Master of Professional Studies in Product Management

The Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech) in the A. James Clark School of Engineering is a national leader in entrepreneurship education and venture creation. As the University of Maryland’s comprehensive entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem, Mtech is uniquely positioned to offer programs for students to acquire the knowledge, competencies, and relationships to solve today’s and tomorrow’s innovation challenges.

Mentoring and advising are an essential part of the program. Students meet with faculty and the academic program director to ensure that educational goals and career learning and development goals are met. Students with specific academic questions may contact the academic program director via email: mppm@umd.edu.

The Master of Professional Studies in Product Management, Online (MPCI) enables learners to build the knowledge, competencies, and relationships to lead the product life cycle from discovery to delivery.

• A 30-credit, 10-course curriculum designed to build the knowledge, competencies, and relationships to lead the product life cycle from discovery to delivery. 
• Equips students with a conceptual understanding of the principles and action steps of innovation. While “doing” is achieved through the design, deliverables, and tangible outcomes of the courses, the foremost priority is to teach not what to do or even what to think, but how to think. 
• Committed to teaching the disciplines of entrepreneurial and innovative thinking that produce not just innovation inspirations but an innovative frame of mind.
• Designed to advance students through the continuum of new venture creation within established companies and large organizations, to include iterating ideas, testing business models, and launching high-potential ventures. 
• Courses are not stove piped by subject matter, nor largely based on case studies or simulations. Instead, the curriculum delivers an incubator experience grounded in sound theory and rigorous analysis associated with high-quality graduate education.
• Can be completed in fifteen months of continuous full-time enrollment. Part-time enrollment is welcome. See Designation of Full-time/Part-time Status.

Registration Overview

• See the sample plan of study, below. Students should use this as a guide to develop a plan with the academic program director.
• Actual course offerings are determined by the program and may vary semester to semester. Students should note if a course has a pre-requisite or co-requisite.
• Specific class meeting information (days and time) is posted on UMD’s interactive web service services, Testudo. Once on that site, select “Schedule of Classes,” then the term/year. Courses are listed by academic unit.
• The program uses specific section codes for registration, which are listed on the sample plan of study. 

Sample Plan, Fall Admission 

Courses

For a listing of program courses, see the Graduate School Catalog program requirements for MPCI. For course descriptions that includes pre-requisites or co-requisites, see ENES.

Overall

• Features 100% online instruction with engaging and interactive learning.
• Uses the term academic calendar with classes held in 12-week terms: I (fall), II (winter), III (spring), IV (summer). 
• Instruction provided by University of Maryland faculty and professionals in the field. 

Online Learning

• Using advanced audio and video technology, UMD’s online learning environment delivers dynamic and interactive content. 
• Featuring convenience and flexibility, online instruction permits asynchronous or synchronous participation.
• Lectures are video archived. Students who are unable to attend in real time can review the session through asynchronous participation.

Upon successful completion, graduates will have mastered the following competencies:

• Understand the keys to successfully navigating the roles and responsibilities of being a product manager to champion change with internal and external collaborators and influencers.
• Learn how to truly know your target customer, your customer’s underserved needs, your value proposition, your product feature set, and your user experience, then integrate this knowledge into product and market requirements and positioning plans.
• Translate product ideas into tangible assets by creating wireframes, 3D renderings, prototypes, and minimum viable products (MVPs) to test assumptions and validate customer interests.
• Develop techniques for designing and modeling for fast feedback and idea-sharing, system optimization with open architectures, validating functions and verifying performance, and leveraging and enabling the system designs, platforms, and ecosystems.
• Embrace modern product leadership to form and motivate product teams, and grow organizations that can both discover and deliver products at scale.