Entrepreneurship Certificate for Engineering Ph.D. Students

In collaboration with the College of Business’ Graduate Field of Management, Cornell’s College of Engineering offers Ph.D. students the opportunity to obtain a Certificate in Management with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. 

The Entrepreneurship concentration is intended primarily to meet the needs of Cornell’s Ph.D. students. The certificate will allow these students to develop business acumen to exploit and optimize the commercial application of advanced technology, in addition to training in cutting-edge engineering research. The current concentrations available in the field of Management are in specific functional areas, whereas what the engineering students seek is business knowledge to convert research ideas into effective business plans, both as entrepreneurs and as employees.

Curricular Information

In order to obtain the Management certificate with the Entrepreneurship concentration, engineering students will be required to complete three 3-credit core courses, plus 3 credits of electives (i.e., 12 credits total). Three core courses are required to cover key functions of business and provide students with foundational knowledge in general management and leadership. Students may select three credits of NBA (NBA, not MBA) electives taken for a letter grade. Students must obtain a grade of B or higher to be allowed to count a course towards certificate requirements.

Choices for core classes (all 3-credit courses; choose 3 courses):

  • NCC-5500 Financial Accounting
  • NCC-5530 Marketing Management
  • NCC-5540 Managing and Leading in Organizations
  • NCC-5560 Managerial Finance
  • NCC-5580 Managing Operations
  • NCC-5590 Business Strategy

Choices for electives – NBA courses (i.e., Johnson elective courses) may be taken for a letter grade as electives towards the certificate requirement. A minimum of 3 credits is required from this list of course options available.

Eligibility and Application Process

Ph.D. students in Engineering are  eligible, with approval of their advisors and the field of Management.

Students may apply after they complete their first year in the Ph.D. program, though   courses taken in advance of admission into the program can be counted towards completion. Students should plan out their roadmap to assure they can complete required courses ahead of graduation or departure from campus due to employment.  
*NBA coursework will not be accepted in place of the NCC core requirements.

The applying students are asked to submit by August 15th of the year before they  wish to enter the program (e.g. August 15th 2021 for entry during the 2021-2022 academic year).

  • A 1-page statement about their interest in the program
  • A CV including employment history
  • A letter of support from their advisor

All applications should be emailed to Bonna Davidson (bnd26@cornell.edu).

Questions: Please direct any questions to Kamana Misra, Associate Director of Entrepreneurship (kpm72@cornell.edu).