This course explores technology’s role as a tool of power for and impact on individuals, communities, and societies. These topics are examined across three discrete units: 1. Infrastructure: how geography and physical resources serve as resources and/or obstacles to the control of critical internet architecture; 2. Society & Culture: how historical social and cultural norms influence adoption, usage, and perceptions on technology in modern life; and 3. Geopolitics & Economics: how diplomacy, defense, and governance influence technology innovation, development and diffusion. The goal of the course is to prepare students with the skills needed to assess the potential risks and benefits of technologies across various contexts both at present and for future development. As such, assignments mirror what’s found in professional policy development, including one-pagers, briefing memos, and persuasive presentations.
Every organization today is a technology organization. Every leader must have a fundamental understanding about how technology works. This class eliminates the mystery of what’s behind the curtain and gets you past the jargon so that you can make more informed decisions. This class is not technology in the abstract; this challenges every student to interact hands-on with technology regardless of your level of experience.
Design-based Innovation is a set of perspectives and processes that organizations of all kinds, in any kind of industry or context, can use to navigate ambiguity to find the best possible opportunities to create change. It is also a well-developed set of practices to devise and deliver solutions for those potential audiences that result in valuable product, service, and other experiences that customers, consistent, and others respond to with satisfaction, delight, and a sense of value.
Generative AI is accelerating the need for organizations of all kinds to adapt to survive and grow. This imperative for “transformation” occurs among organizations of all types and sizes, increasing the demand for the ability to lead through disruption and organizational change. This course is intended to provide flexible frameworks for assessment, strategy and implementation to enable students to understand the inputs to and develop the strategies for transformation.
Design is at the core of every innovation. It’s the visual, experiential, and strategic medium through which ideas transform into tangible and digital products, service platforms, experiences, and consequences. This course is a comprehensive exploration of the methods, vocabulary, challenges, and opportunities of design-led innovation. It demystifies how business and design intersect through the lens of innovation, and is foundational for anyone seeking to generate positive social and economic outcomes.
Students experience the course through interconnected paths—interrogating contemporary issues in design and business while simultaneously moving a chosen project through a sequence of hands-on design sprints. These sprints cover everything from ideation and visualization to journey mapping, prototyping, user testing, and branding of their own unique ideas. Participants will emerge with a critical and reusable toolkit for both understanding the innovation process and effectively leading creative teams.
Topics include: Design Thinking; User-Centered Design; Business Value of Design; Problem Framing; Systems Mapping; User Journey Mapping; Ambiguity and Complexity; Liberatory Design Practices; The Impact of AI; Design Ethics; Sustainability, Wicked Problems; Design Futuring and speculative design.
An exploration of the central concepts of corporate finance for those who already have some basic knowledge of finance and accounting. This case-based course considers project valuation; cost of capital; capital structure; firm valuation; the interplay between financial decisions, strategic consideration, and economic analyses; and the provision and acquisition of funds. These concepts are analyzed in relation to agency problems: market domination, risk profile, and risk resolution; and market efficiency or the lack thereof. The validity of analytic tools is tested on issues such as highly leveraged transactions, hybrid securities, volatility in initial public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, acquisition and control premiums, corporate restructurings, and sustainable and unsustainable market inefficiencies.
An examination of technology as a crucial aspect of the operation of most businesses. The first part of the course focuses on the structuring and planning of technology projects and investments as well as the analysis of financial returns and their impact on the productivity of the larger organization. The second part of the course focuses on the connections between technology and product development, marketing, and the positioning of an organization in its external environment.
Students will learn about social entrepreneurship and the different social entrepreneurship approaches to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Using case studies from different regions, students will analyze how big ideas can be transformed into social impact businesses that drive sustainable change. The course has a special focus on the role that technology plays in building and growing a social enterprise.
Law is infused into every part of business, especially through the lens of technology. Fluency in business and legal frameworks, risk/benefit principles, from idea to exit, is essential for any innovation leader. This course offers a deep dive into the critical phases of technology companies and their journey through growth, scaling, and eventual market exit. Topics include capital formation, contracts, intellectual property, human capital, and business transactions.
Strategic advocacy is defined as establishing personal and functional influence by means of cultivating alliances and defining opportunities adding value to the revenues and profits of any organization. This course focuses on the processes and competencies necessary for initiating strategically focused technology-related business conversations. Particular attention is given to the transitions in focus and mindsets necessary for moving from a technical/functional to a business model orientation. Conceptual frameworks, research, and practical applications are part of the design. Topics include: the political economy of exercising executive influence; expert and strategic mindsets; strategic learning and planning; and mapping the political territory. Students will apply theory to their own career related challenges.
This course requires you to experience firsthand a program-related job in a real working environment. You will engage in personal, environmental and organizational reflection. The ideal Internship will provide you an opportunity to gain tangible and practical knowledge in your chosen field by taking on a position that is closely aligned with your coursework and professional interests. Before registering for this course, you must have completed the Internship Application Form in which you will describe your internship sponsor and provide details about the work that you will be doing. This form must be signed by your internship supervisor and approved by your program director BEFORE you register for this course.
To receive instructor approval, the internship:
● Must provide an opportunity for the student to apply course concepts, either at the organizational or team level
● Must fit into the planned future program-related career path of the student
You must identify your own internship opportunities. The internship must involve a commitment to completing a minimum of 210 hours over the semester.
At the end of your course, you will submit an evaluation form to your internship supervisor. The evaluation form should be returned directly to the instructor
The Independent Study in Technology course provides a dynamic platform for our top students, who are as ambitious as the Technology Management program itself. This course offers a special opportunity to engage deeply with a topic of personal or professional interest under the expert guidance of a faculty mentor. Designed to foster self-directed learning, the Independent Study allows students to explore new areas, deepen existing knowledge, or intersect different fields that are not covered in the standard curriculum.
Enrollment in this course is selective and intended for self-motivated students who demonstrate exceptional ability and initiative. Access to the course requires approval from the Program Director’s Office and endorsement from a faculty advisor who will work closely with the student throughout the study.
TMGT’s flagship Executive Seminar, a three-semester course that introduces and develops students’ ability to conceive of, develop, and advocate for the creation of a user-centered product innovation. This discipline is foundational for anyone seeking to create growth for a positive social and/or economic impact.
In this first executive seminar, you will explore how to define, design, and develop a major new technology-based product/service, whether for external or internal markets, as a startup or within an established company. User-centered, product-based innovation is a foundational skill that can be applied broadly, with products, organizations and for personal development. This and each subsequent Executive Seminar will culminate in a Presentation Day in front your peers, faculty and special guests.