Certificate Program for MBA's

Simmons MBA students and alumnae can now earn a Certificate in Entrepreneurship designed specifically for women entrepreneurs.  The Certificate Program in Entrepreneurship is also open to anyone currently holding an MBA from an AACSB accredited business school. In just 11 months you will build your network; learn critical skills of marketing, strategy and finance; work with an entrepreneur one-on-one; and launch your own venture. Come experience the all women’s business school environment of the Simmons School of Management.

The Certificate Program in Entrepreneurship enables participants to:

  • Identify and evaluate new business opportunities and entrepreneurial practices
  • Develop and execute a professional business plan
  • Receive one-on-one guidance from faculty
  • Convene with Entrepreneurs-in-Residence and Board of Advisors including angel investors, entrepreneurs, lawyers, and venture capitalists and an extensive and committed alumnae network
  • Work with an entrepreneur or build a venture through a guided six week full-time practicum
  • Work in a cohort and tap into a network of women entrepreneurs who become a lifelong resource

Certificate Overview

The Certificate Program in Entrepreneurship is a sequenced set of 4 graduate courses running January through November that are carefully designed to lead you from idea generation and evaluation (course 1) to business plan (course 2), post-launch management (course 3) and finally an intensive field experience working with an entrepreneurial CEO or launching your own venture.  

Simmons MBA applicants may apply to reserve their seat for the cycle that immediately follows their Simmons MBA graduation.  MBA students may enroll in course 1 and 2 as MBA electives. Simmons MBA alumnae may also opt for select coursework. 

Course One: Entrepreneurship Feasibility (January-April) -- Explore a new business idea or advance the one already fueling your entrepreneurial passion.  In this course you will assess yourself and your interests, learn how to gauge opportunities in terms of market potential and examine the strategic, operational, financial and marketing viability of a business idea as part of a team.  For 2008 only, qualified applicants may waive out of Course One based on adequate marketing and finance fluency, as well as a presentation of a solid and scalable venture idea. For more information on how to do this, please call 617-521-3839.

Course Two: Business Plans and Proposals (May-July) -- A well-honed business plan is not just your venture roadmap; it is a critical asset for attracting seed capital, partners and advisors. In this second course you will develop a professional business plan on your own idea using financial forecasting and in-depth market research, discover the multiple ways of legally establishing a for-profit business or social venture, chart growth options and their implications, and learn the costs and benefits of various financing vehicles.

Course Three: Managing a High Growth Firm (September-November) – Launching a business is exciting, but growing (and staying in) business is the true mark of a successful entrepreneur. In course three, you will uncover the precise resources required during each stage of a new venture: funding a start-up, building market awareness, and growing relationships with customers, employees and suppliers. You also will learn about “company killers” and how to safeguard against common pitfalls. 

Course Four: Gaining Hands-On Experience Through the Entrepreneurship Practicum (September-November) –  The practicum is an immersive, hands-on experiential learning practicum in which students partner one-on-one with a successful entrepreneur or entrepreneurial leader to complete a professional strategic consulting project.  The practicum is “entrepreneurship in action” – allowing students to bridge theory and practice while working on a project of strategic importance.  With special permission, students who are ready to launch companies can do this as an alternative to the practicum experience. 

Fellowships and Tuition Waivers

Fellowships and scholarships (including tuition waivers) are awarded on a competitive basis to students and alumnae of the Simmons MBA program.  Awards include:

  • The Class of 2007 Entrepreneurship Scholarship Fund
  • Bright Horizons Entrepreneurship Certificate Fellowship
  • EILEEN FISHER Entrepreneurship Certificate Fellowship
  • The Will J. Reid Foundation Scholarship
  • The John Hancock Fellowship to Support Entrepreneur Women of Ethnic Diversity
  • The Dean’s Scholarship for Entrepreneurship

For more information, contact entrepreneurship@simmons.edu or 617-521-3839.

 

 

 

 

"Between 1997 and 2007, privately held businesses owned by women grew at three times the rate of all American privately held firms. Women’s companies are creating jobs and growing profits at twice the rate of all firms and are responsible for more payroll than all of the Fortune 500 combined.”

Margaret Heffernan, serial entrepreneur, author, and 2006 School of Management Visiting Professor of Practice