University of Washington’s Foster School of Business: MS in Entrepreneurship

About the Program

The University of Washington has been classified as the #1 most innovative public university in the world by Reuters and with Seattle as a global innovation hub, our program is the ideal place to gain the confidence, competence, and community to launch and grow a new venture. The 12-month Master of Science in Entrepreneurship is as rigorous as an MBA and follows the same path as a startup—with a curriculum designed to guide students through a real-world entrepreneurial process used to develop new companies.

Ideal candidates for Foster’s MS in Entrepreneurship are those who, whether a recent graduate or with 5 – 15 years of professional experience have a business idea they’re passionate to develop. The application is entirely online and a GRE or GMAT score is not required to apply.

Program Format and Schedule

The MS in Entrepreneurship attracts a diverse cohort of around 30 students who come to UW each June to form a supportive entrepreneurial peer group, advisory board, and future network. The program draws on the competences of Foster faculty, local entrepreneurs, and practitioners to deliver 46 credits in a four-quarter experience on campus. The curriculum embodies the startup process from ideation and testing to refining and preparing to scale, culminating with a capstone project: the UW Dempsey Startup Competition. In fact, a graduate from the 2020 cohort won the grand prize for his startup, along with $25,000 towards launching his venture.

Developing and refining a startup idea takes the place of the thesis students would write in other master’s programs. This idea can — and should — change over the course of the program as students engage in real-world customer discovery and lean testing of their core assumptions, applying class content and working with expert mentors.

By the end of the program, students will be able to demonstrate the ability to:

• Find and evaluate entrepreneurial opportunities
• Lead and coordinate entrepreneurial teams
• Build and grow a new venture
• Find and build customers
• And develop financing strategies and manage profitability for a new venture.