussion of what entrepreneurship electives
would be appropriate. Professor Theroux consulted with the other management faculty to refine the specific courses
involved and to ensure faculty buy-in. As part of this process, we prioritized selection of a significant number of electives
that will be offered on an ongoing and consistent basis. Before submitting the proposal for Faculty Senate approval, it
was sent to Professor Theroux and the management faculty for review.
II.

PURPOSE AND GOALS

Describe the Proposals purpose and the particular knowledge and skills to be acquired.
The MBA with a Focus in Entrepreneurship can be targeted toward any student with an interest in acquiring advanced
entrepreneurship knowledge, skills and expertise. Specific knowledge and skills include (but are not limited to): Business
Plans, Venture Capital, Growth Management, Social Entrepreneurship, Sustainable Entrepreneurship, and Corporate
Entrepreneurship.

III.

RESOURCES
If this proposal requires no additional resources, say so and briefly explain why. If this proposal requires
additional resources, explain how they will be paid for. For proposals involving instruction, indicate how many
new enrollments are expected and whether the courses have room to accommodate them.
The proposal requires no additional resources as all of the courses are already currently offered by the Management
Department within the Isenberg School of Management. As a result, we anticipate little or no additional teaching load on
our faculty. Expected enrollment is difficult to predict as the MBA program is currently committed to growing its
enrollment across the board; however, when surveyed regarded course interest, approximately 10 percent of the class

In the interest of consistency, we would like to use the term Focus in lieu of Concentration as we already have three areas of
Focus that we offer.

indicated Entrepreneurship. Conservatively, we are expecting an initial enrollment of 3-5 students in 2012, but as overall
program enrollment increases, so will the number of student electing to focus in entrepreneurship.

Curricular Comparison Chart: Full Time MBA vs. Full-Time MBA with a Focus in Entrepreneurship
Full-Time MBA

MBA with Focus in Entrepreneurship

Required Courses
SCH-MGMT 797FR Financial Reporting for Decision
SCH-MGMT 797FR Financial Reporting for Decision
Makers (4-Credits)
Makers (4-Credits)
SCH-MGMT 632 Information Management (3-Credits)
SCH-MGMT 632 Information Management (3-Credits)
SCH-MGMT 640 Financial Analysis and Decisions (3SCH-MGMT 640 Financial Analysis and Decisions (3Credits)
Credits)
SCH-MGMT 650 Business Data Analysis (3-Credits)
SCH-MGMT 650 Business Data Analysis (3-Credits)
SCH-MGMT 660 Marketing Management (3-Credits)
SCH-MGMT 660 Marketing Management (3-Credits)
SCH-MGMT 670 Production Operations Management (3- SCH-MGMT 670 Production Operations Management (3Credits)
Credits)
SCH-MGMT 697BB Managing Organizations and People SCH-MGMT 697BB Managing Organizations and People
(3-Credits)
(3-Credits)
SCH-MGMT 689 Organizational Planning and Strategy
SCH-MGMT 689 Organizational Planning and Strategy
(3-Credits)
(3-Credits)
SCH-MGMT 770 Human Resource Management (3SCH-MGMT 770 Human Resource Management (3Credits)
Credits)
SCH-MGMT 783 Business and Its Environment (3SCH-MGMT 783 Business and Its Environment (3Credits)
Credits)
SCH-MGMT 640 Managerial Economics (3- Credits)
SCH-MGMT 640 Managerial Economics (3- Credits)
SCH-MGMT 698 Practicum (6- Credits)
SCH-MGMT 698 Practicum (6- Credits)
SCH-MGMT 691F Professional Development Seminar
SCH-MGMT 691F Professional Development Seminar
(2- Credits)
(2- Credits)
Electives
13 Additional Elective Credit Hours
4 Additional Elective Credit Hours
9 Entrepreneurship Elective Credit Hours

Proposal: Full-Time MBA with a Focus in Entrepreneurship

Note: Prepared for Faculty Senate Review
Overview
This proposal outlines a new Focus in Entrepreneurship that will be a part of the existing Full-Time Masters
in Business and Administration (MBA) degree offered through the Isenberg School of Management. This
proposed concentration represents a new non-thesis concentration in our existing MBA program. The goal of
the Entrepreneurship Focus is to provide students with opportunity to acquire advanced knowledge, skills
and expertise that will allow them to understand and address key issues in entrepreneurship. Specific
knowledge and skills include (but are not limited to): Business Plans, Venture Capital, Growth
Management, Social Entrepreneurship, Sustainable Entrepreneurship, and Corporate Entrepreneurship.
The MBA program has a long-standing history of attracting students with an interest in entrepreneurship.
The recruiting efforts of the MBA program will be strengthened by offering students an opportunity to focus,
which will help increase revenue for the University.
Program Details
Admission: A minimum of a bachelors degree.
Format: Courses are offered in either in person, online or both.
Required Curriculum: To satisfy the requirements for earning a Full-Time MBA with a Focus in
Entrepreneurship, students must take the required Full-Time MBA curriculum (42 credit hours), as well as 4
credit hours of general electives and 9 credit hours of entrepreneurship electives for a total of 55 credit hours.
Entrepreneurship Focus Electives2 (9 Credit Hours Required)

SCH-MGMT/ENGIN 597B/797B Technology Management: Innovation and Entrepreneurship ~

This course will prepare students for the technology and information economy by providing the
knowledge and skills necessary for technology innovation and entrepreneurship. The technology
domains are broad and include but are not limited to mechanical, electrical, chemical, civil, and
environmental engineering, as well as technologies with roots in biological, biomedical,
healthcare, computer, materials, and environmental sciences. Course topics include concept
development, team-building, business models, business plan structure and development, market
analysis and strategy, intellectual property, sources of capital, cash flow management and
financial modeling. The course format is in essence a project or workshop. Although it includes
readings, lectures by the instructors and guests, and discussions, the course primarily involves
learning by doing. Each student will engage in the process of commercializing technology, rather
than just reading about it. (3 credit course)

SCH-MGMT 697ET Entrepreneurship ~ Addressed the needs of students considering starting

their own business or purchasing and managing a business or franchise. Areas to be covered
during the class are idea generation and importance of differentiation. Choosing the appropriate
business structure: Limited Liability Company, Subchapter C Corporation, Subchapter S
Corporation. Developing the business plan: gathering and preparing the proper information to

This is not an exhaustive list of electives. Any graduate level courses offered by the University of Massachusetts with an
appropriate entrepreneurship focus would be eligible to count as elective credit towards a Full-Time MBA with a Focus in
Entrepreneurship. These electives will of course change over time as the field continues to develop.

attract financing. Funding your business: identifying sources of funding such as Venture Capital,
Private Equity, partners, lenders. Human resources: hiring your first employee, evaluating
potential sales people, choosing incentive programs. Successful marketing strategies: numerous
examples of creative and effective marketing decisions propelling companies forward. Successful
sales strategies: numerous examples of tactics designed to get consumers to buy. Exit strategies:
selling to private firms, going public, maintaining partial ownership while remaining in
management. (3-credit course)

SCH-MGMT 797AG Developing a Business Plan ~ Requires students prepare a detailed three
year plan for a business based on an idea that the student must have before the start of the course.
Sub-topics include idea generation and evaluation, business model development and evaluation,
conducting market and operational research and organizational and operational planning. (3-credit
course)

SCH-MGMT 697RE Real Estate Entrepreneurship: Analysis, Finance and Investment ~ Includes
the study of commercial real estate, real estate finance and real estate investment, taught from an
entrepreneurial perspective. The goal is to develop an understanding of the concepts and
techniques required to evaluate, acquire and finance income-producing property. Topics will
include: the nature and return characteristics of commercial real estate, the commercial real estate
loan and the use of leverage, commercial leases and the real estate default, work outs and
bankruptcy. Financial modeling and the analysis of cash flows to determine valuation, capital
requirement, returns on capital and deal feasibility. (3-credit course)

SCH-MGMT 792G Venture Capital ~ Provides students with real-world, real-time immersion in
the venture capital and angel process. The class will evaluate actual business plans that will be
under consideration by venture capitalists at the time the course begins. Students will gain insight
into the methodologies and principals that VCs use in deciding which ventures get funding.
Students will study the venture capitalist industry, the nature of angel investing, and a variety of
alternative sources of funds for new ventures. (3-credit course)

Faculty: For information on our Entrepreneurship faculty, please visit

http://www.isenberg.umass.edu/management/Faculty/.
Degree Requirements: The Full-Time MBA degree is awarded to students completing the required courses
and credit requirements with an average grade of a "B" or better. All courses must be taken through UMass
Amherst and/or Continuing & Professional Education.
Degree Process: Upon meeting the degree requirements, the student must submit a degree eligibility form to
have their transcript audited by the Graduate Programs office in the Isenberg School of Management.
For more information:
Dedicated Advisor for MBA with a Focus in Entrepreneurship: Bobbi Hopkins, Student Support Coordinator
Phone: 413-577-3305
Email: bhopkins@isenberg.umass.edu