Postgraduate Course in Innovation and Design Thinking

Overview
Curriculum
Faculty
Methodology
Professional Future
Admission and enrolment
Scholarships and funding

The only postgraduate course in innovation and entrepreneurship that combines the 4 main methodologies in innovation: Design Thinking, Service Design, Lean Startup and Agile Methodologies.

Agile
Design thinking
Lean startup
Service design

Next edition

Classes start: 16 November, 2023

Program ends: 09 February, 2024 (To be confirmed)

Modality

Blended

Language

Spanish

ECTS credits

Schedule

Friday from 4 pm to 9 pm and Saturdays from 9 am to 2 pm

Price

3100 €

The Postgraduate in Innovation and Design Thinking is an instrumental program with which you will apply the methodological tools necessary for the management of disruptive or incremental innovation and decision-making. The study plan will allow you to develop a strategic response to the emergence of new paradigms and the impact of new technologies on business models and ways of managing organizations. Upon completion, you will be able to apply the necessary innovation techniques for the creation, management, and optimization of experiences, products, and services in your work experience.

Today, companies require more innovation and entrepreneurship, more flexibility, more speed, and more responsiveness for their customers/users. Adapting to new challenges passes through the application of new methodologies both in large, and small, and for-profit and non-profit organizations. This is why the postgraduate course covers not only Design Thinking, but various knowledge and innovation systems necessary for work experience.

As a student, with this qualification from our school you will acquire an in depth and current vision under the guidance of renowned experts in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship, and you will learn to apply business models and new technological and methodological tools that organizations use in their daily management. You will prepare yourself to create an innovative culture based on entrepreneurship, and to lead and implement change in all types of organizations. The main objective of the program is for you to become an agent of value creation for the entire organization and to know how to detect new business opportunities.

The program is structured in 2 large credit modules: the strategic module and the instrumental module.

The first module of the study plan, called “Innovation and strategic analysis”, is taught in person and forms the basis of the course. It will orientate you on the current innovation map at an international level, focusing on providing knowledge about the trends, possibilities, and realities that the field of innovation and entrepreneurship presents today. Concepts such as: innovation in different environments and business models, new business models and technologies, disruptive innovation, innovation ecosystems, and digital transformation in companies, among others, are addressed there.

The second module of the course, called "Tools for innovation", will be the practical part that will prepare students for the work experience. In this module you will learn and apply, during more than 40 hours of practical group workshops and with the support of the teacher, various decision-making systems and innovation tools such as Design Thinking, Service Design (user experience), Lean Startup, and Agile Methodologies. This module is taught in a blended mode, that is, it intersperses face-to-face and online sessions.

The Postgraduate in Innovation and Design Thinking is endorsed by Pompeu Fabra University, the 1st Spanish university and the 15th best university in the world (of those with less than 50 years), according to the Times Higher Education ranking. In addition, UPF Barcelona School of Management has EQUIS accreditation, the most prestigious institutional recognition for business schools globally.

Learn more

Why choose this program

Learn about current tools

You will be trained to know how to manage, from start to finish, an innovation project valid for different business models. The program offers students 40 hours of practical workshops to equip you with the tools of innovation and entrepreneurship that you can apply in the real world immediately.

Study at home and practice in class

The blended methodology will give you flexibility to combine each subject on entrepreneurship with your work and personal responsibilities, advancing the theoretical content on innovation and entrepreneurship at home, and then applying it in the classroom through dynamic and challenging workshops with expert teachers and other students.

Learn from industry experts

We will connect you with teachers of the highest academic level and recognized experience in innovation and entrepreneurship who will instruct you in a real and tangible way in the best practices for the management of business models and innovation.

Obtain a prestigious international qualification

With this course you will obtain a qualification backed by the recognition and academic quality of the UPF, the number 1 university in Spain.

Study at an accredited school

Study at a school accredited by EQUIS, an international distinction that guarantees the quality of our institution and makes us the 1st school of management linked to a public university with this accreditation in our country.

Who is it for?

Program aimed at managers of functional areas, intermediate positions, entrepreneurs, consultants, people responsible for innovation and development in any sector or activity, who want to know and acquire the tools, skills, and knowledge concerning innovation in the business world. All this by applying creative and effective techniques that allow us to understand the threats and opportunities generated by the power of current technologies and the possibilities of new products, services, and business models linked to entrepreneurship.

Admission and enrolment

1/2

Methodology

The Postgraduate in Innovation and Design Thinking in blended modality combines online training credits with face-to-face classes to offer you a qualification with the best of both worlds: flexibility and direct interaction with experts and other students. The blended mode will allow you to work on content on innovation and entrepreneurship online, without schedules and at your own pace, thanks to a flexible and dynamic online model, without losing direct contact with your teachers and colleagues through classes and practical workshops in the classroom.

Our school program offers students a face-to-face module first, with classes on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings, and a second blended module that will combine online and face-to-face classes

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01.

Blended Methodology

You will be able to combine it with your work and personal life, making the most of the time you have to study your credits. This study plan on innovation and entrepreneurship will give you maximum flexibility, without losing direct contact and the dynamics of face-to-face classes. The main objective will be to prepare the content at home, in order to dedicate the face-to-face classes to practice.

02.

Didactic and interactive teaching materials

We rely on materials in various formats to make the student's experience more motivating and challenging: videos, case studies, tests, content maps, and downloadable resources. These materials on innovation and entrepreneurship are designed and updated periodically so that you have the latest knowledge, skills and tools at your fingertips to take your career to the next level.

03.

Practical workshops in classes

You will carry out more than 40 hours of practical workshops so that you can apply in a real way, and in teams, the 4 most important methodologies of innovation, entrepreneurship and decision-making today.

04.

Innovation project

Students will develop an innovation and entrepreneurship project in all its phases (definition, ideation, prototyping, and testing), applying each of the innovation techniques to obtain a specific and tangible final product.

Evaluation

A wide range of assessment methods will be used to evaluate the learning and acquisition of skills and award the qualification, such as:

Participation in the activities planned in the classroom.
Individual work (practical cases, reports, role play, etc.).
Team work.
Activities on the global campus.
Exhibitions, public presentations.
Exams.

Tools

The combination of online learning and face-to-face sessions favours the balance between theory and practice in a flexible learning process. The various multimedia resources that are made available to the student allow them to acquire knowledge in a self-regulated manner and the face-to-face sessions seek to put them into practice with active methodologies.

You will have:

Digital resources and audiovisual blocks for online learning
Face-to-face sessions with active methodologies for transferable learning
Master's or postgraduate work to learn by doing
A personal mentor to monitor your Master's Final Project (TFM) or Postgraduate Final Project (TFP)

Admission and enrolment

Our admission process consists of a rigorous evaluation of each application to preserve the quality of the group as well as the training, experience, and work capacity of all students.

Who can apply?

You need to be a university graduate.

Other candidates and students without the required university degree may take part in the selection process of the school by virtue of their academic or professional merits, and the place of work they occupy. Upon passing the program, they will receive a certificate of completion issued by the UPF Barcelona School of Management.

How to apply?

To apply for admission to this program, students must read and accept the Terms and Conditions of Contract once they start the application for admission through the following form.

Application for admission

Complete your application within the next admission rounds:

Round	Application deadline	Admission resolution
14	18/07/2023	27/07/2023
15	01/09/2023	14/09/2023
16	14/09/2023	28/09/2023

Applications for admission will be evaluated when you complete the following steps:

Complete the online admission form.
Pay the €120 admission fee. This amount will be returned if you are not admitted.
Send the following documents through the online platform e-registrar:
- Presentation letter or video
- CV
- Scanned copy of university degree (if you are in the last year of your degree, you can provide your academic records)
- Scanned copy of Transcript of Records. Make sure that it includes your GPA (Grade Point Average)
- Scanned copy of ID Card or Passport
- Passport-size photo (jpg format)

Additional documents may be requested in certain cases.
Application rounds are subject to the number of places available on the program.

Admission

The Admissions Committee will select the candidates on the basis of a personal or CV-based interview.
You will be notified of the admission decision in writing.

Enrolment

Registration must be paid within a 15 days after the admission.
Once the letter of acceptance to the program has been received, you will need to submit the following original documents before the course begins:
- Stamped and/or authenticated photocopy of your university degree.
If you have a foreign degree you may need to submit additional documents.
Paying the reservation fee (25% of the program's tuition fees) is essential in order to reserve your place
If you pay the tuition fees by bank transfer you will be required to introduce the program code. The program code for this course is 3336.
The remaining tuition fees must be paid 2 weeks before the start of the course.