Amsterdam, Netherlands

Pre-University Honours Programme: Business Innovation & Entrepreneurship

How do entrepreneurs identify valuable opportunities? How do they develop strategies and plans, and acquire the necessary resources to implement their ideas? Innovation is a creative endeavor that requires a critical and open mind but also courage, persistence and persuasiveness. Innovation can help companies grow or adapt in our ever-changing globalized world, providing exceptional opportunities as well as challenges. In recent years, scholars and businesses alike have gained many insights in how innovation affects the competitive dynamics of markets and how companies can strategically manage and implement innovation.

Course leader

Erik Dirksen (MSc) is a lecturer at the Amsterdam Business School.

Target group

This course is designed for high school students (16+) who are interested to learn the foundations and implications of the dynamics of innovation. This course is ideal for students who are considering pursuing a degree in business: however, no matter what you will study or the kind of career you are interested in, business innovation provides you with lifelong skills that are beneficial to numerous fields of expertise.

Course aim

Throughout the duration of the programme, students will gain an in-depth overview of the exciting fast-paced fields of business innovation and entrepreneurship. In the morning sessions, students will participate in theoretical lectures and discussions based on key texts that form the foundations of this field. In the afternoons, we will learn from inspiring guest lectures, or get out of the classroom to visit start-ups and business incubators in Amsterdam: a hotbed for young business innovation in recent years. Students will also spend time on developing their own start-up ideas, which they will pitch to a jury of entrepreneurs by the end of the course.

Our pre-university programmes are designed for high school students to experience studying in a competitive, international environment at the Graduate School of Social Sciences of the University of Amsterdam. The lectures and all course materials are in English. Participants in the course will develop study skills and become acquainted with learning methods that will give them an advantage as they continue their education at university.

Fee info

EUR 1350: Tuition fee. Including all excursions, course materials, welcome and farewell events and a public transportation card.
EUR 450: Optional housing.

Scholarships

Please check our website for several scholarship opportunities.