MBA in Technology Commercialization (MBATC) Program Requirements

Dax Jacobson, Interim Dean

Michael Keene, MBATC Program Director

William Shiflett, Director, MBA & Graduate Business Operations

Deborah Marzano, Graduate Advising and Co-Curricular Programs Director

Master of Business Administration in Technology Commercialization Courses

Admission to the Master of Business Administration in Technology Commercialization Program

Specifically designed to meet the needs of professionals with science and engineering backgrounds, the MBATC program allows students to prepare for executive roles in technology-driven business environments without interrupting their careers. CEOs and entrepreneurs in technology-intensive industries, ranging from Aerospace and Biotechnology to Software, have played an instrumental role in the development and delivery of MBATC course modules. The program emphasizes the practical and applied aspects of commercializing innovative products and managing the businesses that develop them.

While a number of core classes are taken together with MBA students, the MBATC program focuses on the distinctive marketing, financing, management, product development, and intellectual property issues facing the technology-based firm in a global strategic context. Core requirements of the MBATC program are not directed at specialization in one area of either business or technology; instead, they develop cross-functional frameworks that stress balance in using managerial skills to achieve effective leadership. The program develops skills and models that can be used for both entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial technology managers.

Program Goals

Graduate programs in the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business prepare students for executive decision making in dynamic business environments. Students build skill in decision making through a combination of coursework, experiential projects, and skill-building exercises and simulations. Innovative delivery of courses gives students expertise in the functional areas of business.

In addition to building expertise in the functional areas of business, students completing graduate programs in the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business are required to demonstrate mastery in the following competency areas:

• Strategic and innovative thinking
  
  • Compare different scenarios or strategies that affect the competitive position and success of an organization.
  • Develop innovative solutions that generate value for organizational stakeholders.
  • Evaluate the success of implemented strategies.
• Global perspective
  
  • Interpret business solutions from a global citizen's point of view.
  • Assess the interdependence of global systems on business outcomes.
  • Evaluate the social, legal, economic, cultural, and political issues and trends that affect the way business is conducted.
• Critical, analytical and reflective  thinking
  
  • Explain logical solutions to complex or unstructured problems.
  • Evaluate assumptions, evidence and implications.
  • Support claims and conclusions with evidence and logic.
  • Synthesize other perspectives and positions.
  • Evaluate the results of one’s decisions and actions to guide continuous improvement.
• Effective communication
  
  • Evaluate intended audiences’ characteristics and tailor messages accordingly.
  • Analyze and select communication methods and technologies that are appropriate to the objective and situation.
  • Develop well-organized, persuasive arguments, supported by evidence and reasoning.
  • Deliver verbal, written and visual messages to individuals and groups clearly, credibly, concisely, and persuasively.
  • Listen in a way that demonstrates and builds understanding.
• Ethics and social responsibility
  
  • Identify ethical issues and challenges encountered within an organization and determine how they affect the various stakeholders.
  • Discriminate between legal and ethical standards and devise solutions to address both.
  • Explain the impact of social responsibility on an organization, relevant communities, and society.
• Leadership and teamwork
  • Articulate desired results and ensure that results are achieved.
  • Manage decision-making and problem solving processes.
  • Motivate and influence individuals and groups to solve problems and make sound decisions.
  • Create effective teams by clarifying team goals, selecting suitable members, allocating work, establishing norms, and assigning accountability.
  • Collaborate with others in pursuit of team goals by soliciting input, giving and receiving feedback, addressing problems, and personally contributing to the team’s work.
  • Build and maintain productive interpersonal relationships with others.
• Functional integration and application 
  
  • Assess quantitative and qualitative information to measure and evaluate organizational processes and performance.
  • Integrate skills learned throughout the graduate program and use them to solve business problems and make effective decisions.

Specific MBATC Program Learning Goals

At the conclusion of the MBATC program, students will be able to:

• Analyze the unique problems and opportunities facing technology-based firms, and develop plans to address those issues effectively.
• Build models to evaluate and measure market opportunities and constraints in technology-based firms.
• Select and apply tools that enable technology firms to quickly and successfully develop and deliver novel products to the market.
• Develop business models that enable firms to be leaders in technology sectors.

Program Requirements

For students who have completed an undergraduate degree in a business discipline from an ACBSP-accredited or AACSB-accredited business school within the past five years, the MBATC Program requires 32 credit hours for completion. Students with a non-business related undergraduate degree will be required to successfully complete a series of foundational literacy courses comprising an additional 7 credit hours of study. Courses are completed in the following areas: Fundamentals, The MBA Core (Analysis, Leadership, Communication, Strategy, and Global Orientation), the MBATC Core, Electives, and Capstone. Courses are delivered in a blended format, meaning that courses may use a combination of classroom, online, competency-based and experiential components. In the classroom, courses may use a combination of learning methods, such as lecture, case study, or in-class projects.

In addition to the course work described below, students are required to complete the ETS MBA Major Field Test prior to graduation. For ETS information, click here. Exceptions may be considered by program chair when relocation or other conditions make completion of the test impractical.

Fundamentals courses focus on business concepts and skills that all graduate business students must master before beginning their program. Topics covered are marketing, economics, quantitative analysis, finance, and accounting. Students who enter the MBATC program with a mastery of these topics (i.e., through undergraduate coursework or work experience) may challenge between one and seven credit hours of Fundamentals courses by successfully completing one or more challenge exams. The credit that would have been earned through the completion of Fundamentals courses will be applied to students’ elective credit requirements. Students with business-related undergraduate degrees (e.g. accounting, finance, economics, information systems, marketing, management) may be exempted from the Fundamentals courses.

MBA Core: Analysis, Leadership & Communication, and Strategy & Global Orientation courses are the core of the program and may be taken as early as desired upon completion of prerequisites. An international context tour (i.e., Global Orientation) is required for graduation and may be taken after completing at least 20 credit hours in the program. The Global Orientation class focuses on the business environment of a specific region or country. Economic, social, financial, and demographic aspects of diverse and multicultural environments are considered. Students travel (outside of the United States) to the region studied for a 10-day period where they will analyze as a whole the aspects of doing business in a global environment. Students are encouraged to draw on the knowledge they have gained throughout their MBA studies when completing assignments.

MBATC Core courses cover a range of topics which are essential to successful technology-based entrepreneurship and the commercialization of innovative products, but which are not typically addressed by standard MBA curricula. Subjects include the development, IP protection, and marketing of novel products and services, the financing of startup ventures, and the management of interdisciplinary teams. These courses may be taken as early as desired upon the completion of prerequisites.

The Capstone course is taken upon completion of all core courses and serves as the final course for the MBATC program. The Capstone course is designed to provide students an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and ability to apply the concepts they have learned during their MBATC program by performing a live consulting engagement for an early stage technology-based startup company. The ETS examination is administered in conjunction with the Capstone course. For more information on the ETS exam, click here. Exceptions may be considered by program chair when relocation or other conditions make completion of the test impractical.

MBATC Elective courses may be taken as early as desired upon completion of prerequisites.

A plan of study, which will show all courses necessary to meet the degree requirements, will be filed when a student is accepted into the program. The MBA Program advisor must approve each student’s plan of study. 

If a student deviates from their core program of study without PRIOR written and documented approval, those courses may NOT be counted toward graduation requirements.  Taking unapproved courses will be a costly and time intensive mistake. If you are in doubt about a course, please call or email the MBA office and make an appointment with your advisor BEFORE starting the class.

Transfer policy. A maximum of nine approved graduate hours may be transferred toward the MBATC Program from other professionally accredited institutions (e.g., AACSB or ACBSP) upon the written permission of the program director.

Courses eligible for transfer are only those that contribute to, or build upon, the goals of the MBATC program. Courses completed at other graduate institutions must have a grade of B or higher to be eligible for credit.

Lowest passing grade. A grade of C is the lowest passing grade for all courses.

MBATC Program Requirements

*Fundamentals applied to MBATC students completing 39 credit hours

Recommended Plan of Study for the MBATC

Recommended Plan of Study for the MBATC when Fundamentals are Required