Entrepreneurship MSc

London, Canary Wharf

The MSc Entrepreneurship programme is designed for students who intend to start and run high-impact, 'for-profit', innovative businesses. UCL's networks provide access to London's thriving entrepreneurship scene, a possible founding team and investor finance for a new business.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2024/25)
£19,300
£9,650
Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)
£38,300
£19,150
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2024
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 16 Oct 2023 – 28 Jun 2024
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 16 Oct 2023 – 30 Aug 2024
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor's degree from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Together with the academic requirements, applicants normally must have a demonstrable interest in pursuing an entrepreneurial venture or career and must have undertaken entrepreneurial activities, and not simply aspire to entrepreneurship.

Under certain circumstances, candidates with an exceptional entrepreneurial background, but not meeting the above criteria, will be considered.

Your personal statement is your opportunity to explain your reasons for applying to study this particular MSc programme and how you hope to develop your future career as an entrepreneur with reference to the compulsory modules we offer. This programme requires that applicants have clear entrepreneurial ambitions, so you need to provide evidence of having begun to pursue these.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree


Students learn the necessary skills to build and scale a successful business. This includes how to develop ideas, build prototypes, and understand what customers truly want. Students learn about finance/funding, marketing, team building and all the key issues facing rapidly scaling enterprises. The focus of the teaching and student experience is around hands-on learning and entrepreneurial activity.

Numerous successful start-ups have been created by our alumni. A selection of these start-ups can be found on our Hall of Fame website.

A study abroad option is available to selected students at Singapore Management University (SMU) for Term 2 on their equivalent programme, Entrepreneurship and Innovation MSc. This option allows students to study at an additional prestigious academic institution and simultaneously gain experience of Singapore's dynamic start-up eco-system and Asian culture. This study abroad option is available for both full-time and part-time students, but cannot be guaranteed to applicants joining the programme.

Who this course is for

The programme is suitable for graduates who wish to pursue an entrepreneurial journey, either by starting their own business or being part of a founding team.

What this course will give you

Students acquire the confidence and understanding of how to develop and then scale a start-up opportunity.

The School offers an outstanding quality of teaching from a team with experience both of academia and of the world of industry and entrepreneurship, including several active venture capitalists and investors.

Entrepreneurship MSc students have access to world-class technical expertise and resources within a structured framework of support and formal business education, backed up with strong links to UCL Innovation and Enterprise.

The programme is taught at our Canary Wharf Campus, on Level 50 and Level 38 of One Canada Square, placing students in the heart of Canary Wharf, London’s global business and financial hub. Students will also have full access to the Bloomsbury campus, a district famous for its cultural and educational institutions.

The foundation of your career

The Entrepreneurship MSc programme at UCL School of Management is designed for students who intend to start and run high impact, innovative businesses.

Employability

Former Entrepreneurship MSc students have gone on to create a diverse range of start-up companies, a large selection of which can be found on our Hall of Fame website. In addition, Entrepreneurship MSc alumni have also taken on positions within the tech entrepreneurship ecosystem, both in London and overseas, supporting other start-ups.

For recent news of Entrepreneurship MSc alumni activity, visit the UCL School of Management website.

Networking

The programme offers a variety of networking opportunities, including the annual MSc Entrepreneurship Pitch Day, where selected students pitch their start-ups to investors from multiple industries. Students also have the ability to join overseas treks, where they will have the chance to visit other start-up ecosystems and venture capital companies, as well as network with potential VCs. 

In addition, students on the programme are frequently exposed to industry professionals, entrepreneurs and VCs through modules and workshops that offer guest speakers.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, and class discussions. Students are given the opportunity to attend weekly lectures given by leading academics, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. Students typically study four modules in Term 1 and four modules in Term 2, of which two are optional. In Term 3 students undertake a supervised dissertation project.

Assessment is normally through coursework, presentations, examinations, and the dissertation.

Each taught module is delivered over 10 weeks, with three contact hours per week comprising lecture content and interactive components.

In addition, students spend approximately 7-12 hours a week for each module on assessment and independent study to further develop the skills and knowledge covered in lectures and seminars.

The total number of weekly hours will vary according to the weekly activities being undertaken.

For a full overview of the programme structure please visit the UCL School of Management website.

Modules

Students will undertake eight taught modules of credits and a dissertation credit module.

The programme consists of:

  • six compulsory taught modules
  • two optional modules from a choice of eight
  • a research dissertation

The compulsory modules provide a broad foundation in subjects such as customer and product development, marketing, finance, strategy and management. In all cases, the teaching emphasis is entrepreneurial driven.

All students select two of eight specialist modules, aimed at giving more domain-specific knowledge, networks, and skills. Some of these optional modules will be taught with students from other School of Management Master’s programmes, thus providing further opportunities for student interaction across the school.

The optional modules offered are subject to change each year and are indicative only. Optional modules can change for a variety of reasons including but not limited to updated learning outcomes, lack of demand and resourcing.

The dissertation allows students to work full time on developing their start-up, or to conduct research-based field investigations of the desirability, feasibility, and viability of a business opportunity.

Students who undertake the study abroad option at Singapore Management University will take four 15-credit compulsory modules and a compulsory 60-credit dissertation module at UCL and a 60-credit Postgraduate Term Abroad module at SMU. All modules are equivalent to FHEQ level 7.

Please visit the UCL School of Management website for further details on the programme structure.

Part-time study offers a student the opportunity to carry on working in a career, in their own start-up or to simply study at a slower pace.

Part-time students take two modules per term (instead of four for full-time students). These modules are taught during the daytime on separate days of the working week. Part-time students are taught in the same class alongside full-time students.

The modules are taught in a specific order, with the optional modules chosen in the second year.

Students will need to have a level of work flexibility (if employed) in order to cope with the School’s timetable.

The dissertation project is undertaken in Term 3 of the second year, hence there will be limited activity during Term 3 of the first year.

Students who undertake the study abroad option at Singapore Management University will take four 15-credit compulsory modules and a compulsory 60-credit dissertation module at UCL and a 60-credit Postgraduate Term Abroad module at SMU. All modules are equivalent to FHEQ level 7.

Please visit the UCL School of Management website for further details on the programme structure.

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Entrepreneurship.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team.

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Entrepreneurship MSc

Join UCL School of Management's virtual open day to learn more about the MSc Entrepreneurship programme. You will hear from the Programme Director, Simon Hulme, the programme team and current/former students about what it is like to study with us and the opportunities to build and grow your business. You will also have the opportunity to ask the questions that are important to you.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2024/25) £19,300 £9,650
Tuition fees (2024/25) £38,300 £19,150

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

All full time students are required to pay a fee deposit of £2,000 for this programme. All part-time students are required to pay a fee deposit of £1,000.

This programme does not have any compulsory additional costs outside of purchasing books or stationery, printing, thesis binding or photocopying. 

Students may have the opportunity to undertake an optional field trip in Term 3 and other potential international study trips throughout the year. Small grants are available for student organisers, but in most other cases the cost is entirely funded by the students themselves. It is estimated that students would need to contribute between £750 to £1,500 per field trip depending on chosen geographical location and personal preferences on flights and accommodation. This estimate is based on the costs incurred by the students on previous field trips and is subject to change depending on prevailing exchange rates. 

Students who participate in the study abroad option should be aware that this is self-funded. The fees for the Entrepreneurship MSc programme do not change should this study abroad option be chosen. You are responsible for your own travel, accommodation and all other expenses whilst in Singapore. You should allow between £1,500 to £2,000 a month to cover these additional expenses (excluding flights). However, please note that these figures are for guidance only and will be greatly influenced by the quality of accommodation chosen and/or prevailing exchange rates.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

UCL East Scholarship

The scholarship works to support the ambitions of east Londoners by funding the fees and living costs of eligible Master's programmes including this MSc at UCL. Further details at: ucl.ac.uk/scholarships/ucl-east-london-scholarship.

The Fulbright Commission Award

The Fulbright Commission Award is available for a US graduate student to study the Entrepreneurship MSc. Please note this is only available to citizens of the United States of America. Further details on the Fulbright website.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

UCL East London Scholarship

Deadline: 20 June 2024
Value: Tuition fees plus £15,700 stipend ()
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications and £115 for paper applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to explain your reasons for applying to study this particular MSc programme. The programme requires that applicants have clear entrepreneurial ambitions, so you need to provide evidence of having begun to pursue these. In assessing your application, we also require you to clearly demonstrate why you want to study Entrepreneurship at UCL and how you hope to develop your future career as an entrepreneur with reference to the core modules we offer.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2024-2025

Got questions? Get in touch

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