University of Essex

MSc Entrepreneurship and Regional Development

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The MSc in Entrepreneurship and Regional Development is a new scheme concerned with the growing recognition of the relationships between the economic and social value of entrepreneurship, and the growth and cohesion of urban and rural, core and peripheral, and metropolitan regions worldwide. In particular, the scheme explores the conceptual and practical links between the issues of entrepreneurship and regional development.

The programme examines the role of entrepreneurship (new venture creation) in all its forms, from high technology to social enterprise activity, in different regional contexts, and its contribution to economic growth. This involves the critical analysis of issues such as the role of regional institutions, the regional dynamics of innovation, new organisational structures, skills sets, creativity, technology, learning, migration of people, flows of capital, and the environment, and how they link different regions in various countries. These dynamics are examined in relation to public policy development, their value and constraints for entrepreneurs, and their impact on those who live and work in particular regions.

The programme will draw on world class academic expertise from an international network of leading higher education institutions and practitioners from different organisations, for both teaching and mentoring purposes. Action learning and case study methods will inform the learning process, and all students will have direct access to and the possibility of participating in a growing portfolio of research, seminar, workshop and conference type activities. Students intending to develop their own initiatives will also be offered the opportunity to do so with appropriate levels of support from academic staff and business mentors. The University’s location in a region boasting one of the highest rates of new business creation, offers opportunities for studying in a creative and dynamic environment.

The programme should be of particular interest to graduates aiming for a career in planning, local/regional government or economic development, or those who wish to further their understanding of the regional dimension of entrepreneurship and new venture creation.