The University of Maryland's commitment to grooming innovative graduates ready to take on the world with their business pitches down pact could not be more clear with the school announcing Wednesday that it's launching a brand new entrepreneurship specialization via Coursera.
Dubbed "Entrepreneurship: Launching an Innovative Business," the specialization is being offered as a series of three courses that will help students better understand how innovation plays a role in the business world, effectively underscoring the importance of entrepreneurship on school grounds. Students will learn to master a high demand skill with a targeted sequence of courses, apply it in a final project and then earn a specialization certificate.
"The Entrepreneurship Specialization helps students develop their entrepreneurial mindset and dives into competitive strategies and new venture financing," Dr. James V. Green, director of Entrepreneurship Education for UMd's Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech), said in a statement. "Our series helps students initiate and build the first stages of a new venture or validate and enhance an existing business." The specialization will be led by Green, with courses due to be taught by Mtech technology faculty members Dr. Thomas J. Mierzwa and Michael R. Pratt.
According to the university, students who choose to enroll in the specialization will learn how to develop a compelling business pitch, and "generate an innovative new venture concept or enhance their existing concepts; build a comprehensive, customer-validated business model; and create an investor pitch."
UMd offers other high-tech specializations, including mobile cloud computing with Android and cybersecurity.
