The USC Marshall School of Business will offer a new Master of Science in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (MSEI) through its Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies.

The degree will expand opportunities for students interested in careers in entrepreneurship, corporate venturing and innovation or technology commercialization.

The MSEI is an accelerated program that will prepare students with the knowledge and skills to create new business ventures in a climate defined by rapid change, increasing competition, shortened product life cycles and higher market volatility. Students can complete the program over three terms, beginning coursework in a short session prior to the fall semester and graduating the following May.

“There is a growing demand among students with technical backgrounds for a consolidated, MBA-type degree that has a real focus on young enterprises,” said USC Marshall Dean James G. Ellis. “With the Master of Science in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the Greif Center is meeting this need — equipping technically proficient students with critical business skills for long-term career success.”

“The pace of technological innovation is ever-accelerating, and this new, one-year master’s program is keeping pace,” observed Greif, president and CEO of Greif & Co. and founding donor of the center. “High-tech entrepreneurs who have graduated from the Greif Center in the past have gone on to found Salesforce.com, Myspace and Tinder, to name just a few, and by equipping these students with the expertise they need, the MSEI will increase their probabilities of success while simultaneously speeding their path to market.”

The MSEI requires 26 units and can be completed in one year (full time) or two or more years (part time); students can personalize their degrees with elective courses such as “Technology Commercialization” and “New Product Development.”

The Greif Center is the nation’s oldest integrated entrepreneurship program and has consistently ranked among the top programs in the United States.

“The Master of Science in Entrepreneurship and Innovation combines academic rigor with hands-on, experiential learning, putting students on a fast track to exciting positions with startup enterprises or launching new corporate divisions,” said Andrea Belz, academic director of the MSEI program and a professor at USC Marshall. “By leveraging the assets of the Greif Center, the MSEI offers something truly unique.”

The MSEI program is now accepting applications for its first class from graduating seniors of four-year baccalaureate programs, as well as from working professionals with bachelor’s or advanced degrees.

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