General Information

The Strategic Technology Management (STM) certificate program is designed for students with an engineering background who aspire to rise in management, make higher level strategic technology/business decisions, and develop leadership skills. From an innovation viewpoint, this program will provide students with the understanding and the tools to propose initiatives, incubate new ventures, and participate in the process of innovation and market adoption within corporate environments.

This program is designed to provide a multiplier effect on the value of an engineering degree by offering students the opportunity to explore the ways that technological innovations are created and adopted throughout the modern world. The certificate program is composed of three credit hours of fundamental courses and at least three hours of elective courses. The required portion integrates concepts of business strategy and the entrepreneurial process of innovation. Electives are intended to allow students to choose one or more focus areas in order to develop strengths in legal, finance, design, or quality issues and to complement the main focus of technology strategy.

Strategic Technology Management courses are taught by Fortune 500 executives, leading innovators in engineering, top legal experts, and distinguished academics.

Program Requirements

Individuals who wish to obtain a certificate in Strategic Technology Management must:

• Hold a bachelor's degree
• Complete ECE 498 LE (formerly GE 498 LH) -- Advanced Lectures in Engineering Entrepreneurship (1 hour)
• Complete any combination of the following core courses, for a total of two credit hours
• GE 560 (formerly GE 598 BV2) -- Managing Advanced Technology in Industry (1 hour)
• GE 598 IS -- Technology Innovation and Strategy (2 hours)
• GE 598 VFS -- Venture Funded Startups (1 hour)
• Complete any combination of the following elective courses for a total of at least three credit hours:
• GE 498 GRN -- An Entrepreneurial Approach to Green Engineering (3 hours)
• Coming in Fall 2008!    GE 498 SM -- Sales and Marketing for Engineers (2 hours)
• GE 561 (formerly GE 598 BV3) -- Case Studies in Managing Advanced Technology in Industry (1 hour)
  
• GE 598 FM -- Financial Statement Analysis (1 hour) - OR -
  GE 598 FM2 -- Finance for Engineering Managers (2 hours)
• GE 598 JK -- Legal Issues in Entrepreneurship (3 hours)

(Note: students may include core courses that are not used to satisfy the core requirement as elective courses. Example: if a student completes Managing Advanced Technology and Venture-Funded Startups to satisfy the core two hours, they may take Technology Innovation and Strategy as an elective course.)
If completed before the Spring 2008 semester, GE 498 QE and GE 498 TEE will count as electives toward the STM certificate.

• Earn at least a B- in each course
• Submit the following materials upon completion of coursework:
  
  • Application form
  • Transcript of the courses you’ve completed toward the STM certificate
    Click here for information on Ordering Transcripts.
  • Processing fee: $65 check made payable to the University of Illinois
    
  
  All materials must be submitted to the Technology Entrepreneur Center (TEC).

  Room 313 Ceramic Engineering Building
  105 S. Goodwin
  Urbana, IL 61801
  Attn: TEC - Certificate Programs
  

Courses completed as part of the STM certificate, may be applied to a graduate degree. We currently offer a Master of Computer Science (MCS) and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME) online. Up to 12 hours of course work completed prior to being admitted to the Graduate College, with a grade of at least a B, may be petitioned to count toward a graduate degree (courses must be no more than five years old prior to admission to the Graduate College). Admission to a certificate program is not a guarantee of future admission to a degree program.