Entrepreneurship Track
The Entrepreneurship Track is a highly selective track that aims to introduce life scientists to entrepreneurship and core business functions. Applicants applying to this track will be interviewed and selected by the Program Director. Topics covered will include establishing a biotechnology company, raising angel and venture capital funding, protecting scientific inventions with intellectual property, managing product development, skills required to recruit and manage various functions of a start-up company.
Our Biotechnology Program has a long-standing track record for life science entrepreneurship. The founding Program Director was an academic entrepreneur who was the founder of Life Technologies, now a part of ThermoFisher and four additional biotechnology companies. Two of the companies became publicly traded companies. Likewise, the current Program Director founded several biotechnology companies, and the teaching faculty has achieved remarkable private sector success.
CHECKLIST
☐ Business Core (15 Credits)
☐ Science Core (7 Credits)
☐ Regulatory Science Core (2 Credits)
☐ Capstone (4 Credits)
☐ 2 Required Non-Credit Courses
☐ Electives (4 Credits)
Requirements for Entrepreneurship Track Consideration
- Admission into the MS in Biotechnology Program
- Applicants applying to this highly selective track will be interviewed and selected by Program Director
- Minimum of one year paid work experience or prior experience in entrepreneurial settings
- Good verbal and written English language skills
- Possess strong desire to be immersed in the business end of the industry and a goal to continue in that space post graduation
- Satisfactory interview by the program director or designee for final consideration
Entrepreneurship Track Distinctions
- Fall semester enrollment only
- Minimum: three students; maximum: eight students
- Laboratory Applications (BIOT 5007/5008) course is not required
- Introduction to Tools for Entrepreneurship (BIOT 6002) is a core course that is not available to other track students (minimum of three students; maximum eight students)
- Capstone Internship (BIOT 7950): students will be encouraged to intern in entrepreneurial settings; project must be business-related; deliverable of final report is replaced with 20-slide PowerPoint summary of project and oral presentation to judges (separate from poster presentation)
- Business core courses: 16 credits versus 9 credits in other tracks
- Science core courses: 7 credits versus 13/14 credits in other tracks
This 30-credit track is divided into 6 components: business core, science core, regulatory science core, capstone core, required non-credit courses and elective courses. Elective courses are divided into BioBusiness and BioScience courses.
- Business Core
- Science Core
- Regulatory Science Core
- Capstone Core
- Required Non-Credit Courses
- Approved Electives
Business Core
15 Credits
Science Core
7 Credits
Regulatory Science Core
2 Credit
Capstone Core
4 Credits
Required Non-Credit Courses
2 Courses
Electives
2 Credits
BioBusiness
BioScience
Optional Summer Internship
BIOT 7952 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Summer Internship (Invitation only), 0 Credit, Summer Semester
BIOT 7951 Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR) Summer Internship (Invitation only), 0 Credit, Summer Semester