The only postgraduate course in innovation and entrepreneurship with an international focus that combines the 4 main methodologies in innovation: Design Thinking, Service Design, Lean Startup and Agile Methodologies.
The Postgraduate in Innovation and Design Thinking is an instrumental program through which you will apply the methodological tools necessary for the management of disruptive or incremental innovation and decision-making. The study plan will allow you to develop a strategic response to the emergence of new paradigms and the impact of new technologies on business models and ways of managing organizations. Upon completion, you will be able to apply the necessary innovation techniques for the creation, management, and optimization of experiences, products, and services in your work experience.
Today, companies require more innovation and entrepreneurship, more flexibility, more speed, and more responsiveness for their customers/users. Adapting to new challenges passes through the application of new methodologies both in large, and small, and for-profit and non-profit organizations. This is why the postgraduate course covers not only Design Thinking, but various knowledge and innovation systems necessary for work experience.
As a student, with this qualification from our school you will acquire an in depth and current vision under the guidance of renowned experts in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship, and you will learn to apply business models and new technological and methodological tools that organizations use in their daily management. You will prepare yourself to create an innovative culture based on entrepreneurship, and to lead and implement change in all types of organizations. The main objective of the program is for you to become an agent of value creation for the entire organization and to know how to detect new business opportunities.
The program is structured in 2 large credit modules: the strategic module and the instrumental module.
The first module of the study plan, called “Innovation and strategic analysis”, is taught in person and forms the basis of the course. It will orientate you on the current innovation map at an international level, focusing on providing knowledge about the trends, possibilities, and realities that the field of innovation and entrepreneurship presents today. Concepts such as: innovation in different environments and business models, new business models and technologies, disruptive innovation, innovation ecosystems, and digital transformation in companies, among others, are addressed there.
The second module of the course, called "Tools for innovation", will be the practical part that will prepare students for the work experience. In this module you will learn and apply, during more than 40 hours of practical group workshops and with the support of the teacher, various decision-making systems and innovation tools such as Design Thinking, Service Design (user experience), Lean Startup, and Agile Methodologies. This module is taught in a blended mode, that is, it intersperses face-to-face and online sessions.
The Postgraduate in Innovation and Design Thinking is endorsed by Pompeu Fabra University, the 1st Spanish university and the 15th best university in the world (of those with less than 50 years), according to the Times Higher Education ranking. In addition, UPF Barcelona School of Management has EQUIS accreditation, the most prestigious institutional recognition for business schools globally.
Why choose this program
Learn about current tools
You will be trained to know how to manage, from start to finish, an innovation project valid for different business models. The program offers students 40 hours of practical workshops to equip you with the tools of innovation and entrepreneurship that you can apply in the real world immediately.
Study at home and practice in class
The blended methodology will give you flexibility to combine each subject on entrepreneurship with your work and personal responsibilities, advancing the theoretical content on innovation and entrepreneurship at home, and then applying it in the classroom through dynamic and challenging workshops with expert teachers and other students.
Learn from industry experts
We will connect you with teachers of the highest academic level and recognized experience in innovation and entrepreneurship who will instruct you in a real and tangible way in the best practices for the management of business models and innovation.
Obtain a prestigious international qualification
With this course you will obtain a qualification backed by the recognition and academic quality of the UPF, the number 1 university in Spain.
Study at an accredited school
Study at a school accredited by EQUIS, an international distinction that guarantees the quality of our institution and makes us the 1st school of management linked to a public university with this accreditation in our country.
Who is it for?
Program aimed at managers of functional areas, intermediate positions, entrepreneurs, consultants, people responsible for innovation and development in any sector or activity, who want to know and acquire the tools, skills, and knowledge concerning innovation in the business world. All this by applying creative and effective techniques that allow us to understand the threats and opportunities generated by the power of current technologies and the possibilities of new products, services, and business models linked to entrepreneurship.
Curriculum
The postgraduate course is divided into 2 modules that all students must pass: one face-to-face and the other blended.
- The first module "Innovation and strategic analysis" is made up of sequential classes with expert teachers in various areas of innovation and entrepreneurship. This part of the course is taught 100% in person.
- The second module "Tools for innovation" is very practical and is carried out through blended teaching; the theoretical concepts are prepared at home and then applied in class. A total of 40 hours of practical group workshops.
Innovation and strategic analysis (face-to-face)
You will learn to carry out an innovation and entrepreneurship project, from the identification of challenges derived from the business model, to the identification and management of opportunities, ending with a systematic way of designing proposals that can be prototyped.
You will learn about the management of innovation and entrepreneurship as part of the management of different organizations. We will delve into why the success of innovation is linked, to a large extent, on how it relates to the rest of the company. You will learn how being an ambidextrous company contributes, and how innovation management translates, into managing risk and agility to create new value for customers.
In this subject we will analyse the market factors that directly condition innovation and entrepreneurship processes, from demand to legislation itself. You will learn specific examples in each area and analysis processes for each of them.
You will identify the changes caused by digitization in society and how this affects companies and entrepreneurship.
You will learn the characteristics of a successful entrepreneurial ecosystem. We will specifically analyse the success factors of the case of Barcelona.
Tools for innovation (face-to-face 50% and online 50%)
We will facilitate the vision and techniques of this innovation and entrepreneurship system, with the aim of learning to design new products, services, and even new businesses that adapt to the new needs of consumers.
Through the analysis and mapping of the customer experience, we will devise and prototype new solutions—whether physical or online—that enrich their experience, always taking into account the business vision.
Under the guidance of an expert teacher, you will learn about this user-centred methodology based on experimentation to launch your innovative business idea on the market. You will learn to see if it really is a business opportunity suitable for entrepreneurship and to validate it through different tools and experiments such as: prototypes, interviews, customer development, Business Model Canvas, market potential, and minimum viable products (MVP).
In this course we will learn the values and principles that govern the so-called agile methodologies such as SCRUM or QRM for the development of projects and the organization of entrepreneurship processes.
Note on the Curriculum
Complementary activities
The Postgraduate Course in Innovation and Design Thinking also includes the possibility of participating in practical activities and activities for personal and professional growth such as:
- UPF-BSM Inside: is a group of interdisciplinary subjects (applied data, communication, creativity, innovation and project management, sustainability and leadership among others) that, if you take this program, you can access at no additional cost. They are 100% online and you can take them throughout the academic year at your own pace, as they have been designed as self-study subjects.
- Visits to Innovation Hubs in Barcelona: You will visit important innovation hubs in Barcelona, to see innovation flow first-hand.
- Planned visits: Pier01 and Nestlé Innovation Hub.
Qualification obtained
Once you have passed the program, you will receive the following electronic degree certification (eTítulo©): Expert diploma in Innovation and Design Thinking, awarded by Pompeu Fabra University. The eTítulo© will be issued in Catalan, Spanish and English.
The electronic degree certification (eTítulo© ) is an authentic digital degree, issued in pdf format and electronically signed, with the same legal validity as if it were in paper format.
Faculty
The program is designed by Susana Domingo, director of the area of entrepreneurship and strategy at UPF-BSM. The faculty is made up of experts in the area of innovation dedicated to consulting, entrepreneurship, new business models, and other relevant and well-known projects within the Barcelona innovation hub and its organizations.
Academic directors
Faculty
Collaborating faculty
- Alfons Cornella
The Institute of Next and Infonomia Founder. Innovation consultant. - Xavier Marcet
President at LTC Lead to Change (LTC Project), strategic innovation consultancy firm. Bachelor in History from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. - Miquel Martí
CEO at Barcelona Tech City. Industrial Engineer from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and MBA from ESADE. - Jordi Mercader Sanjuan
CEO of Infinitum Projects. Board Member of Customer Care Technologies, Full of Tradition, Traspacar, Mercaconsult, IDT, IoTip etc. - Christian Rodriguez Fornos
Serial entrepreneur. Founder of BYHOURS, Urban Secretsm Netip Consulting, Chocolate Studio, among others. Board Member at Barcelona Tech City and Hawkers Group. Professor and university mentor on innovation and digital ecosystems. - Bet Matoses
Expert in Service Design and Design Thinking, specialized in the design of brand, product and service strategies with a completely digital approach. Bachelor's Degree in Political Sciences and Administration from Pompeu Fabra University and Degree in Industrial Design from IED. - Diana Pinos
Consultant and trainer in Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at Diana Pinos. - Miquel Angel Oliva Sans
Expert in innovation, business strategy, and organization. Founder and General Director of the FUNDACIÓ PRIVADA PER A la CREATIVACIÓ® (www.fundaciocreativacio.org). - Marina Vall
Usability, accessibility, and user experience (UX) specialist. UX Designer at Adevinta. Has been UX Lead at Accenture Interactive, UX Manager at RocaSalvatella, and Senior UX Designer at FC Barcelona.
Methodology
The Postgraduate in Innovation and Design Thinking in blended modality combines online training credits with face-to-face classes to offer you a qualification with the best of both worlds: flexibility and direct interaction with experts and other students. The blended mode will allow you to work on content on innovation and entrepreneurship online, without schedules and at your own pace, thanks to a flexible and dynamic online model, without losing direct contact with your teachers and colleagues through classes and practical workshops in the classroom.
Our school program offers students a face-to-face module first, with classes on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings, and a second blended module that will combine online and face-to-face classes
Blended Methodology
You will be able to combine it with your work and personal life, making the most of the time you have to study your credits. This study plan on innovation and entrepreneurship will give you maximum flexibility, without losing direct contact and the dynamics of face-to-face classes. The main objective will be to prepare the content at home, in order to dedicate the face-to-face classes to practice.
Didactic and interactive teaching materials
We rely on materials in various formats to make the student's experience more motivating and challenging: videos, case studies, tests, content maps, and downloadable resources. These materials on innovation and entrepreneurship are designed and updated periodically so that you have the latest knowledge, skills and tools at your fingertips to take your career to the next level.
Practical workshops in classes
You will carry out more than 40 hours of practical workshops so that you can apply in a real way, and in teams, the 4 most important methodologies of innovation, entrepreneurship and decision-making today.
Innovation project
Students will develop an innovation and entrepreneurship project in all its phases (definition, ideation, prototyping, and testing), applying each of the innovation techniques to obtain a specific and tangible final product.
Evaluation
A wide range of assessment methods will be used to evaluate the learning and acquisition of skills and award the qualification, such as:
- Participation in the activities planned in the classroom.
- Individual work (practical cases, reports, role play, etc.).
- Team work.
- Activities on the global campus.
- Exhibitions, public presentations.
- Exams.
Tools
The combination of online learning and face-to-face sessions favours the balance between theory and practice in a flexible learning process. The various multimedia resources that are made available to the student allow them to acquire knowledge in a self-regulated manner and the face-to-face sessions seek to put them into practice with active methodologies.
You will have:
- Digital resources and audiovisual blocks for online learning
- Face-to-face sessions with active methodologies for transferable learning
- Master's or postgraduate work to learn by doing
- A personal mentor to monitor your Master's Final Project (TFM) or Postgraduate Final Project (TFP)
Professional Future
The Postgraduate Course in Innovation and Design Thinking will give you the practical knowledge necessary to implement an innovation and decision-making project in any sector or company. At the end of the program you will have a range of methodologies and tools for entrepreneurship, as well as for the optimization of new processes, products, and services and also for the development of new business models and new user experiences. In addition, you will learn the key points of agile project management and the mechanisms to ensure their success through the Lean Startup.
Student profile
The postgraduate program brings together professionals from various academic and professional profiles, whose interest is disruptive or incremental innovation. You can share experiences with professionals with more than 10 years of experience in consulting, marketing, business, change management, and entrepreneurship, among others.
Average age
Average number of years of professional experience
Training in Business and Business Administration
Engineering training
Training in Marketing, Communication, and Social Sciences
Career opportunities
Students will be able to count on the Talent UP professional management and development program from the Professional Careers service, a training complement designed to increase the value and positioning of our students in the professional market. This program provides you with tools, knowledge, and resources, through individual career advice, training activities, company events, and career opportunities.
- Innovation Consultant
- Innovation Manager
- Service Design Consultant
- Design Thinking Consultant
- Research, Development, and Technological Innovation Agencies
- User Experience Consultant
- Entrepreneurship consultant
- Digital Transformation Consultant