Entrepreneurship & Founders Track
In just 12 months, earn a Duke master's degree while gaining business skills and entrepreneurial confidence—and potentially launch your own venture along the way
Led by successful tech entrepreneurs, the Entrepreneurship & Founders Track in Duke’s Master of Engineering Management Program will teach you to:
- Identify problems
- Develop conceptual solutions
- Build prototypes
- Develop a startup strategy
In this program you become part of the innovation and entrepreneurship community at Duke. While fulfilling this elective track, students can also pursue Duke's Graduate & Professional Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) Certificate »
And, selected Entrepreneurship & Founders Track graduates may also receive support and funding to start their companies—$5,000 seed capital.
Get Ready
Rigorous and engaging coursework
Become grounded in business fundamentals—including marketing, management, finance, and intellectual property/business law. Undertake special coursework in tech innovation, prototyping, and startup strategy. The program's technical electives will strengthen your ability to innovate—whether within an established company or in your own venture.
- Browse the Entrepreneurship & Founders Track course list »
- Read course descriptions »
- View a sample curriculum »
- Discover more about the Graduate & Professional Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) Certificate »
“A growing need within small and large corporations is to cultivate an intrapreneurial environment. Duke’s Entrepreneurship & Founders Track provides engineers with the agility required to innovate across the enterprise.”
Lee Clark-Sellers
Innovation Officer
Ply Gem Industries Inc.
GET MENTORED
Each faculty member is an innovator and company founder
Ken Gall
Associate Dean for Entrepreneurship
Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, in Biomedical Engineering, and in Orthopaedic Surgery
Founder, Vertera Spine (acquired by NuVasive), Deep Blue Medical Advances, and Restor3D
Bill Walker
Mattson Family Director, Entrepreneurship @ Duke Engineering
Founder, PocketSonics (acquired by Analogic) and Hemosonics (acquired by Diagnostica Stago)
Steven McClelland
Executive in Residence, Duke Engineering
Former Chief Architect & Product Strategist, Citizen Sports Network (acquired by Yahoo!); VP Product Management, Yahoo!, Director of Product Management, Twitter; Founder, Interdimensions Web Consulting
Eric Richardson
Associate Professor of the Practice, Biomedical Engineering
Founding Director, Global Medical Innovation Master's Program, Rice University
Joe Knight
Adjunct Professor, Duke Engineering
Faculty, Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative
President & CEO, InnAVasc Medical Inc.
Paul Fearis
Senior Lecturing Fellow, Duke Biomedical Engineering
Founder & CEO, Clinvue LLC
Get Set
Gain entrepreneurial confidence
- Learn from seasoned entrepreneurs in Duke Engineering and Duke’s Office of Licensing & Ventures
- Receive personalized career guidance
- Intern in your own venture—build a technical prototype and develop your venture’s strategy
Get Funded
The Founder's Fellowship
- Compete for a semester-long, tuition-free Founder’s Fellowship so you can dedicate extra time to your venture—and, receive $5,000 seed capital
- Compelling ventures will be introduced to Duke investors through the Duke Angel Network and our 170,000-strong alumni network
“Whether you are looking to be the next big entrepreneur or drive new products in your existing organization, the Entrepreneurship & Founders Track will walk you through the process—but more importantly, Duke has brought together an all-star team to help you. This expertise, along with a proven process, will give you the tools to bring your ideas to life.”
Robert J. Coyle
Senior Vice President, Pharma & Healthcare Strategy
Kuehne + Nagel Inc.
Get Started
Learn more
Start your application
Contact admissions
Susan Brown
Assistant Director of Admissions
pratt_masters@duke.edu