The Fogelman College of Business & Economics at the University of Memphis is offering many unique programs and the one we are excited about is the MBA program with the Entrepreneurship track. It is unique in the sense that it is the only free full-time MBA program designed to provide students with the range of skills and facilitators they will need to start and grow their own technology-based company. The Fogelman College of Business & Economics offers students a tuition-free graduate education with a $6000 stipend. As an additional benefit, each student will be assigned an external mentor who has experience in the student’s chosen technical and industrial sector.

The full-time Entrepreneurship MBA is a 5-semester program that entails intensive study in traditional disciplines as well as in-depth training focused on development of the student’s ability to write and defend a fundable business plan. The capstone project will be a presentation of the plan to a panel of potential investors with the goal of securing seed funding appropriate to launch the business. Upon graduation, students can rely on incubators in Memphis for their start-ups if they so choose.
The students in this MBA program in Entrepreneurship will take classes with students in the innovative and prestigious Customer-Driven MBA. To learn more about the CDMBA program please visit http://www.memphis.edu/fcbe/customer_driven_MBA.php. While the CDMBA program admits students with high GPAs, GMAT scores and work experience, the admission criteria for the entrepreneurship track is different. They seek students with a passion for becoming entrepreneurs. They leave it up to the students as to how they choose to convince the admissions committee. But clearly, a solid undergraduate degree and a reasonable GMAT score (about 600) are required.

The AACSB accredited MBA curriculum will encompass business core courses as well as courses on developing essential skills: critical thinking, creativity, innovation and problem solving; emotional intelligence, teamwork, leadership; and governance and ethics. In addition, the entrepreneurship track encompasses specialized electives and a Business Plan that is developed over the 21 month period of the Full-time MBA program. Please visit http://www.memphis.edu/fcbe/cdmba_curriculum.php for more details about the curriculum.

Entrepreneurs at all levels of experience can benefit from knowledgeable mentors. An industry-specific professional assigned to each student will be available for 1:1 interactions to act as sounding board, business plan reviewer, and link to networks of other professionals. Additionally, members of the local investor community will also be available, as-needed, to coach the student on their presentation skills.

Entrepreneurs from Memphis have changed the world by following their dreams. FedEx, Auto Zone, and Holiday Inn are some of the examples of companies that have started from Memphis. Memphis is also a hotbed for entrepreneurial activity in the Biomedical Devices area as it has companies such as Smith & Nephew, Medtronic and Wright Medical housed here. Each year the Fogelman Entrepreneurship MBA will give dreamers the skills to continue this tradition.

If you are or anyone you know is interested in this program, please let me know. And I’ll be happy to nominate. You may contact Dr. Greg Boller at gboller@memphis.edu if you need more information about the MBA program or Dr. Kevin Boggs at kpboggs@memhis.edu if you need more information on the mentoring, business plan and incubation aspects of the program.

I look forward to hearing from you and to your spreading the word. We are adding value to a sponsor. Providing an ROI to our sponsors is the way of the future for us to generate revenue and I hope you will engage with me in promoting this win-win opportunity for all.

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