Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship MSc (with pathway)

Why choose this course?

Innovative thinking and entrepreneurial behaviour in a global economy are in the DNA of the MSc Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship at Kingston Business School.

This course prepares you to develop essential skills and effective strategies for leading innovation in organisations and pursuing your entrepreneurial passion within the modern workplace.

You will examine business model frameworks, management systems for innovation projects, financing, future-oriented growth strategies and customer insight tools.

Get hands-on experience visiting start-ups and business incubators, meeting with investors and entrepreneurs, and participating in practical workshops, virtual learning sessions and the Lead Yourself program to boost your self-confidence.

The Policy pathway covers the main policy instruments for supporting start-up creation and increasing innovation in both established and newly created companies, and public sector organisations.

Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship (MSc)

Mode Duration Start date
Full time 1 year September 2024
Full time 2 years including professional placement September 2024

Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship MSc (policy)

Mode Duration Start date
Full time 1 year September 2024
Full time 2 years including professional placement September 2024
Location Kingston Hill

Reasons to choose Kingston University

  • Kingston is among just 5% of the world's business schools to be accredited by AACSB International.
  • Receive entrepreneurial support from the NEST incubation space, the Enterprise Fund and access to Hackathons. You may also enter competitions, such as Bright Ideas and the London Mayor's Entrepreneur Competition.
  • You will have the opportunity to study and receive the Agile Project Management Certificate. This is an industry standard, globally recognised qualification for best practices in project management which is highly valuable in innovation, management and entrepreneurship.
  • One of the top two UK higher education institutions for graduate start-ups for the past 10 years (HESA 2020/21).
  • Free car parking at the Kingston Hill campus is available for students of this course. The campus can also be easily accessed by public transport. Halls accommodation is just a walk away from the classrooms.

MSc Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship

Current students and alumni talk about student experience on this unique and hands-on course.

Kingston Business School Accreditations

Kingston Business School holds the prestigious international accreditation by the AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) in recognition of the excellence of its business education. This accreditation has been earned by just 5% of the world's business schools and recognises the high quality and standard of our business degree offerings.

AACSB Accredited logo

Specialist careers support

You will take part in an Assessment Centre Experience, providing the opportunity to experience the pathway to employment with tailored feedback to help develop your employability skills for the world of graduate employment.

  • Develop your understanding of the jobs market, including current trends and opportunities, different recruitment processes and how to identify relevant roles
  • Receive personalised feedback reports to help you to improve and progress
  • Access additional webinars on top tips, employer expectations and best practice
Specialist careers support

Kingston Business School: be who you want to be

At Kingston Business School we lead

About the Department of Strategy, Marketing and Innovation

The Department of Strategy, Marketing and Innovation comprises passionate and enterprising academics from a diverse range of backgrounds. Our undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications bring together research, practitioner insights and teaching expertise in the disciplines of marketing, international business, entrepreneurship, strategy and innovation.

Our courses are truly experiential, providing you with opportunities to undertake company visits, attend networking events and hear best practice from industry guest speakers.

What you will study

This course provides you with the knowledge and experience of the key issues of innovation and entrepreneurship. The course emphasises the analysis and practical application of the key issues surrounding innovation management and entrepreneurship, including:

  • management systems for innovation projects;
  • leadership and entrepreneurial behaviour;
  • lean start-up techniques;
  • deep customer insights approaches;
  • entrepreneurial funding and financing;
  • strategies for growth and internationalisation; and
  • policy interventions for supporting entrepreneurship innovation and economic growth at a regional and national level. 

Please note that this is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list. Those listed here may also be a mixture of core and optional modules.

Modules

Policy pathway modules

Optional placement year

This course is made up of five core modules.

Core modules

Innovation Management and Entrepreneurial Finance

30 credits

Organisations with a strong, consistent and successful focus on managing innovation outperform their competitors in terms of growth and financial performance. Innovation management requires special knowledge and skills, which are different to standard strategic management theories and practices. Innovative companies often need to raise capital from external sources because they do not have sufficient internal resources or cannot access loans. They typically look for venture capital or business angels to provide them with the financing they need to expand, break into new markets, and grow faster. Innovative companies famous for receiving venture capital or business angel funding early in their development include Apple, Microsoft, Google and Amazon. Recently, the explosion of crowdfunding platforms has signalled a new era for the innovation finance industry.

This module introduces you to the main concepts and management tools for innovation activities and analyses all stages of the entrepreneurial funding ladder for innovative companies. It examines the main forms of entrepreneurial finance and the investment process; how private equity and venture capital funds, business angels and crowdfunding platforms work; how firms become investment ready, raise external finance and how to they finally exit. You also learn about wider framework conditions that have a bearing on business innovation, including availability of entrepreneurial finance, public policies and agencies promoting innovation.

The aim of this module is to:

  • develop an understanding of the role and relevance of innovation activities in an organisational context;
  • enable you to reflect productively on your individual and team capacities to act as innovation managers in identifying and exploiting opportunities, developing entrepreneurial / intrapreneurial management behaviours and skills whilst coping with uncertainty, risks and complexity;
  • develop in-depth knowledge of the entrepreneurial finance industry including private equity, venture capital, business angels and crowdfunding, including a good understanding on how such instruments differ from other types of corporate finance;
  • understand the decision-making process with respect to screening and selecting of business proposals, negotiating and structuring the deal, following up on investments, and exiting; and
  • enhance and develop key skills in pitching to venture capitalists and develop an appreciation on the evaluation of business opportunities from a VC point of view. To further learn how VCs structure deals, monitor and add value to their portfolio companies.
Entrepreneurship and Growth of Innovative Businesses

30 credits

The module introduces the concepts of entrepreneurship and business growth and provides an opportunity to begin exploring their practice, particularly in relation to innovative businesses. Entrepreneurship is defined as a set of behaviours and also as process through which opportunities are discovered, evaluated and exploited. Once a new venture is created however, a major challenge faced by many entrepreneurs is how to grow their new businesses using different growth strategies, in order to ensure the survival and long-term sustainability of the new enterprises. The importance of entrepreneurship and business growth is underlined in national and international policy initiatives in both advanced and developing countries. You will learn about issues related to sustainable development and business ethics, particularly in the areas of entrepreneurship. The module covers entrepreneurship not just in the developed countries but also in developing countries. Therefore, case studies, videos and examples will be drawn from entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial organisations in different parts of the developing world, such as India, China, Nigeria, Kenya and other developing countries. Through this module you will explore and develop your own entrepreneurial capabilities including creative problem solving, idea exploration, business model and development of growth strategies. Entrepreneurship and growth are relevant to all types of organisations and environment - public sector, not-for-profit and for-profit, small and large businesses, so the module is relevant to students from different backgrounds and motivations.

Management, Strategy and International Entrepreneurship

30 credits

The success of an organisation depends on the ability to make fast, widely supported and high quality decisions on a frequent basis. Many of such decisions affect the long-term ability of the organisation to succeed and remain sustainable. Management, Strategy and International Entrepreneurship is a module that involves studying a mixture of processes by which social and economic organisations assimilate and process information as well as interpret and make decisions within their environments. These decisions tend to involve imitating their competitors or differentiating themselves from them. Contemporary strategic decisions tend to involve learning, flexibility and adaptation rather than rigid, mechanistic processes of their planning era. Students will learn about issues related to sustainable development and business ethics, particularly in the areas of management, strategy and international entrepreneurship. The strategic decision making issues will be covered in the module both in the contexts of advanced and developing countries. Therefore, case studies and examples will be drawn from organisations in different international contexts.

Design Thinking for Start Ups

30 credits

This module aims to give you the knowledge and understanding of creative and business behaviours necessary for developing a product/service and establishing an innovative multidisciplinary business enterprise. You will work in teams to set up a business. Business mentors will be available to coach the teams.

The aim of this module is to:

  • critically evaluate and apply design thinking practices into new enterprise ventures;
  • gain first-hand experience of managing and developing a start-up business through multidisciplinary collaboration including management and leadership theories in the context of the creative economy;
  • develop a professional presence through social media; and
  • critically reflect and apply the entrepreneurial and social media skills learnt through the venture to future career goals including creative and innovative individual leading capabilities.
Research Proposal and Research Project

60 credits

This module provides you with the opportunity to research a specific area of start-up venture, established organisation, policy instrument or program linked to entrepreneurship, innovation and small business development. It involves the identification of a research question which merits investigation using appropriate theory and research methods in order to be able to make sound, evidence-based, managerial recommendations. You will write a research proposal followed by a research project, combining academic rigour with practical implications. This will be a theoretically-grounded and scientific research project leading to findings that will inform policy making decisions.

You will have the opportunity to apply research skills, as well as acquire capabilities for independently managing a large-scale research project. The module also enables you to draw together and implement the knowledge and skills gained in other modules of the course. The module will aid you in developing and practising a set of advanced research skills which will equip you for making sound business plans for start-up venture, or established firms; or policy interventions in the area of entrepreneurship and innovation underpinned by objectively-determined evidence.

This course is made up of 5 core modules.

Core modules

Innovation Management, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Policy

30 credits

Entrepreneurship and innovation play a vital role in a country's economic development and growth. Several countries (e.g. Japan, Singapore and Israel) and cities (e.g. Dubai) have experienced dramatic growth as a result of their sustained efforts to promote entrepreneurship and innovation via value-creating industries, products, services and jobs. However, increased innovation performance of a country or a region does not happen in a vacuum. Multilateral organisations (such as the European Union and the World Bank) and governments from around the world have been increasingly exploring ways of increasing entrepreneurship and innovation levels through policy measures and programmes. The module will examine the fiscal and non-fiscal policy measures employed by countries and regions to stimulate innovation such as tax incentives, regulation, financial incentives for investments in start-ups and R&D, and programs such as innovation vouchers, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program in the United States and the SMEs Financial Instrument in the European Union.

Entrepreneurship and Growth of Innovative Businesses

30 credits

The module introduces the concepts of entrepreneurship and business growth and provides an opportunity to begin exploring their practice, particularly in relation to innovative businesses. Entrepreneurship is defined as a set of behaviours and also as process through which opportunities are discovered, evaluated and exploited. Once a new venture is created however, a major challenge faced by many entrepreneurs is how to grow their new businesses using different growth strategies, in order to ensure the survival and long-term sustainability of the new enterprises. The importance of entrepreneurship and business growth is underlined in national and international policy initiatives in both advanced and developing countries. You will learn about issues related to sustainable development and business ethics, particularly in the areas of entrepreneurship. The module covers entrepreneurship not just in the developed countries but also in developing countries. Therefore, case studies, videos and examples will be drawn from entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial organisations in different parts of the developing world, such as India, China, Nigeria, Kenya and other developing countries. Through this module you will explore and develop your own entrepreneurial capabilities including creative problem solving, idea exploration, business model and development of growth strategies. Entrepreneurship and growth are relevant to all types of organisations and environment - public sector, not-for-profit and for-profit, small and large businesses, so the module is relevant to students from different backgrounds and motivations.

Management, Strategy and International Entrepreneurship

30 credits

The success of an organisation depends on the ability to make fast, widely supported and high quality decisions on a frequent basis. Many of such decisions affect the long-term ability of the organisation to succeed and remain sustainable. Management, Strategy and International Entrepreneurship is a module that involves studying a mixture of processes by which social and economic organisations assimilate and process information as well as interpret and make decisions within their environments. These decisions tend to involve imitating their competitors or differentiating themselves from them. Contemporary strategic decisions tend to involve learning, flexibility and adaptation rather than rigid, mechanistic processes of their planning era. Students will learn about issues related to sustainable development and business ethics, particularly in the areas of management, strategy and international entrepreneurship. The strategic decision making issues will be covered in the module both in the contexts of advanced and developing countries. Therefore, case studies and examples will be drawn from organisations in different international contexts.

Research Proposal and Research Project

60 credits

This module provides you with the opportunity to research a specific area of start-up venture, established organisation, policy instrument or program linked to entrepreneurship, innovation and small business development. It involves the identification of a research question which merits investigation using appropriate theory and research methods in order to be able to make sound, evidence-based, managerial recommendations. You will write a research proposal followed by a research project, combining academic rigour with practical implications. This will be a theoretically-grounded and scientific research project leading to findings that will inform policy making decisions.

You will have the opportunity to apply research skills, as well as acquire capabilities for independently managing a large-scale research project. The module also enables you to draw together and implement the knowledge and skills gained in other modules of the course. The module will aid you in developing and practising a set of advanced research skills which will equip you for making sound business plans for start-up venture, or established firms; or policy interventions in the area of entrepreneurship and innovation underpinned by objectively-determined evidence.

Design Thinking for Start Ups

30 credits

This module aims to give you the knowledge and understanding of creative and business behaviours necessary for developing a product/service and establishing an innovative multidisciplinary business enterprise. You will work in teams to set up a business. Business mentors will be available to coach the teams.

The aim of this module is to:

  • critically evaluate and apply design thinking practices into new enterprise ventures;
  • gain first-hand experience of managing and developing a start-up business through multidisciplinary collaboration including management and leadership theories in the context of the creative economy;
  • develop a professional presence through social media; and
  • critically reflect and apply the entrepreneurial and social media skills learnt through the venture to future career goals including creative and innovative individual leading capabilities.

The professional placement year is optional. It takes place after the full-time year. It allows students to do a 12-month work placement as part of their course. The work placement is an assessed part of the course and is therefore covered by a Student Route visa.

Find out more about the postgraduate work placement scheme.

Core modules

Professional Placement

120 credits

The Professional Placement module is a core module for those students following a masters programme that incorporates an extended professional placement that follows completion of the first 180 credits of taught modules and project or dissertation. It provides students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in an appropriate working environment, and to develop and enhance key employability skills and subject specific skills in their chosen subject.

It is the responsibility of individual students to locate and secure a suitable placement opportunity; this will normally involve one placement which must be completed over a minimum period of 10 months and within a maximum of 12 months. The placement must be approved by the module leader prior to commencement to ensure its suitability.

Student experience on this course

Competitions and challenges

Students on this course have the opportunity to participate in a range of competitions including idea development events and workshops.

'Dragons' Den

Students pitch their ideas to real investors.

Bright Ideas

A University-wide competition that seeks out innovative products and business concepts.

Hackathon

Learn to solve problems creatively in partnership with local charities.

Mayor's Entrepreneur Competition

Submit a business idea that can make London a better place to live and work!

Life on this course

Experiential visit

Hear about one of the visits to different environments on this course.

Expert talk

Students had the opportunity to learn from an industry speaker.

Experiential visit

Students visit Glaxo Pharmaceutical global headquarters in London.

four students chatting in a lecture theatre

Future Leaders: Active Learning Groups

Students can meet to enhance their module-based learning, understanding and solving specific issues and topics.

What our students say

This journey has been nothing short of transformative, and one of the best aspects of studying at Kingston was the personalised attention we received as a cohort. Coming from a fashion background, I joined the course to expand my knowledge and skill set in business. The course offered abundant opportunities to explore the industry of our choice through assignment selection, which proved immensely beneficial.

The course provided ample time for reflection, allowing me to absorb and internalise the invaluable knowledge imparted. My tip for future students is to seize every opportunity, learn as much as you can, and embrace the extra activities offered - it's an investment in your own growth if you take the chance!

I have developed the essential skills needed to launch my own fashion label. Being part of Kingston University has undoubtedly elevated my network and career prospects. As I look back on this incredible journey, I am filled with gratitude for the enriching experiences, supportive faculty, and remarkable connections I've made. I am excited about the future and the limitless possibilities that lie ahead.

Gurleen Kaur, student and course rep 2022-23

Gurleen Kaur, student and course rep 2022-23

The course is delivered in a practical manner, with professors emphasising the application of theory through engaging exercises. These included activities such as seeking business funds and validating ideas, providing us with valuable real-world experience.

One of the highlights was the opportunity to collaborate with fellow classmates in starting a business, fostering relationships that extend beyond the classroom. We also had the opportunity to engage with industry experts who offered insightful talks based on their own experiences, as well as their practical approaches to dealing with complex business problems, which added depth to our learning journey.

Azukile Nzuzo, student 2022-23

Azukile Nzuzo, student 2022-23

As students in 2020-21, we had to adapt quickly to a completely new way of learning and teaching. Our lecturers and the university have managed and adapted to this future trend of education. The teaching style from our lecturers has been commendable. Industry insights from their past experience helped make lectures really interesting.

Our assessments required us to carry out indirect learning, through academic articles and also reading industry articles such as Deloitte and McKinsey. We were also pushed to think out of the box and come up with solutions based on what the industries will look like five to ten years from now."

Asad Sheriff, student and course rep 2020–21

Asad Sheriff, student and course rep 2020–21

To take all our theoretical knowledge and apply it to a real-life business environment, we formed small teams to develop a start-up company. This was a challenging but rewarding hands-on experience. We started our companies from scratch, so as a first step, we learnt how to register a business in the UK. The team had to develop a service or product idea and create a prototype accordingly, which then we had to take it to the market. This meant that the team was attending trade fairs to introduce the business. Our first fair was in the Kingston Business School which served as a learning process where we could practise our pitching and marketing skills.

All in all, the one-year programme was packed with incredible opportunities to grow, gain new skills and to network with other students and business experts. Besides the connections made, we leave Kingston University with a strong education, equipped with highly valued employability skills."

Bettina Gardasz, student 2019–20

Entry requirements

Typical offer

A 2:2 or above honours degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline.

Candidates with non-standard qualifications but with relevant experience are welcome to apply.

International

Please note: most students from countries outside the European Union/European Economic Area and classified as overseas fee paying, are not eligible to apply for part-time courses due to UK student visa regulations. For information on exceptions please visit the UKCISA website or email our CAS and Visa Compliance team.

All non-UK applicants must meet our English language requirement, which is Academic IELTS of 6.5 overall with no element below 6.0. Make sure you read our full guidance about English language requirements, which includes details of other qualifications we consider.

Applicants who do not meet the English language requirements could be eligible to join our pre-sessional English language course.

Applicants from recognised majority-English-speaking countries (MESCs) do not need to meet these requirements.

Country-specific information

You will find more information on country-specific entry requirements in the International section of our website.

Find your country:

Teaching and assessment

Guided independent study (self-managed time)

When not attending timetabled sessions, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. This typically will involve reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for exams. Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities including online resources, the library and CANVAS, the online virtual learning platform.

Support for postgraduate students

As a student at Kingston University, we will make sure you have access to appropriate advice regarding your academic development. You will also be able to use the University's support services

Your workload

Type of learning and teaching

Year 1

Professional Placement Year

Year 1
  • Scheduled learning and teaching: 290 hours
  • Guided independent study (self-managed time): 1510 hours
Professional Placement Year
  • Scheduled learning and teaching: 50 hours
  • Guided independent study (self-managed time): 1150 hours

 

  • Year 1: 16% of your time is spent in timetabled learning and teaching activity.
  • Contact hours may vary depending on your modules.

How you will be assessed

Individual and group coursework, time-constrained coursework and research project that reflects real business situations or exploration of entrepreneurship, innovation or policy research topics.

The approximate percentage for how you will be assessed on this course is as follows, though depends to some extent on the optional modules you choose:

Type of assessment

Year 1

Professional placement

Year 1
  • Coursework: 88%
  • Practical: 12%
Professional placement
  • Coursework: 100%

Feedback summary

We aim to provide feedback on assessments within 20 working days.

Class sizes

You will be part of an intimate cohort of students which provides dedicated academic guidance and advice and the opportunity to build a life-long network of colleagues. Some modules are common across other postgraduate programmes therefore you may be taught alongside students who are on these courses within the Business School.

Who teaches this course?

You will be taught by an experienced teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on this course. The team includes senior academics and professional practitioners with industry experience. The following group of staff members are currently involved in the delivery of different elements of this course. This pool is subject to change at any time within the academic year.

The teaching staff have produced high quality research that informs our teaching in the areas of entrepreneurial funding, innovation and creativity, and we effectively bridge theory with practice in those areas. More information can be found at the Foresight, Creativity and Decision Making Research Hub.

Fees for this course

2024/25 fees for this course

Home 2024/25

  • MSc full time £12,900

International 2024/25

  • MSc full time £18,900

2023/24 fees for this course

Home 2023/24

  • MSc full time £12,100

International 2023/24

  • MSc full time £17,500

Fees for the optional placement year

If you choose to take a placement as part of this course, you will be invoiced for the placement fee in Year 2. Find out more about the postgraduate work placement scheme and the costs for the placement year.

Postgraduate loans

If you are a UK student, resident in England and are aged under the age of 60, you will be able to apply for a loan to study for a postgraduate degree. For more information, read the postgraduate loan information on the government's website.

Scholarships and bursaries

Kingston University offers a range of postgraduate scholarships, including:

If you are an international student, find out more about scholarships and bursaries.

We also offer the following discounts for Kingston University alumni:

Additional costs

Depending on the programme of study, there may be extra costs that are not covered by tuition fees which students will need to consider when planning their studies. Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessment and operating University facilities such as the library, access to shared IT equipment and other support services. Accommodation and living costs are not included in our fees. 

Where a course has additional expenses, we make every effort to highlight them. These may include optional field trips, materials (e.g. art, design, engineering), security checks such as DBS, uniforms, specialist clothing or professional memberships.

Textbooks

Our libraries are a valuable resource with an extensive collection of books and journals as well as first-class facilities and IT equipment.

Computer equipment

There are open-access networked computers available across the University, plus laptops available to loan. You may find it useful to have your own PC, laptop or tablet which you can use around campus and in halls of residence. Free WiFi is available on each of the campuses. You may wish to purchase your own computer, which can cost from £100 to £3,000 depending on your course requirements.

Photocopying and printing

In the majority of cases written coursework can be submitted online. There may be instances when you will be required to submit work in a printed format. Printing, binding and photocopying costs are not included in your tuition fees, this may cost up to £100 per year.

Travel

Travel costs are not included in your tuition fees but we do have a free intersite bus service which links the campuses, Surbiton train station, Kingston upon Thames train station, Norbiton train station and halls of residence.

Materials

Students will be required to buy an online case study for teaching. This will cost approximately £120.

Additional costs (course specific)

Students will raise funds and invest in their start-up company. Each team of four will need to raise £1000.

After you graduate

You will have the opportunity to enhance your employability skills through the practical relevance of the modules, the strong networks with the industry practitioners, the exposure to external entrepreneurial competitions, the Kingston Business School networking events and the University careers and employability services. You will enhance your emotional and social skills as requested by employers across the world (World Economic Forum Report, 2018).

You will be ready to start/grow your own business or work in an innovation/business development role, or in governmental organisations, embassies, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) via the Policy pathway.

Job titles of recent graduates include project manager, co-founder, social entrepreneur, entrepreneurship and incubation manager, and PhD candidate.

Course changes and regulations

The information on this page reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. To improve your student experience and the quality of your degree, we may review and change the material information of this course. Course changes explained.

Programme Specifications for the course are published ahead of each academic year.

Regulations governing this course can be found on our website.