Graduate Certificate in Life Science Innovation and Entrepreneurship

A graduate certificate in Life Science Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Missouri will broaden the training of graduate and professional students from the fields of business, engineering and medicine, among others. A collaborative program among MU’s Trulaske College of Business, College of Engineering and School of Medicine, the program will prepare participants for a wider range of employment opportunities and provide core skills for entrepreneurial endeavors. This is a standalone program, and courses offered are entirely online in nature.

Interdisciplinary Curriculum

Through an interdisciplinary approach, the program will allow graduate students and professionals to receive training to translate life science discoveries into products and services that will improve health. The program will require completion of three three-hour core curriculum courses designed to cover the life cycle of a translational science/business venture, as well as an elective course for a total of 12 hours of course credit. The three-course sequence will be augmented by an elective course that rounds out the educational need of individual students.

Program Objectives

Apply knowledge of terms, trends, issues and culture in the life sciences industry to real-world contexts.
Analyze the design process of drug and device solutions to identify strengths and weaknesses in current methodologies.
Analyze various commercialization strategies to determine the most effective approach to commercialize lab discoveries into products.
Apply ethical, scientific and regulatory standards to manage clinical research and trials effectively.

Course Content

School of Medicine

Nature of discovery
Intellectual Property Basics
Reimbursement Basics
Clinical Research and Trials in Academia
Research with industry partners
Life science methods and research tools

College of Engineering

Identification of clinical needs
Concept screening and selection
Regulatory pathways and the FDA
Patents and intellectual property basics
Design and prototypes

Trulaske College of Business

Commercialization process
Marketing assessment and competitive landscape
Technology transfer, licensing and startups
Sources of capital
Business plan and market strategy

LSIE Certificate Courses

Required

Biol_En/MPP 8000 – Scientific Discoveries Leading to Biomedical Innovations
Biol_En/MPP 8100 – Design and Development of Biomedical Innovations
Biol_En/MGMT8200 – Commercialization of Life Sciences Innovations

Elective*

Biol_En/MPP 8004 – Regulatory Issues in Clinical Research and Trials

For course descriptions, see MPP, Biol_EN and MGMT Course Offerings. Current students may check MyZou for up-to-date schedule information.

* Online students must complete both required and elective courses. On-campus students may choose one 3-credit hour departmental course as an elective, but this selection requires approval from the Program Director.

Admission Requirements

The only prerequisite for the first course will be good standing in a graduate/ professional program or the consent of the instructor on a case-by-case basis.