How to apply

Overview

The details

Course: Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Start date: October 2025

Study mode: Full-time

Duration: 1 year

Location: Southend Campus

Based in: Essex Business School

Entrepreneurship and innovation are terms that go hand in hand as entrepreneurs frequently innovate in order to achieve economic prosperity, regional growth and social transformation.

MSc Entrepreneurship and Innovation uses innovative and interactive teaching, such as group working and applied projects, to develop your practical business knowledge and employability skills. We hone your entrepreneurial spirit, so you can have the capabilities and confidence to launch your own venture, manage your family business or introduce innovative ideas to improve performance at existing organisations.

This course explores the entrepreneurial issues and challenges high on the agendas of businesses, governments, policy-makers, researchers, educators and wider communities across the world.

You explore topics including:

economic, sociological, psychological and managerial theories of enterprise creation theories and practices of entrepreneurship
entrepreneurship skills
strategic innovation management
new venture development
how to prepare a business plan

This course is delivered by Essex Business School at our Southend Campus. Essex is one of the most entrepreneurial places in the UK and an exciting place to do business. We have more start-up businesses than any other county in the UK, some based right here on our campus. This entrepreneurial spirit, global community and academic expertise come together to inspire innovative thinking.

Guest lectures give you access to practitioners and policymakers, who share real-world experiences to prepare you to tackle the challenges facing entrepreneurs and SMEs today. Instead of a dissertation, you can opt to complete a comprehensive business plan for your new venture or an existing business, allowing you to gain valuable feedback on your ideas from academics and industry practitioners.

You can study this course starting in either October or January. Please note that the January entry point is only available on a full-time basis and cannot be studied part-time.

Why we're great.

Alongside your studies, Essex Startups, our own team of in house startup experts, can help you turn your business idea into a reality.
You'll work with academics investigating truly innovative entrepreneurs, including from a range of marginalised groups.
You can choose to complete a business plan for your own business venture instead of a dissertation.

Our expert staff

Based in Southend-on-Sea, members of the Strategy, Operations and Entrepreneurship Group have well-established reputations for research in:

entrepreneurship and innovation, with a special focus on under-represented groups
global sustainable supply chains
international business, particularly with reference to emerging markets
research and development management
data analytics
corporate social responsibility activities

During your course, you'll have the opportunity to hear from Dr Caleb Kwong Reader at Essex Business School. Dr Kwong is working with a number of teams across the world to look at the challenges that refugees and internally displaced people face when trying to start up a business.

As well as his thought leadership in the area of refugee entrepreneurship, Caleb's work also focuses on female entrepreneurship and he is leading a project titled ‘Accelerating Women's Enterprise' funded by the European Commission.

Academic members of staff from our Strategy, Operations and Entrepreneurship Group are supported in their research activities by our flourishing Centre for Research on Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Management and Internationalisation (REIMI).

The Centre is well known for international business research on emerging-market multinational enterprises (MNEs); technology management; novel research in migrant entrepreneurship and firm internationalisation.

Specialist facilities

MSc Entrepreneurship and Innovation is taught at our Southend Campus, just 40 minutes from London and in the heart of the Thames Gateway - one of the Government's priority areas for economic growth, it is a fitting location for entrepreneurial study.

Essex has the highest number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK, meaning you are ideally located for networking, launching a business or gaining inspiration for both your studies and future career.

Choose our Southend Campus , and you'll have access to a superb learning environment with state-of-the-art facilities, including:

our award-winning The Forum building, with an extensive public and academic library and café
24-hour learning hub, with group-study spaces, PC access and places for quiet studyEssex Business School Student Services Team to support your time at EBS
masters study suite for postgraduate students
modern lecture theatres and seminar rooms
careers support, events and initiatives
studyskills support provided by the Essex Business School Learning Team
our cosy SU Lounge, with pool tables and large-screen TV for socialising and relaxation

Southend-on-Sea combines the charms of a traditional seaside resort with the attractions of a vibrant, modern town and our campus sits right at the centre. With seven miles of coastline, a thriving arts and cultural scene and a wide variety of restaurants and nightlife all on your doorstep, it's the perfect place to live and study. Our town centre location has excellent transport links and London Southend Airport is just five minutes away by train, offering fights to over 50 destinations across Europe.

Your future

A Masters degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation will ensure you have a clear grasp of real-world entrepreneurial challenges and how innovative approaches can be applied to existing organisations to improve performance - giving you an excellent foundation for your future career.

Our curriculum aims to prepare you for a career as an entrepreneur, an owner-manager or a policy maker. Core modules such as Theories and Practice of Entrepreneurship, Innovation Management, and Research Methods will equip you with a critical understanding of the range of economic, sociological, psychological and managerial theories of enterprise creation and development and how they apply in practice, together with an understanding of innovation at an operational and strategic level.

Many of our graduates go on to set up their own businesses or work for government and other policy making institutions or community-based organisations. Recent graduate destinations include consultancies and financial institutions such as:

KPMG
EY
SAP
Morgan Stanley

Read our graduate profiles to see more on the types of organisations our alumni work for.

Our Student Support team work closely with the University's Employability and Careers service to help you with careers information and advice and CV support. They will help you find work experience, internships, placements and voluntary opportunities and provide access to employer talks on campus. We also work closely with the Essex Startups team to support our budding entrepreneurs get their business ideas off the ground.

Entry requirements

UK entry requirements

A 2:2 degree or international equivalent, in any discipline.

We will also consider applicants who hold a professional qualification such as a CIM, CIPD or CMI and two years' relevant Professional or Managerial experience.

You may also be considered with a lower class degree, where you have at least three year’s relevant work experience (please provide your CV in your application).

International & EU entry requirements

We accept a wide range of qualifications from applicants studying in the EU and other countries. Get in touch with any questions you may have about the qualifications we accept. Remember to tell us about the qualifications you have already completed or are currently taking.

Sorry, the entry requirements for the country that you have selected are not available here. Please contact our Graduate Admissions team at pgquery@essex.ac.uk to request the entry requirements for this country.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, we require IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum score of 5.5 in all components.

If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.

Additional Notes

The University uses academic selection criteria to determine an applicant’s ability to successfully complete a course at the University of Essex. Where appropriate, we may ask for specific information relating to previous modules studied or work experience.

Structure

Course structure

We offer a flexible course structure with a mixture of core/compulsory modules, and optional modules chosen from lists. Please be aware that we are planning changes to our first year to make it more relevant to your chosen course.

Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The following modules are based on the current course structure and may change in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption such as COVID-19, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

Components and modules explained

Components

Components are the blocks of study that make up your course. A component may have a set module which you must study, or a number of modules from which you can choose.

Each component has a status and carries a certain number of credits towards your qualification.

Status	What this means
Core	You must take the set module for this component and you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Core with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component but you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Compulsory	You must take the set module for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Compulsory with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Optional	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.

The modules that are available for you to choose for each component will depend on several factors, including which modules you have chosen for other components, which modules you have completed in previous years of your course, and which term the module is taught in.

Modules

Modules are the individual units of study for your course. Each module has its own set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria and also carries a certain number of credits.

In most cases you will study one module per component, but in some cases you may need to study more than one module. For example, a 30-credit component may comprise of either one 30-credit module, or two 15-credit modules, depending on the options available.

Modules may be taught at different times of the year and by a different department or school to the one your course is primarily based in. You can find this information from the module code. For example, the module code HR100-4-FY means:

100

The department or school the module will be taught by.

In this example, the module would be taught by the Department of History.

The module number.

The UK academic level of the module.

A standard undergraduate course will comprise of level 4, 5 and 6 modules - increasing as you progress through the course.

A standard postgraduate taught course will comprise of level 7 modules.

A postgraduate research degree is a level 8 qualification.

The term the module will be taught in.

AU: Autumn term
SP: Spring term
SU: Summer term
FY: Full year
AP: Autumn and Spring terms
PS: Spring and Summer terms
AS: Autumn and Summer terms

COMPONENT 01: COMPULSORY

Theories and Practice of Entrepreneurship

(15 CREDITS)

This module equips you with a critical understanding of a range of economic, sociological, psychological and managerial theories of enterprise creation and development. Live examples, case studies and journal articles show how these theories apply in practice to real business situations. Working in groups and individually, you have the opportunity to suggest strategies for responding to the issues raised in these case studies. Topics include new business creation, innovative growth and the impact of entrepreneurship on economic and social development.

View Theories and Practice of Entrepreneurship on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 02: COMPULSORY

Innovation Management

(15 CREDITS)

This module explores how organisations use innovation to gain a competitive advantage by capitalising on organisational, market and technological change. You examine how innovation strategies are developed and managed and acquire the knowledge and skills needed to manage innovation at operational and strategic levels.

View Innovation Management on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 03: COMPULSORY

Creating and Managing the Digital Entrepreneurial Organisation

(15 CREDITS)

This module helps you to identify and understand the main business functions that can support an entrepreneur when determining whether there is sufficient opportunity to launch a new venture. You acquire the critical, transferable and practical skills required to create or manage a new or entrepreneurial organisation. You explore how new businesses are developed and managed, including spin-offs from large firms and social enterprises, and learn how to identify new business opportunities. Topics include: idea generation; the development of business models; networking; marketing; finance; human resource management; customer relationship management and driving growth.

View Creating and Managing the Digital Entrepreneurial Organisation on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 04: COMPULSORY

Financial Analysis and Decision Making

(15 CREDITS)

This module equips you with a practical and critical understanding of financial analysis and the decision making of divisional and functional managers. You explore topics such as financial accounting, management accounting and financial management, including how to prepare financial accounts. You learn how accounting information is used to plan, monitor and make decisions and how financial statements can be used to infer business performance.

View Financial Analysis and Decision Making on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 05: COMPULSORY

Research Methods

(15 CREDITS)

Gain the key skills and competencies to carry out management research or prepare a comprehensive business plan, suitable for the completion of a Masters level programme. You address the philosophical issues underlying management research, and discover how to select methods and judge the quality and value of research outcomes.

View Research Methods on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 06: COMPULSORY

Global Project Management

(15 CREDITS)

Develop the skills and knowledge necessary to manage product development projects in an international business environment, with particular focus on product design methodologies and project management techniques. You explore the hard side of managing global product development projects and the soft issues such as idea generation/selection and teamwork that must be dealt with in order to ensure success of the product development projects.

View Global Project Management on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 07: CORE WITH OPTIONS

(30 CREDITS)

COMPONENT 08: OPTIONAL

(60 CREDITS)

COMPONENT 09: COMPULSORY

Professional and Academic Development (PAD)

(0 CREDITS)

View Professional and Academic Development (PAD) on our Module Directory

Teaching

We use interactive and innovative teaching techniques to foster your transferable employability skills:

tailor the content of your course to more closely fit your interests and aspirations
learn through a combination of group working, applied projects and guest practitioner lectures
courses focus on practical applications and links with industry
we run an open seminar series, giving you access to cutting-edge research from leading academics
our lecturers embed the latest research into their teaching, so your education is relevant to real-world entrepreneurial challenges

Assessment

Regular assessment is by coursework, presentations, case studies, group work, tests and examinations

Dissertation

You submit a 15,000 word dissertation or comprehensive business plan

Fees and funding

Home/UK fee

£15,000

International fee

£23,500

Masters fees and funding information

Research (e.g. PhD) fees and funding information

What's next

We hold Open Days for all our applicants throughout the year. Our Southend Campus events are a great way to find out more about studying at Essex, and give you the chance to:

tour our campus and accommodation
find out answers to your questions about our courses, student finance, graduate employability, student support and more
meet our students and staff

If the dates of our organised events aren’t suitable for you, feel free to get in touch by emailing southend@essex.ac.uk and we’ll arrange an individual campus tour for you.

2025 Open Days (Southend Campus)

Saturday 11 October 2025 - Southend Open Day

Find out more

You can apply for this postgraduate course online. Before you apply, please check our information about necessary documents that we'll ask you to provide as part of your application.

We aim to respond to applications within two weeks. If we are able to offer you a place, you will be contacted via email.

For information on our deadline to apply for this course, please see our ‘how to apply' information.

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