Business Development and Entrepreneurship 

Overview

The Business Development and Entrepreneurship  programme at Utrecht University  is based on Utrecht University’s world class research in the domain of entrepreneurship and innovation, and the interaction with business strategy and policy practice by U.S.E. staff members and lecturers. 

It also draws upon the broad international research network of the Utrecht Center for Entrepreneurship.

In the Master in Business Development and Entrepreneurship you focus on:

• venture development, creating the right environment and context for new ventures to thrive;

• capturing value from innovation;

• product and service development;

• entrepreneurial marketing using methods like co-creation with customers and design thinking;

•  obtaining and managing (venture) capital.

Programme Objectives 

Master’s programme in Business Development and Entrepreneurship provides you with:

• The tools, skills and techniques to recognise and develop new opportunities within established organisations as well as start-ups;

• Market analysis and empirical techniques for such analysis, including customer development;

• Strategy creation abilities. Special attention is paid to the launch of new products and services;

• Competences for organising and managing fast-growing corporations and corporate units, internally as well as in value-creating networks;

• Knowledge of how to finance new ventures, especially in a corporate environment.

Career Prospects

In the past three decades, most large corporations have been shrinking. Many of them have outsourced a substantial part of their employment to other countries, often outside of Europe. 

Strong employment numbers in developed economies come largely from new, fast growing companies with an agile and entrepreneurial approach. These companies demand different skills, knowledge and mindsets from their employees than in the old hierarchical environment of business. 

And increasingly ambitious, young professionals are self-employed, launching their own entrepreneurial businesses.

Positions by graduates of this programme could include:

• Entrepreneur, often in a team.

• Business Developer, often within a fast growing corporation or business unit, but possibly also in the public-private context of incubators.

• Marketeer,  often focused on the launch of new products and services (with research skills  for this purpose).

• Venture Finance Analyst, as the review of business plans within financial corporations grows more important each day.

Accreditation

Accredited by the NVAO - Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders.