Master of Science in Technology Entrepreneurship and Venture Building
A structured venture building programme for technically capable people who intend to found or lead a technology company, and for professionals converting into venture roles. Unlike conventional entrepreneurship masters programmes, the deliv...
Employment thesis
What this programme is designed to produce
Forward publishes the destination of every programme before you enrol. If the thesis stops holding, the programme is reviewed and, where necessary, retired. Next review: 2031.
Roles
- Founder and chief executive
- chief product or technology officer of an early venture
- venture studio lead
- principal at an accelerator or fund
- corporate venture builder
- innovation director.
Employer types
- Self-employment and founding is the primary destination
- venture studios, accelerators and funds
- corporate venture units
- technology companies in senior product and general management roles
- and development finance institutions supporting enterprise creation.
Target outcomes we hold ourselves to
- Measured on venture creation, survival, employment generated and capital raised rather than on placement alone.
Compulsory · The Forward Core
How the Core works →Every Forward programme, including this one, carries the same five cross-cutting requirements. They are graded, not optional.
- AI Fluency
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Ethics and African Context
- Human-Advantage Skills
- Enterprise
Includes 12 months paid work-integrated learning
Am I eligible?
Check yourself against the published requirements
7 questions written specifically for Master of Science in Technology Entrepreneurship and Venture Building. Every answer is checked against a requirement Forward has published, and the result tells you which page that requirement comes from. Indicative only, the admissions office decides on your full file.
What is the highest qualification you hold?
Curriculum structure
The same degree, in both pathways
Every Forward programme is published in both pathways: Path One, the term plan of two six-month terms, and Path Two, the block sequence of twelve four-week blocks. Same competencies, same assessments, same award. Toggle to see this programme in each.
Path One term plan shown
Path One · The Term Model
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 501 | Applied Intelligence for Professionals Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| FDC 502 | Research Evidence and Method Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| BIV 510 | Venture Design and Opportunity Validation Performance | 6 | 1-0-10 |
| BIV 511 | Technology Foundations for Founders Performance | 6 | 3-2-4 |
| BIV 512 | Financial Modelling, Unit Economics and Capital Structure Both | 6 | 4-2-2 |
| BIV 513 | Company Formation, Governance and Law Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 503 | Governance, Ethics and Leadership of Intelligent Systems Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| BIV 520 | Venture Build Studio: Product to Market Performance | 8 | 1-0-14 |
| BIV 521 | Go to Market, Sales and Distribution Performance | 5 | 1-0-8 |
| BIV 522 | Fundraising, Investor Relations and Term Negotiation Performance | 5 | 1-0-8 |
| BIV 523 | Scaling Operations, Hiring and Culture Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| BIV 524 | Advanced Elective Objective | 3 | 2-2-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIV 530 | Venture Capstone: Operating Company or Investment Committee Defence Performance | 20 | 0-2-38 |
| BIV 531 | Cross Border Expansion, Structure and Compliance Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| BIV 532 | Failure, Wind Down and Founder Recovery Objective | 5 | 4-2-0 |
Total credit units: 90
Curriculum source
Forward University Curriculum Compendium
Assessment
Coursework + project + integrated exam
Work-integrated learning
12 months paid co-operative education
Your week at Forward
A typical week on Master of Science in Technology Entrepreneurship and Venture Building
Path One, the Term Model: your own pace across a six-month term, one live session a week, short flexible lessons, and assessment on demand.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Curriculum explorer
Drill into the degree, step by step
Choose a study path, then a year, then a term or block, then a course. Credit totals add up as you go, and every course shows what comes before it and what it unlocks.
Step 1, choose a year
Step 2, choose a term
TERM 1 (SIX MONTHS) | FORMERLY SEMESTER 1
Year 1 · this step is worth 30 CU
Cumulative
30
Programme total
90
30 CU of 90 CU completed by the end of this step (33%)
Step 3, choose a course
Pick a course to see the detail
Credits, assessment, prerequisites and what each course unlocks later.
The twelve Forward capabilities
What this programme develops in you
Every Forward degree develops the same twelve cross-cutting capabilities. The profile below is the level this programme is designed to develop and verify by graduation, on the four-level scale in Part B2 of the Curriculum Compendium. Every claim above Level 2 is verified by someone other than the teaching lecturer.
- C1Intelligent Systems Fluency CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C2Quantitative and Evidential ReasoningLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C3Ethical and Contextual JudgementLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C4Communication and PersuasionLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C5Disciplinary MasteryLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C6Technical Production and CraftLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C7Problem Framing and Systems Thinking CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C8Collaboration and Multidisciplinary Teaming CriticalLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C9Enterprise, Value and Commercial Literacy CriticalLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C10Professional Conduct and Workplace PerformanceLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C11Learning to Learn and Adaptive CapacityLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C12Stewardship and Public ContributionLevel 3 of 4, Independent
Critical capabilities for this programme: Intelligent Systems Fluency · Problem Framing and Systems Thinking · Collaboration and Multidisciplinary Teaming · Enterprise, Value and Commercial Literacy. A graduate cannot pass out of this programme below the stated level on any capability marked critical.
Programme Learning Outcomes
What you will be able to do
Each outcome is assessed, and each is tagged with the Forward capabilities it is verified against.
- PLO 1Identify, validate and size a venture opportunity with evidence.
- PLO 2Build or lead the building of a technology product to market readiness.
- PLO 3Construct a defensible financial model, capital plan and cap table.
- PLO 4Incorporate, govern and staff a company lawfully across relevant jurisdictions.
- PLO 5Raise capital or generate revenue and manage the resulting obligations.
- PLO 6Lead a founding team through uncertainty, conflict and failure.
- PLO 7Apply ethical judgement to product, data, employment and market conduct.
Why this programme exists
A structured venture building programme for technically capable people who intend to found or lead a technology company, and for professionals converting into venture roles. Unlike conventional entrepreneurship masters programmes, the deliv...
Admission requirements
A Bachelor's degree of at least Second Class Lower Division in any discipline, with demonstrated technical, commercial or domain capability. Applicants with substantial founding or operating experience and non- standard qualifications may enter through recognition of prior learning under Part G3. Applicants submit a venture thesis or a problem they intend to work on. Alternative pathways: Foundation Year, diploma entry with advanced standing, mature age entry and recognition of prior learning, all governed by Part A5 and Part G. Online applicants additionally complete the compulsory Digital Readiness orientation under Part D6.
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