Business Foundations for Engineers Graduate Certificate
An online credit-based offering designed for working professionals
The Business Foundations for Engineers Certificate is a standalone, credit-based online offering aimed at professionals who want to keep working and keep learning.
Earn a Duke credential by completing four online courses—without the commitment required of traditional degree programs.
Apply your new knowledge right away—what you learn from Duke on Friday you apply at work on Monday.
What You'll Learn
While a Duke student, you’ll interact with faculty and fellow students through our distance learning technology, which includes:
- Virtual onboarding and online welcome to Duke
- Asynchronous, high-definition streaming of class video
- Practical, relevant course content
Courses
510: Marketing
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)
520: Intellectual Property, Business Law, and Entrepreneurship
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)
530: Finance in High-Tech Industries
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)
540: Management of High-Tech Industries
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)
Over the last decade, more than 1,500 students have taken Duke’s proven engineering management core courses.
Top-Flight Duke Faculty

La Tondra Murray
Director, Online and Distance Education
Software engineer and former technical manager for IBM.

Kathie Amato
Marketing Faculty
Marketing expert with a background in higher education, publishing and entrepreneurship.
Theodore Ryan
Management Faculty
Management consultant whose client list includes Fortune 100 companies.
Student Benefits
As a Duke student, you'll receive:
- Individualized course advising
- Engagement with outstanding peers from around the world
- Option to transfer credits to the Duke Master of Engineering Management Online Program
- Optional post-program workshop and reception at Duke
Certificate Program Details
Admissions Criteria
The program is open to qualified applicants worldwide.
In general, applicants should:
- Hold at least a bachelor’s degree in engineering or science
- Expect to provide a statement of purpose/short answer essays, resume, letters of recommendation and participate in an admissions interview
Tuition
Tuition is paid per course.
See the latest tuition information »
Get Started
Click below to contact our admissions team for more information. We're looking forward to hearing from you!
The Duke Master of Engineering Management Online program (Duke MEM Online) was previously known as the Distributed Master of Engineering Management program (d-MEMP).