The MSTC program at the IC² Institute offers a one-year Master of Science degree granted by the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin.  It is delivered via weekend class meetings in Austin, Texas or via the Internet to anywhere in the world. The degree program may also be licensed and delivered by other institutions.

STUDENTS are business and technical leaders interested in improving and accelerating technology commercialization processes within their organizations and entrepreneurs interested in creating new technology-based ventures.

IC² FACULTY are internationally renowned award-winning tenured professors and practitioners in science and technology commercialization.

THE ONE-YEAR CURRICULUM includes an orientation, three terms, and a year-long integrating project with real technologies and real entrepreneurs.

Students gain skills, tools, and methods to put to work within the first three months of the program—no waiting for graduation to effectively use program knowledge.

TERM 1: ASSESSING TECHNOLOGIES FOR COMMERCIAL VIABILITY

STC 380 Converting Technology to Wealth

Examine how technology is converted to wealth through the commercialization process.

· Issues involved in the entire technology commercialization process.

· The importance of technology commercialization to economic development.

· How to assess a technology for its commercial value.

STC 382 Managing the Technology Based Product Cycle

Develop an understanding of the forces driving competition and demand in markets or technology-intensive products and services.

· The importance of a customer focus as opposed to a technology focus.

· How to apply marketing principles to the commercialization process.

· Skills in launching, promoting, pricing, and distributing high technology products.

STC 383 Technology Management and Transfer: Theory and Practice

Address the evaluation, formulation and use of technology transfer models.

· How to formulate, evaluate and use knowledge/technology transfer application models.

· Success factors for and barriers to accelerate knowledge and technology transfer and application.

· How to document and critically evaluate key knowledge/technology management processes in specific, national, and global contexts.

STC 386T1 Financing New Ventures in New or Existing Organizations

Learn financial planning, methods for determining capital requirements, and various ways of financing growth and making investment decisions.

· The key differences between large and small businesses and procedures for starting a new venture.

· How to manage financial resources, make financial projections, and value a new venture.

· The importance of linking strategy to finance in a new venture.

TERM 2: COMMERCIALIZATION STRATEGIES AND VENTURE PLANS

STC 384 Commercialization Strategy

Gain an understanding of technology and commercialization strategies as a part of business strategy.

· The various levels of strategy and how to position commercialization and technology strategy within the business strategy of an enterprise.

· To perform an analysis of an industry and how to identify and maximize the use of core competencies.

· How to develop a commercialization strategy and how to position products and services relative to competition in an industry.

STC 391 Internationalization of Technology

Explore a broad set of issues of commercializing technology on a global scale.

· Information resources essential to the practice of international commercialization of technology.

· To identify the best target markets for new technologies.

· Practical knowledge about the processes of commercializing technologies across the globe with traditional and non-traditional capital resources.

STC 394c Managing Product Development and Production

Examine the many and best practices organizations are using to accelerate the product development and production processes.

· The processes of product development and production, including how to accelerate and otherwise improve these processes.

· Enhanced skills in project management and process flow analysis and design.

· Key issues involved in lean production, mass customization and supply chain management.

STC 395 The Art and Science of Market-Driven Entrepreneurship

Learn the process of creating new ventures, the dynamics of growth-oriented firms, and the roles of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs.

· To identify and determine what managers need to know about the critical driving forces in a new venture success.

· How successful entrepreneurs and investors create and build value for themselves and others.

· The financial and non-financial resources necessary for new ventures and how to identify the criteria used to screen and evaluate proposals.

TERM 3: CREATING EXECUTABLE BUSINESS PLANS FOR NEW VENTURES

STC 381 Legal Issues of the Commercialization Process

 Examine legal challenges organizations face to commercialize technology in a global environment.

· The general processes of converting knowledge and technology to rationally valued intellectual property via copyrights, patents and trademarks.

· The ownership and financial resource implications for various legal forms of organizations

· Issues involved in shareholder buy and sell agreements, management team agreements, employee stock options, licensing and joint development agreements.

STC 385 Creative and Innovative Management

Learn to apply new concepts and ideas, initiatives, and methods that can be used to provide new directions or modes of operation for organizations and activities.

· Factors and leadership behaviors that enable creativity and innovation in organizations.

· The nature of team leadership and team dynamics in assuring creative collaboration.

· A global perspective and emerging theories related to self-organizing dynamics leading to world class creativity and innovation.

STC 386T2 Managing Risk

Explore decision and risk analysis, methods for structuring and modeling decision problems, and application of methods to a variety of problems.

· The basic tools available for structuring problems involving risk and uncertainty.

· To apply these tools to the analysis of problems involving risk and uncertainty.

· How to develop and manage a risk management plan.

STC 396 Technology Enterprise Design and Implementation

Develop a multi-disciplinary approach to the preparation and presentation of a detailed, growth oriented business plan for a technology enterprise or project.

· How to create and present a business plan for a new venture.

· To determine the critical tasks to be accomplished during start-up and early growth, and what is necessary for success.

· To identify decisions which can increase the reward-to-risk ratio at various stages of the company's development.