Graduate Entrepreneurship Certificate
The Buerk Center’s Graduate Entrepreneurship Certificate (GEC) prepares University of Washington’s graduate students for the world of start-ups and new technology enterprises. You’ll take courses alongside students from other disciplines, gain real-world experience, and network with the region’s most innovative entrepreneurs.
After confirmed completion of the required coursework, students will receive an electronic certification as proof of successful completion (a printed certificate can be made available upon request).
Note: Beginning with the 2027–2028 academic year, students who complete the Graduate Entrepreneurship Certificate will have the certificate recorded as a credential on their UW transcript.
Questions? Contact Marghe Guaita at: [email protected]
Student Eligibility
Currently enrolled, degree-seeking graduate students at the University of Washington’s Seattle campus are eligible to apply if they have at least five quarters remaining in their degree program at the time of application.
Students enrolled in a Professional Master’s Program or another fee-for-service or tuition-based degree program administered through UW Continuum College should contact their home program advisor before applying to confirm the cost of taking ENTRE courses.
Note: This is not a stand-alone program. To be eligible, applicants MUST remain concurrently enrolled in a degree program at the University of Washington while completing the certificate.
Application
Eligible students must submit the Graduate Entrepreneurship Certificate application to be admitted to the program. A UW NetID is required.
Applications open at the beginning of each quarter for students who wish to begin the certificate the following quarter. The application requires a personal statement of no more than 3,000 characters, including spaces.
Apply to the Graduate Entrepreneurship Certificate here!
2027 Timeline
| Desired Starting Quarter | Application Open | Application Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Winter 2027 | October 5, 2026 | October 30, 2026 |
| Spring 2027 | January 4, 2027 | January 29, 2027 |
| Autumn 2027 | March 29, 2027 | April 30, 2027 |
Registration for Courses
For required core courses, MBA students register through the regular MBA bidding system. All other certificate students receive priority registration after bidding concludes, with available seats assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
Note: Beginning with the 2027–2028 academic year, students admitted to the Graduate Entrepreneurship Certificate will be guaranteed a seat in the required core ENTRE courses.
Registration for elective courses varies. Please review each course listing for prerequisites, application requirements, and enrollment restrictions. For more details, visit the MBA Program Elective Course Information page or email [email protected].
Curriculum
Total Credits: 18. All courses besides ENTRE 557 must be taken for graded credit where offered.
ENTRE 509 Foundations of Entrepreneurship
2 credits
Five noted Seattle entrepreneurs will lead students through the steps, stages, trials and tribulations of starting a company—as only they can. Each and every one of them has been in the trenches and survived. What’s more, these are people you’ll want to know as you head down the entrepreneurial path. The class will be a fast-paced overview of the entire company creation process and is designed to help you decide if entrepreneurship is the thing for you to pursue. Students will develop a model for a start-up and reflect on what they’ve learned weekly.
ENTRE 510 Entrepreneurial Strategy
4 credits
Start-ups are high-risk, high-return endeavors, and although there are notable examples of wealth creation, failure is the norm. This course uses competitive strategy to analyze the success and failure of entrepreneurial ventures and identifies the strategic principles that could increase the probability of success.
ENTRE 555/MKTG 555 Entrepreneurial Marketing
4 credits
Examines the skills and tools entrepreneurs need for bootstrap or guerilla marketing in their early-stage companies. Covers how to target market segments, position products, estimate demand, set prices, gain access to channels, and manage issues of rapid growth.
ENTRE 557/FIN 557 Entrepreneurial Finance
4 credits
From the start of a new venture, entrepreneurs have financial decisions to make. They need to understand venture capital markets, stages of financing, business cash-flow models, measuring early-stage financial performance, and how to prepare financially for a successful placement. In this course, students will examine the elements of a term sheet, learn how to value early-stage companies, discuss compensation issues, make presentations to angel investors and venture capital groups, and learn to manage the finances of a new venture.
ENTRE 532 Software Entrepreneurship
4 credits
By Application – Applications open early October
This class is also called “Entrepreneurship: Company-Building from Formation to Successful Exit.” It is a case- and project-based course focused on starting a software or hardware company. Guest entrepreneurs, lawyers, and financiers discuss market identification and analysis, business planning, financing, and typical operating and administrative challenges.
ENTRE 540 Business Plan Practicum
2 credits
The Business Plan Practicum gives student entrepreneurs the opportunity to network with founders and CEOs, explore their entrepreneurial aptitude, and work through the details of their own start-ups. It provides structure, tools, and resources for starting a company and preparing to compete in the Dempsey Startup Competition. Students do not have to take this class for credit in order to compete in the Dempsey Startup. Credit/no credit only.
ENTRE 541 Technology Commercialization
4 credits
Thousands of patents for innovative technologies are granted each year, yet only a fraction reach the market as products. This course explores turning a technology into a compelling product and bringing that product successfully to market. Through lectures, case studies, and guest speakers, students gain hands-on experience building and presenting a commercialization plan for an innovative new technology.
ENTRE 542 Venture Capital Investment Practicum
2 credits
This course provides an overview of the venture capital world. Though the capstone of the class is the Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC), the curriculum more broadly equips students with tools to evaluate early-stage investment opportunities. The class is interactive and integrative, featuring speakers who are entrepreneurs, VCs, attorneys, and former VCIC competitors. Credit/no credit only.
ENTRE 543 Environmental Innovation Practicum
2 credits
An interdisciplinary course focused on developing innovative clean-tech solutions to today’s environmental challenges while exploring new business opportunities. Weekly speakers include experts in natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, business, entrepreneurial finance, policy, and law. Topics include alternative energy, energy efficiency, green building, and transportation.
ENTRE 545 Health Innovation Practicum
2 credits
This course teaches the mechanics of taking a promising healthcare solution from inception to commercialization. Topics include healthcare challenges and opportunities, biodesign processes, innovation pipelines, intellectual property, company formation, healthcare markets and reimbursement, and medical regulatory processes. Students are well-prepared to enter the Buerk Center’s Health Innovation Challenge.
ENTRE 579 Grand Challenges for Entrepreneurs
2 credits
This course is designed for students interested in tackling major global challenges—innovation, big data, food and water systems, energy, education, poverty, and more. Students explore how solutions to these challenges can be researched, validated, and implemented using entrepreneurial creativity, opportunity recognition, business models, pivoting, and strong execution.
ENTRE 579 Angel Investing
4 credits (optional 2 credits for spring practicum) (Multi-Quarter)
By Application – Applications open early April for the following academic year
Course content focuses on early stage investing concepts such as pitch deck evaluation, business model analysis, venture & angel investor financing, and due diligence.
Winter – 4 credits: Live founder pitches and discussion anchor the sessions alongside due diligence work and presentations. Outside of class, students attend meetings with their investment placement.
Spring Practicum (optional) – 2 credits: The Winter quarter class must be completed in order to register for this Practicum.
Through this immersive leadership experience, students learn multiple aspects of entrepreneurial strategy, due diligence approaches, evaluating investment pitches by entrepreneurs, business model design, and relationship building with investors.
ENTRE 579 Creative Destruction Lab
4 credits (Autumn & Winter)
By Application – Applications open in May for the following academic year
Offered in partnership with the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) accelerator program, this course combines classroom learning with hands-on engagement. Students attend CDL sessions alongside participating startups, collaborate on venture projects, and join a vibrant entrepreneurial community at UW. Open to MBAs, PhDs, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates.
Autumn Quarter 2026
ENTRE 510 — Entrepreneurial Strategy (4)
ENTRE 542 — Venture Capital Investment Practicum (2)
ENTRE 543 — Environmental Innovation Practicum (2)
ENTRE 545 — Health Innovation Practicum (2)
ENTRE 555/MKTG 555 — Entrepreneurial Marketing (4)
ENTRE 579 – Creative Destruction Lab (2) By application
Winter Quarter 2027
ENTRE 532 — Software Entrepreneurship (4) by application
ENTRE 540 — Business Plan Practicum (2)
ENTRE 557 — Entrepreneurial Finance (4) *Non-MBA Students Only
ENTRE 579 – Grand Challenges for Entrepreneurs (4)
ENTRE 579 — Angel Investing (4)
ENTRE 579 — Creative Destruction Lab (2) continued
Spring Quarter 2027
ENTRE 509 — Foundations of Entrepreneurship (2)
ENTRE 541 — Technology Commercialization (4)
ENTRE 579 — Entrepreneurial Influence and the Pitch (2)
ENTRE 579 — Angel Investing Optional Practicum (2)*
*MUST HAVE TAKEN WINTER QUARTER ANGEL INVESTING CLASS TO CONTINUE IN THE SPRING PRACTICUM