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Free University of Bozen-Bolzano

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Master in

Entrepreneurship and Innovation

The essence of entrepreneurship and innovation is to cope with unmet needs and problems by creating novel solutions, new products or services, and new ventures.  

Course description

Creating a new venture or managing innovation processes in existing companies requires a particular mindset, where problems are opportunities, knowledge is continuously enhancing, and learning essentially means the ability to learn how to learn, from a problem-solving perspective. This is what we call entrepreneurial logic. Complexity and uncertainty cannot be controlled or eliminated, but they can be understood and managed. 

This programme gives the students a unique combination of in-depth theoretical knowledge and authentic learning experience on entrepreneurship and innovation. 

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Courses will definetely be starting

Online Info Sessions

We offer online information sessions in the coming months during which the master programme will be presented and where interested students can address their questions to professors and students. The Info Sessions take place on the following days:

  • Tuesday, 19 March 2024, 18:15 (CET): register here

At a glance

Degree class: LM-77
ECTS Credits: 120
Duration of the course: 2 years
Courses will be taught in: English
Places available: 50 EU + 5 non-EU
Campus: Bozen-Bolzano, NOI techpark Bozen-Bolzano
Tuition fees: ca. € 1350 per year

Structure of the course

The study plan is structured into four semesters and consists of 16 courses plus the final master thesis.

The first semester consists of only mandatory courses to set up a common ground. The semester starts with an introductory session to the Bitz unibz fablab. Growth mindset is a mind-breaking course that takes you to approach problems through complementary perspectives: network thinking, algorithmic thinking, and design thinking. While developing skills in modeling, coding, and prototyping, you’ll acquire new ways of thinking and reflecting on problems and solutions. Foundations of entrepreneurship provides a sound understanding of entrepreneurial logic and how to create value for customers and stakeholders.

At the beginning of the second semester, you choose the stream that better fits your aspirations and goals. Entrepreneurship is the stream for the students aiming at founding a new venture, while Innovation & Management is the stream for those students who aspire to work and make an impact in innovative firms. 

In the fourth semester students attend a project-based course to further develop their new venture (Project LAB – Startup) or to take part in a real project of open innovation with selected business partners (Project LAB – Corporate Innovation). Finally, the master thesis is an original study that gives you the opportunity to develop and apply research skills to acquire in-depth expertise in a specific topic you choose. 

Every year we organize a field trip to observe and study an entrepreneurial ecosystem. Students visited Silicon Valley, Israel, Lisbon, Berlin, Tallin, New York, Iceland, Oslo, Toulouse, etc. 

Classes take place at the Bozen-Bolzano campus and at NOI Techpark Bozen-Bolzano, one of the partners of this programme. 

Study course structure

People

Degree Course director: Prof. Alessandro Narduzzo (photo)
Student Representative in the Course Council: Salomé Florence Grandinger

Peer tutoring

First-year students will be supported through a personalised tutoring aimed at welcoming them and guiding them in their educational path. Each student will be assigned to a peer tutor, who, for example, will assist them in organising their study activities, in choosing courses to attend or with general questions about student life at unibz.

Exchange programmes und internships

Currently we offer exchange programmes with partner universities all over the world and we are part of a large network of collaboration with employers in Italy and abroad.

Career opportunities

Our graduates can start new ventures. In the last years, our students and alumni co-founded more than 15 new companies. Alternatively, our graduates are hired by innovative firms, by consulting firms, or eventually join their family business. 

Graduates express a convinced satisfaction with this study program, and the large majority of them say they would re-enroll in the same degree program again.

go to the survey (in Italian)

Kathrin Pichler

CEO of Wentiquattro - Bozen-Bolzano, Italy

I am fascinated by the way in which initial ideas develop into new products. Approaching this development path in a structured way is the focus of this master programme. Thanks to this programme, I was able to acquire the necessary skills to go through the innovation process step by step. I have learned to find business ideas, test them, and elaborate them in a business plan. I am head of the Innovation and New Markets department at the lvh Wirtschaftsverband Handwerk und Dienstleister. I also founded the company Wentiquattro. I recommend this Master to all those who are curious, who are motivated to create something of their own, who like to challenge themselves and have a drive to create something good in this world that makes life easier and enriches other people's lives.

Lena Esseln

German Entrepreneurship, Munich

This programme was an invaluable investment in my career. The mix of theoretical and practical learning experiences helped me develop a deep understanding of the startup ecosystem. Today, as part of a leading startup accelerator, I'm able to leverage the knowledge gained to nurture high-potential startups, as well as move the organisation forward strategically. The programme's focus on customer-centricity, business model development, and market research has been particularly helpful in driving innovation and growth. Additionally, courses like finance and statistics have equipped me with the skills to evaluate different business models and make data-driven decisions. Overall, the programme has been instrumental in shaping my career and helping me contribute to the success of the startups and ecosystem partners I am working with.

Nick Preda

CEO at CIBUSPAY, Bozen-Bolzano, Trento, Padova

This programme taught me valuable lessons to launch Cibuspay! From the lessons on open innovation to the practical workshops on how to generate ideas, create business plans around them and finally pitch them in a convincing way, I have managed to start a company that is disrupting the old-fashioned B2B ways of paying in Italy. Without understanding in class the importance of putting the user first, asking for feedback and listening to the market, and trying it out in class and with outside mentors, I wouldn't have been able to start and run a start-up. In addition, the statistics and finance classes helped me to create and improve business plans for different business models independently and easily, to understand which way to go at different stages of the start-up, without the need for external consultants

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Studying at unibz

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Coming to unibz from Abroad

Everything you need to know as a degree-seeking applicant or as an incoming exchange student

Campus Tours

You can book a tour of the Bozen-Bolzano campus with one of our Student Ambassadors and have the chance to visit unibz and get a glimpse of your future student life. Visits are available every working day, Monday to Friday, from 6 March to 6 May 2024.

Application and Admission

You can find all you need to know in order to apply and gain admission to this study programme by browsing through the information below.

Early Bird Application

Application: 01/03 - 07/05/2024 (by noon local time)
Language exams (online): 18/03/2024 (fully booked) and 17 - 18 - 19 and 22 - 23/04/2024 (registration: 25/03 - 09/04/2024)
Publication of ranking lists: by 28/05/2024
Payment of the 1st instalment of the tuition fees: by 06/06/2024 (by noon local time)
Enrolment: from 12/07 - 15/10/2024 (by noon local time) 

Late Application (only for EU citizens)

Application: 29/05 - 18/07/2024 (by noon local time)
Language exams: 24 - 29/06/2024 (registration: 29/05 - 16/06/2024)
Publication of ranking lists: by 07/08/2024
Payment of the 1st instalment of the tuition fees: by 20/08/2024 (by noon local time)
Enrolment: from publication of the ranking list until 15/10/2024 (by noon local time)

Additional Application Session (only for EU citizens)

The Faculty can open additional application sessions for single study programmes in August and in September if there are available spaces. More information on additional sessions will be published in due course.

Preparatory courses and Freshers Days

Intensive language courses: 02 - 20/09/2024 (Monday to Friday, 6 h/day)
Mathematics pre-course: 23/09 - 04/10/2024
Freshers Days: 30/09 - 01/10/2024

1st semester

Classes: 30/09 - 23/12/2024
Exams (extraordinary session): 12 - 23/12/2024
Holidays: 24/12/2024 - 06/01/2025
Classes: 07/01 - 25/01/2025
Exams: 27/01 - 15/02/2025

2nd semester

Classes: 03/03 - 17/04/2025
Holidays: 18- 21/04/2025
Classes: 22/04 - 14/06/2025
Exams (extraordinary session): 15 - 24/05/2025
Exams: 16/06 - 12/07/2025

Autumn session

Exams: 25/08 - 27/09/2025

The Advisory Service provides support regarding your choice of study. In many cases a simple call or a short request is enough to get the relevant information (Tel. +39 0471 012100).

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