Ivey Certificate Program

MBA CERTIFICATE IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

PURPOSE

The Certificate in Entrepreneurship engages MBA students in the knowledge and practice of entrepreneurship, which aims to enhance their ability to achieve their professional, economic and personal dreams.

Students may apply to the Certificate in Entrepreneurship through the Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship Powered by Ivey.  The application consists of background and essay questions, and a copy of the student’s resume.

WHY A CERTIFICATE IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP?

The Certificate in Entrepreneurship was created to provide students with a coordinated set of courses and experiences that will best position them to begin their entrepreneurial journeys. The Certificate will appeal to students who:

• Are committed to starting a new business as soon as feasible;
• Intend to launch or buy a new business at some point in the future;
• Know that many of the best employers seek employees with entrepreneurial skills and abilities.

Students enrolled in the Certificate will be invited to participate in entrepreneurship programs and events offered by Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship and will be preferred for entrepreneurship scholarships offered through Ivey and Western University.

REQUIREMENTS

Academic Requirements

The academic requirements for the Certificate in Entrepreneurship include successful completion of the following entrepreneurship courses and electives:

Required Courses:

• 9469 Ivey Field Project - Ivey New Venture Project (INVP)*                                  
• 9405 New Venture Creation - September                                         
• 9430 Entrepreneurial Finance - October                                                
• 9467 Managing High Growth Companies – February           

* MBA Direct students are not required to complete the INVP course as part of the MBA Direct program requirements. MBA Direct students wishing to enrol in the Entrepreneurship certificate should complete an additional elective course and engage with Morrissette Entrepreneurship through one of its programs, or events.

Students enrolled in the Certificate in Entrepreneurship must complete any two (2) of the following electives. All electives are 0.75 in weight.

Elective Courses (any two):

• 9440 Business Law
• 9434 Competing with Analytics
• 9465 Managing in the Creative Economy
• 9408 Global Supply Chain Management
• 9412 High Impact Presenting
• 9411 Managing People for Exceptional Performance
• 9461 Marketing to Businesses
• 9410 Negotiations for Leaders
• 9464 Operations Strategy
• 9479 Design Driven Innovation
• 9447 Transformational Leadership 
• 9482 Leading Family Firms

Alternatives to elective courses:

The programs below can be applied to the two-elective requirement for the Certificate in Entrepreneurship

• Graduate Student Innovation Scholars
  This exclusive program provides Ivey MBA students with the opportunity to work with graduate students from a variety of faculties on how to generate value from a research technology. Program training will allow students to connect novel, cutting-edge technologies with market opportunities, develop IP strategies, develop a strategic path forward to commercialize the technology and identify challenges of bringing novel innovations to market.
  
  For more information, visit https://worldiscoveries.ca/gsis/
  
  
• Morrissette Accelerator – Spring Edition
  MBA Students can apply to join the Morrissette Accelerator and work on their new venture idea for course credit during the January Cohort. During the course of 12-15 weeks, ventures accepted into the program will receive hands-on mentorship and educational training from in-house experts and industrial partners.
  
  For more information, visit https://entrepreneurship.uwo.ca/accelerator/
  
  

Engagement Recommendations

In addition to completing the above academic requirements, students interested in a robust entrepreneurship experience while at Ivey should consider engaging in one or more of the following options: 

• Submit a business plan to Ivey MBA Business Plan Competition (January 2024) or to any other business plan competition that invites graduate student/team participation. For more information, visit https://entrepreneurship.uwo.ca/for-students/funding-opportunities/ivey-mba-business-plan-competition/

(Students invited to attend external business plan competitions may contact the Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship to discuss funding assistance to help defray participation costs.)

• Become an active member of LEADER Project.
• Become an active member of the student-run Entrepreneurship Club.
• Attend a conference, workshop, symposium or summit related to your area of entrepreneurial interest. (Travel and attendance fees remain the responsibility of the individual; however subsidies may be available at the discretion of the Institute.)

THE CERTIFICATE

An Entrepreneurship Review Committee will review students’ records to verify whether or not requirements for the Certificate in Entrepreneurship have been met. MBA students who successfully complete the above requirements will be awarded a Certificate in Entrepreneurship at completion of the MBA program.

CONTACTS

Information regarding the entrepreneurship stream and applications for the entrepreneurship certificate:

Shanthal Perera
Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship
Email: sperera@uwo.ca

Information regarding the Ivey Field Project – Ivey New Venture Project:
Professor Eric Morse
Email: emorse@ivey.ca