KIEI | Spring Quarter Course FAQs
If your question is not addressed below, please contact KIEI at kiei@kellogg.northwestern.edu.
Where can I find the schedule for spring courses?
Download the Spring Quarter KIEI Course Schedule.
Where can I find out more about the NUvention Web application process?
Visit the NUvention website for application and course details.
The Farley Center for Entrepreneurship at the McCormick School of Engineering manages the application process. Applications are accepted in the third or fourth week of the Fall Quarter, shortly after the annual Startup Incinerator Weekend.
While the course is modified slightly each year, in general, Kellogg students are urged to participate in the Startup Weekend as a means to meet other NU students with the design and development and/or coding skills needed to launch a venture. Most Kellogg applicants who succeed in receiving permission to take the course have applied with a team that includes a designer and a coder.
Individuals may apply, however the course has been more successful when teams apply. It is allowable for a team to be composed of all Kellogg students, provided their team includes members with the necessary skill set. The course duration is for both Winter and Spring Quarters.
Find information for NUvention Impact (Winter & Spring), NUvention Energy (Winter), NUvention Medical (Fall & Winter) via the NUvention website. Future NUvention courses include NUvention Nano and NUvention Analytics.
Can I apply to more than one experiential learning ("EL") course to increase my chances of being admitted to at least one?
No, students may apply to only one lab course each quarter. Each lab course requires a minimum of 20 hours engagement (on site or virtually) with the host company, and taking two lab courses would require far too much of a time commitment in one quarter.
Can I take Innovation Lab and Buyout Lab in the same quarter?
No, each lab course must be completed separately each quarter.
What is the new coding and/or programming course?
The course is titled Startup Programming and Management (ENTR-925-0). The course will be taught by an instructor from The Starter League, a training company in 1871. Curriculum will focus on an introduction to web development and software engineering project management. A mandatory computer rental fee of $250 is required, however students will be taught how to set up their personal computers to allow for coding work outside of the classroom as well.
This class is recommended for students who currently (or in the near future) plan to start a web business and require the development of a minimum viable product ("MVP"). This class is also recommended for students who want to work in startups, and need to understand the programming aspects of business in order to communicate with the technical team.
Students will learn the following:
- Key concepts involved in modern web programming
- Essentials of the Ruby on Rails web framework
- Core principles of Agile
- Best practices for hiring and managing developers
- Hands-on experience with several product management tools and online resources
The curriculum of ENTR-925 incorporates both technical and agile management aspects. Highlights include:
- Sessions composed of brief demonstrations, lecture material and labs.
- Student participation in class "retrospectives" to help steer the class, modeling the manner in which a software team collaborates.
- All labs introduce the concept of "pair programming," so students can glean what it is like for a software engineer to work on a team that adheres to agile practices.
Does the Global Governance of Private Companies (ENTR-9650) class count toward the international credit requirement for graduation?
Yes. The website will be updated to reflect this fact shortly -- approval has been granted via the Kellogg Registrar.
If I am interested in Entrepreneurship, but have no startup experience, which courses will provide an introduction?
ENTR 462: New Venture Formation -- Focuses on idea generation, team formation and testing key assumptions of a business idea.
ENTR 463: Successful Entrepreneurship -- Exposes students to a variety of case studies.
FINC 471: Case Studies in Venture Investment -- Curriculum includes funding sources and entrepreneurs discussing several different venture situations.
If I am planning to launch a new venture immediately after graduation, which courses will be most helpful?
- NUvention courses in your industry of interest will provide practical know-how leading to a launch.
- Framework courses include Entrepreneurial Organization, Intellectual Property, Selling, Digital Marketing.
- Experiential courses include Private Equity, Venture Capital, Entrepreneurship Labs
Where can I learn more about the new KIEI professors?
Find more information about the new KIEI professors via the Levy faculty page, or read profiles via the New KIEI faculty page. We will continue to profile new KIEI professors throughout the quarter.
What is the new entrepreneurship track within KIEI?
For students in the final year of the MBA program with immediate entrepreneurial goals, the "launch pad" initiative follows a defined sequence that spans three consecutive quarters -- fall through spring -- with the intent that the student businesses developed through these courses will be prepared to launch upon graduation.
Stage 1: Discover
Entrepreneurship & New Venture Formation
This new version of ENTR 462 focuses on the initial stages of idea generation, team formation and testing key assumptions of a business idea.
Stage 2: Ideation
NUvention: Energy, Web, Impact, Medical, Nanotechnology
Framework Courses: Entrepreneurial Organization, Intellectual Property, Selling, Digital Marketing
Experiential Courses: Private Equity, Venture Capital, Entrepreneurship Labs
Stage 3: Launch
NU Venture Challenge: A three-round competition that showcases student teams from Northwestern University, the Graduate School, the Kellogg School of Management, the McCormick School of Engineering, and the Feinberg School of Medicine.
Students can also engage the launch pad earlier in their Kellogg career. For example, 2Y students in their first year may take ENTR 462 -- the "Discovery Course," and the framework courses in the winter or spring of their first year. This provides time to work on their business over the summer before entering the NUvention courses or Innovation Labs in their second year.
Learn more about KIEI courses via the Course Catalog.
Questions about KIEI courses? Contact kiei@kellogg.northwestern.edu.