MSc in Social Science - Organizational Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Courses and Content

Entrepreneurship is about pursuing opportunities, being innovative, and imagining an unknown future. The master programme “Organizational Innovation and Entrepreneurship” (OIE) focuses on processes for designing and managing entrepreneurship and innovation in organizational settings. We see entrepreneurship and innovation as fundamental aspects of creativity: making the imagination real. Organizations are the medium for the construction of social reality, where intentions and actions develop to create the future.

In an experiential, studio and case-based learning environment, you will integrate theory, real-world practice and personal reflections on creating and growing innovative organizations. OIE prepares you to develop and utilize your entrepreneurial mindset, understand the complexity and diversity of entrepreneurship, and manage others in turning new ideas into new forms of organization. The programme builds your problem-solving skills to create economic and social value in an ever-changing global economy.

The OIE program focuses on entrepreneurship and innovation processes at the societal, organizational, and individual levels. It addresses challenges associated with moving from an industrial to a postindustrial era when new ideas and organizational forms are needed. OIE provides you with a set of capabilities required to meet these challenges by offering experiences to design and test viable business models, products, services, and new modes of organization; develop sustainable innovations; identify and manage resources; and involve others in collaborative efforts.

Entrepreneurship and innovation take an equal role in the programme. We are interested in organizations that bring novel products and services to market or reinvent how business is being done in an existing industry. We are not interested in the countless “me-too” startups imitating existing business practices or reverse engineering products and services that others have introduced. Entrepreneurial thinking is relevant for start-up companies and early ventures as well as for established organizations engaging in processes of serial innovation and creativity. OIE looks at the larger forces at play in these diverse contexts for entrepreneurship.

Structure

OIE is a two-year master programme. The first year is structured with eight compulsory courses that provide the tools and knowledge needed for managing innovation and engaging in entrepreneurial organizations.

The first year

The first year consists of four consecutive quarters. In each quarter, you have one lecture and one studio course, combining business-relevant analytical discussions with practical applications.

• Lecture courses are based on a mix of lectures, exercises and Harvard Business School case study discussions. These courses train you in analyzing data, taking business-relevant decisions in context, and using tools and analytical frameworks for informed decision-making.
• Studio courses engage you in experimental learning processes. They lead you to take what you learn in the classroom and apply it to real business situations. Based on new teaching methods − including simulations, games, team-based exercises and video creation − these experiences give you the chance to practice entrepreneurial decision making and probe your solutions actively in hands-on experimental environments. You will gain leadership practice and confidence through the studio learning experience.

Together, the studio courses follow a life cycle model of the organization. They explore turning innovative ideas into prototypes, business models and organizations, as well as growing and managing these organizations successfully, to eventually considering exit options and opportunities for serial entrepreneurship. The curriculum encourages you to take a developmental perspective and better understand the specific challenges at different points during the life cycle. Through self-reflection of the entire entrepreneurial process, students continuously consider the social impact of business and the relevance of social sciences for entrepreneurship and innovation.

The parallel lecture courses give four different and complementary perspectives on the phenomenon of entrepreneurship and organizational innovation. They consider the importance of:

• context for being innovative and entrepreneurial
• different forms of strategic management
• design-thinking in growing creative and innovative organizations
• the social impact of entrepreneurship.

The second year

The personalized second year allows you to dive deeper into preferred themes and reach a level of specialization that qualifies you for your professional goals. OIE students often chose Social Entrepreneurship, Corporate Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial Finance, Networked Businesses, Sustainable Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, among other focus areas.

In the second year, students can then build upon this stable basis with electives, a minor, internships or studies abroad, and, finally, their master theses.

Course overview

Find more information about the programme and links to the course descriptions in the study regulations.

You can also follow MScOIE on our Social Media Channels and alumni website:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MScOIE/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oie.program/?hl=en

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/msocsc-organizational-innovation-&-entrepreneurship-at-cbs

MSc OIE Alumni Website: https://www.oiealumni.com/