Other study options
With Proficiency in Innovation
All students from any course with optional modules can add “with Proficiency in Innovation” to the title of their degree as part of the Business School’s enhancement pathway, boosting employability.
Demands on companies, public sector and humanitarian organisations and their employees have never been greater. Key challenges include sustainability, and securing a fair society in the era of deep digitalisation and AI. In an atmosphere of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity there is a need to increase levels of innovation to solve problems now and in the future.
Today’s employees and leaders need to meet these demands, with over 80% of companies stating that the management of innovation – the creation of value from ideas – is one of their top three priorities. To meet the innovation imperative, organisations need staff that are agile, creative and able to reshape how to apply new technologies and products to deliver solutions.
Through signing up for the With Proficiency in Innovation Pathway you can tap into your potential for success in the workplace, and seek out personal skill breakthroughs.
Below are the current modules that you can choose as a part of the WPI Innovation pathway that prepares you for the workplace.
If you achieve 60 credits of modules taken from the list below, you may have the words ‘with Proficiency in Innovation’ added to your degree title when you graduate, to help signpost your knowledge to potential employers.
This module introduces the student to innovation and entrepreneurship theory and practice. Using case studies, this module delivers foundational knowledge in these subjects.
You will explore the histories, theories, and frameworks associated with innovation and entrepreneurship and how they support business growth. The module will consider contemporary urgent global issues such as sustainability and inequity and explore how entrepreneurs are innovating to tackle the sources of these problems.
This will all be brought together in a workshop setting where students will apply their newly-acquired knowledge to build a range of entrepreneurial skills.
Impactful Innovation and Entrepreneurship is a first-year elective that introduces students to design thinking, technology, and the circular economy while building creative confidence.
The module seeks to develop your knowledge of innovation within the context of the circular economy. By exploring the latest trends in technology and their relationship to business and sustainability, you will build a stronger contextual understanding with which to apply innovation and entrepreneurship.
The lectures will be delivered entirely online and workshop time will be project-based and immersive in nature. Through utilising the contemporary practice of design thinking and human-centred design, students will explore technology and the emerging concept of the circular economy in order to create impactful solutions.
Everyone is talking about innovation: Leaders of major corporations, politicians, public sector managers and individuals seeking to change the world with their new start up focus on innovation as a key activity. A recent survey found that 83% of companies ranked innovation as a Top-Three priority for organisations.
As 2nd year student from any faculty considers their career options when they leave University of Exeter, it is important to prepare for the workplace and the “innovation imperative”. BEM2056 Managing the Innovation Process has been designed by experienced innovation specialists (we teach innovation to Amazon!) to share the core steps in the innovation process.
The module is practical, very hands on, and designed to bring innovation to life for you. Any 2nd year student, studying any subject (including Business School students) can sign up to study the module in Term 1.
In a world that needs to change to address climate change, poverty, biodiversity loss, resource use, and wealth re-distribution (and much more), society is looking to next-generation innovation approaches to drive through change.
BEM2055 Rethinking Innovation explores the transformative potential of new innovation processes to secure a sustainable, fair and equitable future through novel approaches including ‘responsible innovation’, ‘reverse innovation’, and ‘sustainable innovation’.
The module is built around a series of practical and high involvement tutorials that will help you accelerate your understanding of innovation. The module lead mobilises the latest research and practice to help students be work-ready when applying for roles in the future – or even start their own business.
All 2nd year students from any faculty can sign up for the module – no prior modules or experience of studying business or management are needed. In fact, we welcome diversity of all types – including academic subjects – in the classroom.
Contact
If you have any questions about the ‘with Proficiency in Innovation’ pathway, please contact WPI-I lead: