EmTech Curriculum

The EmTech curriculm is built on a twelve course, 36-credit course sequence, offered two courses per semester over six semesters. You take one course per semester from the Technology Track and the second from the Methods and Thesis Track. Courses are taught by an exemplary group of both full-time academics and industry practitioners with broad experience in their fields. The Technology Track repeats on a fixed cycle every six semesters. This track contains the entire cohort of M.S. students, and covers rapidly emerging and disruptive developments, trends, scenarios, opportunities, problems, and plans in the following industry technology clusters:

1. Information Technologies, AI & Robotics (IAR) Technologies (MSE609)
2. Physical Sciences, Engineering & Nano (PEN) Technologies (MSE577)
3. Biotech, Medicine & Enhancement (BME) Technologies (MSE648)
4. Social, Economic & Political (SEP) Technologies (MSE646)
5. Energy, Resources, & Green Technologies (ERG) Technologies (MSE578)
6. Military, Security, and Transparency (MST) Technologies (MSE605)

You will gain broad technology literacy within each course, but your most important goal is to develop insight into those particular technology products, services, and developments which seem likely to have significant impact on your current and most likely career goals and thesis. Exploring case studies of real-world technology foresight, acquiring specialty knowledge in career-related and thesis-related technologies, identifying key regions, companies, institutions, networks, and leaders involved, and familiarization with exemplary foresight work, startups, and strategic plans are desired outcomes of this track, measured in personalized student and team projects over the course of the program.

Technology courses also explore environmental, political, legal, ethical, and social issues moderating emerging technology research, development and market diffusion. Examples of the interface between technology foresight, entrepreneurship, R&D, and strategy and corporate social responsibility (economic, environmental, and social benefit) are studied in a range of organizations.

In the Methods and Thesis Track, you will learn methods of foresight, forecasting, innovation, and entrepreneurship applied to disruptive technologies, and apply these methods and knowledge to your thesis client or industry, in six courses, beginning with MSC530 (Research Methods). You will follow a more individualized program of study in this track, working with your instructors to build competencies in methods critical to your career interests and thesis as they become evident. You will be encouraged in this track to blog, publish, present, and otherwise further define and advance your personal brand, and to consider engaging in an optional industry internship during the program, and reviewing and sitting for an optional industry forecasting certificate at the end of the program.

1. Research Methods in Technology (MSC530)
2. Forecasting Emergent Technologies (MSC545)
3. Foresight, Innovation, & Production of New Technologies (MSE608) [US Students]
4. Thesis 1 (MSC690)
5. Thesis 2 (MSC691)
6. Thesis 3 (MSC692)
7. Seminar - American Workplace (MSC525) [International Students]

This track covers three methods categories: Foresight and Forecasting, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Strategy and Management, focusing most on the first two methods categories. The third category, Strategy and Management, is primarily self-study, with the exception of two foresight-related topics, strategic planning and roadmapping. Methods track categories and example topics follow:

Foresight and Forecasting - MSE530,545,608, Thesis (MSC690-692), and Technology Track

Foresight (Scanning, Competitive Intelligence, Delphi, Visioning, Scenarios, Predictions, Investing)
Forecasting (Basic Statistics, Time Series, Regression, Extrapolation, Performance Curves, Models)

Innovation and Entrepreneurship - MSE530,545,608, Thesis (MSC690-692), and Technology Track

Innovation (Innovation Process, R&D, Diffusion, Design, I.P., Crowdsourcing, Open Culture)
Entrepreneurship (Discovery/Product, Validation/Market, Effic.&Scale/Team, Benefit/BizModel, Renewal)

Strategy and Management - MSE608,646, Thesis (MSC690-692), and Technology Track

Strategy & Planning (Facilitation, Strategic Plans, Budgeting, ERP, Roadmapping)
Finance & Risk Mgmt (Credit, Angels, VC’s, IPOs, Philanthropy, Grants, Insurance/Risk Mgmt)
Accounting & Analytics (MIS, CSR/Triple Bottom Line Accounting, BI, Real Options, Decision Analysis)
Management & HR (Operations/PM, Governance, OB, HR, Leadership, Social Responsiblity, Biz Ethics)
Marketing & CRM (Marketing, Advertising, Branding, Demographics, CRM)
Micro & Macroeconomics (Prices, Markets, Capital, Biz-Law, Econ. Policy, Demographics)

You will also develop a Thesis on a definable technology foresight and innovation problem for a client. Your thesis may be done individually or as part of a student team. In the latter case your contribution will be both well defined and substantial. The EmTech program is geared to two main types of theses:

A. Foresight-Oriented Theses

Some students are most interested in developing their foresight and forecasting expertise, and applying foresight and forecasting methods (scanning, competitive intelligence, trend extrapolation, scenarios, Delphi, roadmapping, etc.) to a given or discovered client problem. Such students are best served producing a significant work of foresight for their thesis, either individually or as a team effort. Foresight-oriented theses must also identify innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities suggested by the work, and consider ways these opportunities might be incorporated in client strategy and evaluated for success.

B. Innovation-Oriented Theses

Some students are most interested in developing new ventures, either via intrapreneurship, where the research, planning and/or launching of a new prototype, product or service is proposed within an existing organization that the student is now part of or is hoping to join, or via entrepreneurship, with the student as founder or team member of a new organization that is researched and planned, and sometimes even launched, as part of the thesis. All innovation-oriented theses must also include foresight research and products in support of the strategic plan.

In each case, your thesis will involve:

1. A particular client or industry, selected by you. Typical clients are Customers/Public (foresight product, entrepreneurship product), Corporate (foresight product, intrapreneurship product), Government (International, Federal, State, Local) (foresight product, intrapreneurship product).
2. A definable foresight- or innovation-oriented project or venture, serving your client’s anticipated or stated needs, and including a needs determination process.
3. An assessment of science and technology specialties most relevant to client needs, and of environmental, political, legal, ethical, and social issues moderating the outcomes of the foresight or innovation product or venture.
4. A thesis evaluation, with peer, client and faculty feedback

Other Course Info

All EmTech courses contain both on campus and online cohorts, which are fully integrated. There is no difference in expectations or attention given between the two cohorts. Student teams are formed irrespective of cohort, and all students make extensive use of online platforms in a continuous learning model.

Students who must miss or cannot complete one of their Technology courses may take an incomplete and make up the course asynchronously in subsequent semesters, and one Technology track makeup is allowed at a time. Another alternative is to take the course when it returns on the regular six semester cycle. Students who must miss or cannot complete one of their Methods and Thesis courses may take an incomplete and make up the course asynchronously in subsequent semesters, and one Methods and Thesis makeup is allowed at a time.