Technology Entrepreneurship Certificate (TEC)

Launched 2001

The Technology Entrepreneurial Certificate (TEC) program was launched in 2001 in partnership with the UW School of Business. The program serves students in the College of Engineering, Business School at UW and the School of Law. Graduate students in the technology programs are put together with MBA students and also law students to complement the different disciplines and backgrounds that comprise the functional and cultural makeup of a small company.

This popular program is providing a highly unique venue to prepare the students for their future employment, whether in a large or small company, although the driving force is to acquaint the students with their future counterparts in a start-up environment. They receive formal courses at the MBA level in Venture Creation, Marketing and Business Strategy, organization, funding, SWOT Analyses, product launches and team building. These courses are required as a bridge pathway toward choosing two tracks - one for the Corporate Pathway and one for Entrepreneurship. All students are then required to select two more courses form a menu of opportunities toward their specific path. Entrepreneurial Path students learn more about Management and Venture Financing. Corporate Path students learn also about Corporate Entrepreneurship- often called Intrapreneurship - where the skills needed to launch new products and programs within the larger corporate structure are important. This latter skill is especially valuable for UWEB students, the majority of whom embark on careers in the medical device industry. There are eleven students enrolled in the TEC program.