A proposal to increase the tuition for M.S.E.C.E. students by $2,500 per semester above the existing graduate tuition rate at the Georgia Institute of Technology is under consideration by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. On this page, we will provide updates on the status of this proposal, as well as more information on the purpose and impact of this proposal.

Status of the proposal:

The proposal is still under consideration by the Board of Regents. No decision has been made regarding the proposed tuition increase. We expect a decision before April 30.

What is the purpose of the proposal?

The additional funds provided by the proposed tuition increase will be used to improve the M.S.E.C.E. program in several ways:

• First and foremost, to enable a new Technology Entrepreneurship course for M.S.E.C.E. students, which will include a significant lab component.

• Secondly, to provide greater assistance to M.S.E.C.E. students in identifying and obtaining internship experiences.

• Finally, to increase the instructor-to-student ratio in M.S.E.C.E. courses.

What is the Technology Entrepreneurship course?

This is a new course which covers the principles of entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship, including customer discovery, cognitive biases, rapid prototyping, and pivots. In addition, topics such as teaming, ideation, leadership, negotiation, and capital raises will be covered.

The course will have two phases. The first phase is a lecture series that will focus on topics ranging from how opportunities are identified, to how ideas are conceived, to what customer discovery means. Guest lecturers will be invited representing young entrepreneurs, experienced entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, angel investors, venture capital investors, customers, technology venture financing, and venture catalysts. The second phase is a laboratory that will focus on developing the core of a business model for an actual startup idea. In this phase, students will conceive a startup idea, perform customer discovery to form a compelling business model, and seek customer validation to prove market viability of the startup concept.