Business Foundations for Engineers Graduate Certificate

This course examines core concepts in marketing and marketing-oriented management. It develops competence in the use of modern marketing techniques and their application in the design, development, and commercialization of new products and services in rapidly changing markets. The class combines lecture and cases, many of which focus on technology-based products and services. Students learn the frameworks for analyzing market opportunities and product potential. Other topics include consumer behavior, product management, pricing strategies, direct and online selling, branding, channel management, and promotions. 3 credits. (Fall Semester)

Intellectual Property, Business Law, and Entrepreneurship provide students with the legal and fundamentals to protect their business ventures and intellectual property. The course is divided into three modules. The first module focuses on the implication of decisions made at the formation of business ventures. The second module focuses on the patent process in which students write their own patents. The third module focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of patents, copyrights, and trade secrets. Other topics include principle-agent relations, governance of small companies, mergers and acquisitions, contract law, patents in foreign countries, and corporate take-overs. 3 credits. (Spring Semester)

Review basic concepts of financial accounting and finance, with an emphasis on accounting needed for effective financial analysis. Focus on issues of finance in high tech industries. Emphases will include project financing, notions of options as applied to internal financial analysis, allocation of costs and revenues for new high tech projects, valuing projects and valuing firms when intellectual assets are a significant portion of total level value; corporate control in high tech firms. Finance issues in mergers, acquisitions, and alliances. 3 credits. (Fall Semester)

Management of High Tech Industries is a case-based course that focuses on managerial decision making and organization building. With an emphasis on professional service firms and high tech companies, students learn the skills to coordinate and leverage human capital. Tactical, operational, and strategic leadership is explored. Other topics include entrepreneurial decision making, performance measures, managerial control, product strategies, management of strategic change, and competitive analysis. 3 credits. (Spring Semester)