Miami Online rolls out two new master’s programs to meet growing demand
New degree programs in entrepreneurship and emerging technology, and management expand online opportunities at Miami
Miami University Provost Jason Osborne announced today that the university is rolling out two new online master’s programs to meet the growing demand of working professionals and recent graduates for rigorous but flexible graduate degree and certificate programs. The master’s in entrepreneurship and emerging technology and master’s of science in management bolster the offerings of Miami Online, a new website housing online undergraduate, graduate, and professional educational opportunities.
The new programs build on the strengths of established programs from Miami’s Farmer School of Business, College of Creative Arts, and College of Education, Health and Society. For example, the Farmer School’s online MBA and the online master’s in special education are extensions of in-person programs that have been very popular among both early and later career professionals. They boast high satisfaction rates and offer flexible pathways tailored to student needs.
“Through strong and innovative academic curricula and with our world-class faculty, Miami Online provides access to the same high-quality academic experience traditional students have come to expect from Miami University — even when they may not be able to be physically present on campus,” said Provost Osborne. “We have developed exceptional programs that equip our students to make an impact in the world.”
The master’s in entrepreneurship and emerging technology (MEET) program, which can be completed in as few as 10 months, aims to provide its students with an experience-driven education leveraging core curriculum, community ecosystems, and professional mentorship. The program seeks to broaden and deepen students’ understanding of the major issues and concerns driving industry growth, academic scholarship, and public discourse in the technology entrepreneurship landscape.
“This interdivisional collaboration combines curriculum from two top-ranked programs, Entrepreneurship and Emerging Technology Business + Design, to provide professionals access to coveted skills in entrepreneurship, creativity, digital media, and innovation,” said Tim Holcomb, chair of the department of Entrepreneurship in the Farmer School of Business. “This graduate program — one of the first of its kind in the nation — will open the door to exciting new career opportunities for graduates with some of the world’s most innovative companies.”
Core courses include topics such as venture capital immersion, the entrepreneurial mindset, business models, digital media design, digital branding, and interactive web programming. Other courses include community bootcamps in which students create startup pitches and material to present to venture capitalists or build a functioning mobile application or author a white paper reviewing test results and recommendations for improvements of a newly developed application.
“Most people entering the startup workforce have a background in either entrepreneurship or emerging technology, but through our MEET program, you can gain expertise in both,” said Glenn Platt, Armstrong Institute director and C. Michael Armstrong Professor of Marketing. “And the best part is that this intersection of business and innovation occurs through the lens of industry opportunities. Through this program, our students meet with and learn from industry experts.”
The program includes a one-week winter boot camp in Silicon Valley and internship/externship opportunities. A graduate research project rounds out the degree requirements and seeks to enable all students to identify and validate business needs, prepare a pitch to raise money, build a functioning prototype of a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of technology solutions. The early decision deadline for this program is May 30 and the first cohort will begin this fall.
The master’s of science in management (MSiM) can also be completed in just 10 months and is designed for non-business majors who want to gain business knowledge and experience to kickstart their careers. The program aims to help students develop and harness the business acumen necessary to use data-driven decision-making, problem-solve creatively, think entrepreneurially, and make decisions ethically.
“The MSiM adds tremendous value to any non-business undergraduate degree,” said Jenny Darroch, dean of the Farmer School of Business. “This program was designed specifically to provide students with an understanding of the way organizations operate and to enable them to understand and ‘speak the language’ of business. This will create employment and career growth opportunities for our program graduates. The curriculum is real-world based, culminating in a capstone experience working with a business client, allowing students to apply the skills they are learning.”
MSiM students also benefit from working closely with mentors and guest speakers and connecting with industry leaders and the Farmer School of Business’s wide alumni network. The early decision deadline for this program is May 30 and the first cohort will begin this fall.
Learn more at Miami Online.
