Curriculum

The TI:GER program uniquely integrates transdisciplinary coursework with projects.

Students take three courses – Innovation Analysis, Innovation and Business Model Design, and Innovation Execution – and the two virtual labs – Innovation Research Methods 1 and Innovation Research Methods 2.

Each course is 3 credit hours, and each virtual lab is 1.5 credit hours, so students earn a total of 12 credit hours in the TI:GER program.
All TI:GER courses are MBA electives and count toward the MBA degree.
Each course meets from 6:30 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. once weekly. Class sessions include discussions, exercises, workshops, and lectures so students gain the knowledge necessary for technology innovation.
Each lab is virtual (that is, asynchronous online); students complete each weekly lab assignment at times convenient for them. In virtual labs, TI:GER students conduct interviews and observational fieldwork to acquire and develop the practical skills essential for success in their innovation projects.

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Innovation Projects

While taking courses, TI:GER students work on innovation projects. TI:GER projects come from Ph.D. or MBA students and from CDL-Atlanta. Technologies and projects can differ every term. Recent projects include biotech, biomedical, communications technology, health care technology, information technology, materials technology, robotics, sensors, and software.

TI:GER is the educational program for the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL-Atlanta), which is a global milestone-based mentoring program for massively-scalable science-based startups. CDL-Atlanta is directed and operated from the Strategy and Innovation academic area at Scheller College. The curriculum in the TI:GER program prepares MBA and Ph.D. students to work with CDL-Atlanta startups.

During the first TI:GER course, all students work on Ph.D. or MBA student projects. In the second and third TI:GER courses, students work primarily on projects from CDL-Atlanta.

Prerequisites

MBA Students

Full-time MBA students automatically take all prerequisites during the fall term (i.e., their first term at Scheller).

Evening MBA students must ensure they take these two core courses before beginning the TI:GER program: MGT 6000 - Financial and Managerial Accounting (3 credit hours) and MGT 6500 - Analytical Tools for Decisions (1.5 credit hours). Two other core courses that are preferred as prerequisites for Innovation Analysis and required as prerequisites for Innovation and Business Model Design are MGT 6504 - Principles of Finance (1.5 credit hours) and MGT 6505 - Marketing Management (1.5 credit hours).

Ph.D. Students

After admission to the TI:GER program and before the start of the first course, Ph.D. students must take and pass online, asynchronous, preparatory educational modules on a selection of important business fundamentals, such as marketing and finance. All the prerequisite educational modules are free. They carry no course credit. All modules together take less than 20 hours to complete. Earning a passing score on all modules is necessary to register for TI:GER courses. After admission to the TI:GER program, Ph.D. students receive more information on the prerequisite modules.

TI:GER Courses and Virtual Labs

In the first semester of the TI:GER® program, students take the course Innovation Analysis (MGT 6801). This course focuses on market analysis, industry analysis, technology analysis, financial analysis, and strategy analysis for innovation projects.

Students also take the virtual lab Innovation Research Methods 1 (MGT 6821). This lab presents an overview of qualitative research focusing on interview methods essential to the fieldwork students conduct to advance the analysis of their innovation project.

Courses:

Innovation Analysis (MGT 6801)
Innovation Research Methods 1 (MGT 6821)

In the second semester of the TI:GER program, students take the course Innovation and Business Model Design (MGT 6802). This course focuses on using the analyses from the spring term to inform the design and validation of the business model for the innovation project.

Students also take the virtual lab Innovation Research Methods 2 (MGT 6822). This lab focuses on methods for observational fieldwork, qualitative data analysis (QDA), and use of NVivo software for QDA.

Courses:

Innovation and Business Model Design (MGT 6802)
Innovation Research Methods 2 (MGT 6822)

In the third semester of the TI:GER program, students take the course Innovation Execution (MGT 6803). This course focuses on the execution of an innovation project with a CDL venture. This course also provides discussions with numerous industry experts on the practices necessary to launching an innovation project as a new product or service, as a corporate venture, or as a startup.

Course: