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Timeline & courses

Master in Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Your route to innovation

On this page you can find more details about the curriculum and program structure. 

The Master in Innovation and Entrepreneurship program begins in September each year and lasts for 24 months. 

The program is split between foundational courses and advanced electives: 

  • Foundation courses covering the most important aspects of Innovation & Entrepreneurship. 

  • Advanced electives delve deeper into specific industries and applications that will help you progress towards your career goals. 

Program timeline

x
Term 1
September 2023 - December 2023

Term one

Core courses, including 

  • Business Economics
  • Competitive Strategy
  • Financial Accounting
  • Judgment and Decision-making
  • Economics of Innovation & New Technology
  • Foundations of Entrepreneurship 

Skills seminar

  • Key Writing Skills
  • Business Presentations 
  • Time Management
  • Public Speaking

Term one

Core courses, including 

  • Business Economics
  • Competitive Strategy
  • Financial Accounting
  • Judgment and Decision-making
  • Economics of Innovation & New Technology
  • Foundations of Entrepreneurship 

Skills seminar

  • Key Writing Skills
  • Business Presentations 
  • Time Management
  • Public Speaking
September 2023
December 2023
January 2024
March 2024
x
Term 2
January 2024 - March 2024

Term two

Core courses, including

  • Entrepreneurship Finance & Fin Tech
  • Managing Organizations in a Global Context
  • Marketing Management
  • Challenge Basics / Design Thinking
  • Innovation Policy & Regulation 
  • Organizing for Innovation
  • Vali Sustainable Ideation Bootcamp 

Skills seminar

  • Conflict in Teams
  • Cross Cultural Management
  • Building Professional Networks

Foreign language classes

Term two

Core courses, including

  • Entrepreneurship Finance & Fin Tech
  • Managing Organizations in a Global Context
  • Marketing Management
  • Challenge Basics / Design Thinking
  • Innovation Policy & Regulation 
  • Organizing for Innovation
  • Vali Sustainable Ideation Bootcamp 

Skills seminar

  • Conflict in Teams
  • Cross Cultural Management
  • Building Professional Networks

Foreign language classes

x
Summer Immersion
April 2024 - September 2024

Summer immersion

During the summer months you will gain practical experience at an internship at a startup or by working on your own company during the Summer Entrepreneurship Program with Vali Berlin.

 

Summer immersion

During the summer months you will gain practical experience at an internship at a startup or by working on your own company during the Summer Entrepreneurship Program with Vali Berlin.

 

show more
Summer Entrepreneurship Program

The Summer Entrepreneurship Program helps entrepreneurial talents to develop and expand upon their startup ideas: from finding co-founders, identifying trends or problems and finding and building solutions, to pitching in front of Venture Capitalists (VCs) and angel investors. 

The teams benefit from expert mentoring, access to the ESMT and Vali Berlin network, and a structured program of workshops by entrepreneurs and thought leaders from Berlin's startup scene. 

Internship Option

In coordination with ESMT, you may alternatively choose to complete an internship of up to six months with a company and industry that meets your career goals. German students are encouraged to complete their internship abroad. 

ESMT currently works with a growing number of companies to offer internships.

Please note that while ESMT has agreements with internship providers to offer internships, participants are still required to apply and pass the target company’s selection procedures. Participants may also source their own internship opportunities. 

April 2024
September 2024
October 2024
December 2024
x
Term 3
October 2024 - December 2024

Term three

Electives, including 

  • Data Science for Analytics
  • Social Entrepreneurship / Non Profit Management 
  • Organization and Scaling New Ventures

Practice experience 

Skills electives

Foreign language classes

Term three

Electives, including 

  • Data Science for Analytics
  • Social Entrepreneurship / Non Profit Management 
  • Organization and Scaling New Ventures

Practice experience 

Skills electives

Foreign language classes

x
Term 4
January 2025 - May 2025

Term four 

Electives 

  • Corporate Innovation
  • Negotiation
  • Entrepreneurial Sales & Marketing 

Practice experience 

  • Next - B2B Accelerator Program
  • Creative Destruction Lab
  • Corporate Innovation Project

Research methods

Foreign language classes 

Term four 

Electives 

  • Corporate Innovation
  • Negotiation
  • Entrepreneurial Sales & Marketing 

Practice experience 

  • Next - B2B Accelerator Program
  • Creative Destruction Lab
  • Corporate Innovation Project

Research methods

Foreign language classes 

January 2025
May 2025
May 2025
August 2025
x
Master Thesis
May 2025 - August 2025

Master thesis

While working on your Master thesis, you may seek the opportunity of a second internship and carry out your research with support from practitioners. Alternatively, particularly those who intend to pursue an academic career, you may opt for working on a thesis topic in close coordination with a professor’s own research agenda.

Master thesis

While working on your Master thesis, you may seek the opportunity of a second internship and carry out your research with support from practitioners. Alternatively, particularly those who intend to pursue an academic career, you may opt for working on a thesis topic in close coordination with a professor’s own research agenda.

Program timeline

September 2023
December 2023
x
Term 1
September 2023 - December 2023

Term one

Core courses, including 

  • Business Economics
  • Competitive Strategy
  • Financial Accounting
  • Judgment and Decision-making
  • Economics of Innovation & New Technology
  • Foundations of Entrepreneurship 

Skills seminar

  • Key Writing Skills
  • Business Presentations 
  • Time Management
  • Public Speaking

Term one

Core courses, including 

  • Business Economics
  • Competitive Strategy
  • Financial Accounting
  • Judgment and Decision-making
  • Economics of Innovation & New Technology
  • Foundations of Entrepreneurship 

Skills seminar

  • Key Writing Skills
  • Business Presentations 
  • Time Management
  • Public Speaking
January 2024
March 2024
x
Term 2
January 2024 - March 2024

Term two

Core courses, including

  • Entrepreneurship Finance & Fin Tech
  • Managing Organizations in a Global Context
  • Marketing Management
  • Challenge Basics / Design Thinking
  • Innovation Policy & Regulation 
  • Organizing for Innovation
  • Vali Sustainable Ideation Bootcamp 

Skills seminar

  • Conflict in Teams
  • Cross Cultural Management
  • Building Professional Networks

Foreign language classes

Term two

Core courses, including

  • Entrepreneurship Finance & Fin Tech
  • Managing Organizations in a Global Context
  • Marketing Management
  • Challenge Basics / Design Thinking
  • Innovation Policy & Regulation 
  • Organizing for Innovation
  • Vali Sustainable Ideation Bootcamp 

Skills seminar

  • Conflict in Teams
  • Cross Cultural Management
  • Building Professional Networks

Foreign language classes

April 2024
September 2024
x
Summer Immersion
April 2024 - September 2024

Summer immersion

During the summer months you will gain practical experience at an internship at a startup or by working on your own company during the Summer Entrepreneurship Program with Vali Berlin.

 

Summer immersion

During the summer months you will gain practical experience at an internship at a startup or by working on your own company during the Summer Entrepreneurship Program with Vali Berlin.

 

show more
Summer Entrepreneurship Program

The Summer Entrepreneurship Program helps entrepreneurial talents to develop and expand upon their startup ideas: from finding co-founders, identifying trends or problems and finding and building solutions, to pitching in front of Venture Capitalists (VCs) and angel investors. 

The teams benefit from expert mentoring, access to the ESMT and Vali Berlin network, and a structured program of workshops by entrepreneurs and thought leaders from Berlin's startup scene. 

Internship Option

In coordination with ESMT, you may alternatively choose to complete an internship of up to six months with a company and industry that meets your career goals. German students are encouraged to complete their internship abroad. 

ESMT currently works with a growing number of companies to offer internships.

Please note that while ESMT has agreements with internship providers to offer internships, participants are still required to apply and pass the target company’s selection procedures. Participants may also source their own internship opportunities. 

October 2024
December 2024
x
Term 3
October 2024 - December 2024

Term three

Electives, including 

  • Data Science for Analytics
  • Social Entrepreneurship / Non Profit Management 
  • Organization and Scaling New Ventures

Practice experience 

Skills electives

Foreign language classes

Term three

Electives, including 

  • Data Science for Analytics
  • Social Entrepreneurship / Non Profit Management 
  • Organization and Scaling New Ventures

Practice experience 

Skills electives

Foreign language classes

January 2025
May 2025
x
Term 4
January 2025 - May 2025

Term four 

Electives 

  • Corporate Innovation
  • Negotiation
  • Entrepreneurial Sales & Marketing 

Practice experience 

  • Next - B2B Accelerator Program
  • Creative Destruction Lab
  • Corporate Innovation Project

Research methods

Foreign language classes 

Term four 

Electives 

  • Corporate Innovation
  • Negotiation
  • Entrepreneurial Sales & Marketing 

Practice experience 

  • Next - B2B Accelerator Program
  • Creative Destruction Lab
  • Corporate Innovation Project

Research methods

Foreign language classes 

May 2025
August 2025
x
Master Thesis
May 2025 - August 2025

Master thesis

While working on your Master thesis, you may seek the opportunity of a second internship and carry out your research with support from practitioners. Alternatively, particularly those who intend to pursue an academic career, you may opt for working on a thesis topic in close coordination with a professor’s own research agenda.

Master thesis

While working on your Master thesis, you may seek the opportunity of a second internship and carry out your research with support from practitioners. Alternatively, particularly those who intend to pursue an academic career, you may opt for working on a thesis topic in close coordination with a professor’s own research agenda.

Additional options include:

Summer innovation & entrepreneurship programs

  • Join Vali Berlin's Summer Entrepreneurship Program from April to July to develop and elaborate your own startup idea

  • Receive expert mentoring, access to the ESMT and Vali Berlin network, and a structured program of workshops by entrepreneurs and thought leaders from Berlin's startup scene

  • Alternatively, take up an internship for up to six months at one of ESMT's many corporate partners and delve deep into the world of corporate innovation, giving you invaluable practical insights and preparing you to customize your learning journey in Year 2 of your degree

Winter innovation & entrepreneurship programs

  • Join the NEXT program to accelerate your start-up in product-market fit, human capital, fundraising, legal, administrative, and tax issues

  • or join the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) to advise startup founders to find innovative ideas and strategies to change the business for good.

  • or join the Corporate Innovation Project to deliver an innovation consulting project or develop venture ideas together with a corporate partner.

An exciting path awaits you

Create your own journey

Interested in data management?

Want to know more about machine learning or global operations and supply chains? 

Innovation thrives on cross-pollination. To facilitate this, you can choose from a broad selection of electives including any core course from other ESMT master programs to form your own tailor made learning journey.
 

Learn by experimenting

Your time in the MIE is an opportunity to experiment and learn in a safe space.

Try out deep tech, entrepreneurship, corporate innovation or embark on an international exchange program.

You will always find yourself in a collaborative and stimulating environment that fosters creative thinking, while sitting next to data scientists and general managers to collaborate and learn from each other.
 

Prepare for employment

The MIE primes you for success by equipping you with the core business skills needed to take your innovation skills and apply them successfully in real-life business contexts.

 

 

image of ESMT Berlin Campus in summer

 

 

 

 

 

Image of MIM students collaborating

Collaborative learning

Modern business is global - ESMT students thrive in a global environment

There a numerous advantages that a diverse international cohort brings to your personal development, but the biggest is the exposure you will get to new ideas, new perspectives and alternative experiences.

With over 30 nationalities represented in the classroom, ESMT's unique approach to collaborative learning means that working and thriving in the diverse and international teams of a global business or ascendant startup will come as second nature.

Dedicated lecturers

ESMT's international faculty combine the very best business teachers and researchers from around the world, brought together in Berlin to share their experience in business practice and thought leadership with a passion that puts the learning experience before everything else.

Situated in state-of-the-art facilities and supported by a world-class community of entrepreneurs and corporate partners, ESMT Berlin has laid the foundations for innovative research and excellence in the classroom.

Image of ESMT lecturer teaching

Discover more

Admissions

 

Find out more about the timeline and what you need to apply for our next incoming class.

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financial-times

Rankings

 

The ESMT Master in Global Management is #20 in the world in the Financial Times Global Masters in Management ranking.

 

see the full rankings

Vali Berlin

Vali Berlin is the entrepreneurship hub at ESMT Berlin and fosters responsible entrepreneurship for economic, environmental, and social value creation.

Learn more

ESMT Berlin blog

Are you interested in learning more about the life as a Master student in Berlin? Discover various Master student stories on our blog.

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