Online Education

Graduate Certificate in Value-Driven Innovation Economics

About the Certificate

This online industry-focused certificate is designed to empower technology-powered teams and equips you with the knowledge and skills to execute the innovation process from ideation to implementation. Through courses on ideation, project development and finance, market launch, and contemporary tech issues, you'll learn a systematic approach to drive purposeful innovation, create value, and succeed in leadership roles within today’s technology-driven economy. 

Required Courses

  • ECON 5338 – Innovation and Value Generation
  • ECON 5543 – Innovation Economics and Finance
  • ECON 5648 – Innovation to Market (Prerequisites: ECON 5338 & ECON 5543)
  • ECON 6020 – Contemporary Issues in Technology and Innovation

These courses are co-listed with Chemical, Nuclear, and Mining Engineering programs at S&T.

Pathway to a Master's Degree

Are you a working professional who wants to earn your master's degree, but you don’t have time to take the GRE/GMAT? Then start in a graduate certificate program. Graduate certificates were designed as a pathway to a master's degree.* The admission requirements are more relaxed and credit earned will count toward your degree. Once you successfully earn your graduate certificate, you can continue with the corresponding master's degree without having to take the GRE/GMAT.

*Completion of a graduate certificate program does not automatically guarantee admission into a corresponding graduate degree program. To continue in a master’s degree program, you must apply.

Course Descriptions

This course introduces a structured framework for understanding and executing the innovation process, from ideation to implementation. It emphasizes a systematic approach to identifying real-world needs, crafting solutions, and transforming them into impactful outcomes, providing strategies for identifying customer needs and determining innovative solutions.

This course teaches rapid project development and financing, from an idea to a revenuegenerating asset. It covers process ideation, technology/vendor selection, financial modeling, contract structuring, non-recourse financing, and project execution, such as engineering, procurement, construction, and start-up, resulting in a cash-flowing, tradeable annuity.

This course provides the tools needed to transform innovative solutions into market-ready products and services, focusing on business model development, value generation, and product management. Students will learn to identify product-market fit, maximize value to customers and users, and launch successful innovations.

Prerequisites: ECON 5338 and ECON 5543.

This course explores contemporary trends, challenges, and opportunities in technology and innovation, featuring lectures by various industrial experts. Topics include disruptive technologies, innovation strategies, regulatory and policy impacts, and emerging markets. Students will learn the forces driving change in today’s global technology landscape.

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing.