An innovative research Masters degree programme. Original Thinking Applied

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1 An innovative research Masters degree programme Original Thinking Applied

2 Master of Enterprise 02 Gain the specialist knowledge and skills required to become an entrepreneur and set-up your own business, or an intrapreneur within an existing organisation. Enterprise and innovation are about recognising opportunities, creating new ideas and having the ability to turn those ideas into working realities. These skills are currently in high demand with the UK government focusing on enterprise as a key area for economic growth. The Master of Enterprise (MEnt) is one of the UK s most innovative courses. It is a research degree programme designed for students from any subject background who are looking to develop new business ideas. It is also ideal for those with a research interest in enterprise, entrepreneurship and innovation. Prior knowledge or study of business is not necessary as the programme aims to enhance your subject expertise within a commercial context. Each year students on the programme come from a wide range of academic backgrounds such as materials, engineering, computer science, life sciences and arts, histories and cultures.

3 Master of Enterprise 03 Programme content The programme gives you a thorough grounding in enterprise and entrepreneurship with a focus on knowledge transfer - allowing you to create an idea and experience its development into a real commercial opportunity. You will learn key enterprise skills such as opportunity recognition, idea generation and the ability to transform ideas into tangible business proposals. You will also gain essential knowledge and awareness in areas such as finance, risk management and market research. The two taught enterprise units are complimented by two other taught units from your academic area of interest. These can be selected from any of the University s postgraduate programmes. This will enable you to enhance your knowledge in your specialist subject within an enterprise context. The main feature of the programme is the year-long Enterprise Research Project. Your research will develop your competences in knowledge transfer and will combine enterprise, entrepreneurship and innovation research from a commercial perspective. The project must have a potential commercial application and can be based on your own proposal for a start-up business, or it can be undertaken on behalf of an external organisation. The Enterprise Centre can source suitable projects for you if required. Enterprise unit summaries Shaping Ideas for the Market You will explore how market intelligence can be gathered and analysed in order to identify, develop and evaluate opportunities and create value for stakeholders. It provides you with the ability to develop a business model that demonstrates how value is created, delivered and captured. Business Creation and Development You will look at the options available to you in order to commercialise your knowledge, with a focus on critical success factors and the acquisition of key resources. The unit covers practical skills such as finance, risk management, budget planning and market research.

4 Master of Enterprise 04 Programme structure Year-long Enterprise Research Project (120 credits) Semester one Shaping Ideas for the Market (15 credits) Taught subject unit 1 (15 credits) Semester two Business Creation and Development (15 credits) Taught subject unit 2 (15 credits) Semester three September October November December January February March April May June July August September Teaching and supervision Our MEnt teaching staff have a proven track record in both industry and business start-ups with experience in areas including science, technology, engineering and business. The University of Manchester has a global reputation for being at the forefront of innovative research and you will be supervised by academic staff from five-star rated research centres.

5 Master of Enterprise 05 Careers A substantial number of graduates from the programme go on to set up their own companies. The skills and knowledge gained from this programme enables them to successfully pitch for investment and to identify and capitalise upon opportunities for business growth. Master of Enterprise graduates are also highly sought after by employers due to the valuable skills they possess such as imagination, creativity and vision helping to deliver organisational growth. Since launching in 2001, over 200 students have graduated from the programme with a number going on to receive both government and private investment funding to support the development of their new business ventures. Others have progressed to work in a wide range of major blue-chip organisations including Google, General Electric and the NHS, as well as smaller enterprises and academic institutions. Support As a student on the Master of Enterprise programme you will have access to a wide range of enterprise support. The Enterprise Centre runs regular guest entrepreneur events, workshops, competitions and many other activities. Our Venture Out ideas competition and Venture Further business start-up competition both provide an opportunity for you to gain experience in developing your ideas, producing a business plan and pitching. It s also a fantastic chance to win funding to develop your ideas. For more details visit

6 Master of Enterprise 06 Master of Enterprise graduate case studies Wai Lau - Graduated: 2003 Digital Energy is based on a technology that Wai developed while he was at The University of Manchester. It provides ground breaking artificial intelligence software that can be used to turn large amounts of raw data into useful information for companies to improve their systems and processes, such as analysing gas, water and electricity consumption in buildings. The business started to grow substantially with new products from around 2007 and since then there has been a focus on the energy market. The company initially operated as i-prophets but changed to Digital Energy in 2011 to reflect the nature of work being carried out. Clients include large private corporations as well as government bodies and universities. The company has two offices, one in Coventry and one in Manchester, employing around 20 people. Website: Oliver Van Emden - Graduated: 2003 Oliver developed SmartWeave Technology to solve the problem of sweat marks on shirts and in 2004 launched Fresh Max Shirts with another University of Manchester graduate. He said: The MEnt helped me to develop the skills and competences needed to run my business alongside the technical research and development in textiles. The business has grown rapidly with shirts being sold across the world. They can be purchased in Marks and Spencer in the UK under the Dri-Guard brand. Website:

7 Master of Enterprise 07 Andrew Jervis - Graduated 2012 Andrew is recognised as one of the nation s top young entrepreneurs and ran a series of business ventures including Quick Vehicle Parts and PieBoy Clothing alongside his Master of Enterprise programme. He came up with the idea for PieBoy Clothing during a cold winter at university when he noticed that fashion conscious students weren t able to buy any stylish University branded headwear. Using his entrepreneurial skills he launched The Manchester Beanie through his company. The hats are sold through the University s retail outlets and the brand has become a great success among students. He is now working on a portfolio of different products with various universities across the UK. David Appleyard - Graduated: 2011 David is a designer, editor and online entrepreneur. He studied BSc Management at Manchester Business School and completed the MEnt as a part-time student while developing his own businesses. He is manager of two website networks, AppStorm and Tuts+, and has founded several online design companies including Design Shack, a highly regarded web design gallery and portal. Website: His latest start-up is ClickMechanic - a software platform that connects consumers who want trustworthy car repairs to the UK s best mobile mechanics. With his business partner, they were enrolled onto Google s accelerator programme at Campus in London. Andrew has won a 1,000 prize in the Shell LiveWIRE competition, won the Business Innovation Award in our Venture Out competition whilst a student, and was also a runner up in the Venture Further 2013 business start-up competition with ClickMechanic. He added: Coming to Manchester has been amazing for me. The programme has allowed me to broaden my theoretical knowledge base of entrepreneurship while practically implementing it. Manchester is a great city and The University has been brilliant, and both together have offered me a great environment to further delve into the world of creating exciting businesses. Websites:

8 Master of Enterprise 08 Key information Duration 12 months full-time 24 months part-time Course start September Fees Fees for the programme will depend on your chosen subject area and the type of research that you wish to undertake. Funding We offer a limited number of scholarships for both Home and EU students. Entry requirements A minimum upper second class honours (2:1) degree from a UK university, or an overseas equivalent, in any discipline. The minimum English language score required is IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 570 (paper-based) / 90 (internet-based). These requirements may vary depending on the school within which you choose to study your subject units. Prior study of business is not required. How to apply For details on how to apply, visit the Study with us section of our website or contact Claire Gill at claire.gill@manchester.ac.uk Contact W: T: +44 (0) E: enterprise@manchester.ac.uk /EnterpriseAtManchester Manchester Enterprise