ECTS
60 credits
Duration
1 year
Training Structure
Institute of Business Administration (IAE)
Language(s) of Instruction
French
Overview
The CEI master’s track is part of the Innovation Management specialization, along with three other tracks: Innovative Project Management (MPI), e-Marketing, and Digital Transformation Management (MTD).
The goal of this track is to enable students to pursue a professional project in the field of innovation with a major specialization (one of the tracks) while fostering strong interdisciplinary integration among these four specializations through a framework combining innovation, digital, marketing, and strategy (business model).
The Master’s in Innovative Business Creation (CEI) includes specialized seminars, an assignment at an innovative company, and an internship.
The program alternates between academic instruction and experiential learning to address the management of innovative projects and the creation of innovative businesses, in partnership with professionals specializing in business support in the areas of
development through innovation.
Objectives
The CEI Master’s program is designed for individuals whose goals include:
► Leading a personal business startup project involving the launch of new products or services
► Serving as a project or mission manager within an innovative company.
► To develop consulting or research activities in innovation and entrepreneurship.
The two CEI tracks are primarily geared toward the goal of founding an innovative company, but also toward consulting and support activities in innovation and entrepreneurship. Our vision of innovation management is primarily entrepreneurial, which explains the strong overlap between the CEI and MPI tracks.
Expertise and Skills
This unique approach enables a cross-disciplinary study of all subjects. It emphasizes competencies—particularly cross-disciplinary competencies and soft skills—which, since its inception in 2001 with the creation of the CEI Master’s program, have formed the foundation of the program’s pedagogy: teamwork, independence, problem-solving, communication, and critical thinking.
Courses and activities prioritize active and experiential learning. There are strong synergies among the program’s tracks, allowing for extensive course sharing and fostering closer ties among students across the tracks. In particular, the Disrupt Campus Montpellier program is integrated into all four tracks of the program; it is an innovative educational initiative designed to support the digital transformation of businesses: https://digitalstudentchallenge.umontpellier.fr
Finally, the development of a truly open-minded approach among students is fostered through innovative and entrepreneurial management approaches (design thinking, lean startup, agile methodology, Lego Serious Play, the Disrupt Campus Montpellier program, etc.).
Organization
Open on an alternating basis
This program is offered as a work-study program.
Program
Admission
Admission Requirements
For the CEI track, the admissions process gives priority to students who plan to start an innovative business. Prior academic background is not a specific factor in the admissions process, even though the other three tracks within the program prioritize dual expertise—that is, students who do not come from economics or business management backgrounds (e.g., science or technology, engineering, sports, law, psychology, etc.). The applicant’s motivation and interest in innovation, as well as their entrepreneurial and innovative abilities, are key factors in the evaluation process. Work-study programs (apprenticeships or professional contracts) are preferred: they are considered an integral part of the career plan, which is a factor in the admissions decision.
In fact, the master’s program is designed to enable students to develop a career plan through a work-study program: periods of coursework alternate with periods in a company. Students may also work on their business start-up project during the work-study periods, under the PEPITE program.
Pursuing a Ph.D. is also possible as part of the dual degree program with the REM Master’s in Research and Management Studies.
Registration Procedures
Selection based on application materials and an interview.
Target Audience
Students with a background in science or technology
Mandatory Prerequisites
Admission to the M1 program:
Students who have earned 180 ECTS credits, corresponding to three years of higher education (Bac + 3, Bachelor’s degree, business schools).
And then
Continuing Education
Students have the option of continuing their studies by pursuing a Ph.D. in management sciences.
Employment Placement
►The development of innovative companies
►Innovation consulting and support for business creation
►Immediate or future business creation
►Research