Curriculum & Courses

An exploration of the central concepts of corporate finance for those who already have some basic knowledge of finance and accounting. This case-based course considers project valuation; cost of capital; capital structure; firm valuation; the interplay between financial decisions, strategic consideration, and economic analyses; and the provision and acquisition of funds. These concepts are analyzed in relation to agency problems: market domination, risk profile, and risk resolution; and market efficiency or the lack thereof. The validity of analytic tools is tested on issues such as highly leveraged transactions, hybrid securities, volatility in initial public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, acquisition and control premiums, corporate restructurings, and market inefficiencies.

Generative AI represents a pivotal technological evolution with profound implications for the global economy and modern society. This course delves into the decades-long development of AI and machine learning, emphasizing its emergence as a critical economic and strategic force. As we explore this technology, we will assess its potential to revolutionize industries, enhance capabilities, and introduce complex challenges related to security, identity, and ethical considerations.

In this dynamic landscape, both incumbent businesses and governmental bodies face the urgent need to adapt to this disruption and the transformative changes it heralds. This course seeks to unpack the catalysts of this technological surge, its foundational principles, and the critical knowledge required for modern leadership in the AI era.

With the advent of generative AI and the impending arrival of quantum computing, risks to organizations and individuals have grown exponentially. Innovation in offensive and defensive tools and technologies continues to increase. How does a leader keep up? Leaders must know how to work with internal experts and to manage these issues internally, with Boards, and for the public. Proficiency in strategies and principles, some of which date back to the ancient Greeks and Chinese, prevail over tools.

Technology Management’s flagship Executive Seminar, a three-semester course that introduces and develops students’ ability to conceive of, develop, and advocate for the creation of a user-centered product innovation. This discipline is foundational for anyone seeking to create growth for a positive social and/or economic impact. 

In this first executive seminar, you will explore how to define, design, and develop a major new technology-based product/service, whether for external or internal markets, as a startup, or within an established company. User-centered, product-based innovation is a foundational skill that can be applied broadly, with products, organizations, and for personal development. This and each subsequent Executive Seminar will culminate in a Presentation Day in front of your peers, faculty, and special guests.

In this second Executive Seminar, the focus is on functional learning: You will do the hard work of discovering if this is truly a “real” opportunity. Your new business idea is rife with assumptions, some of which (if untrue) have the potential to radically alter your vision, your potential for success and impact, and your findability.

This course is the third and final seminar of TMGT’s flagship Executive Seminar. This course takes your product from testing to a business, with the essential elements of a pitch to potential funders and investors, including competitive market analysis, unit economic analysis and financial modeling, team/cap table, and growth strategy. 

Law is infused into every part of business, especially through the lens of technology. Fluency in business and legal frameworks, and risk/benefit principles, from idea to exit, is essential for any innovation leader. This course offers a deep dive into the critical phases of technology companies and their journey through growth, scaling, and eventual market exit. Topics include capital formation, contracts, intellectual property, human capital, and business transactions.

Today, leaders must confront a world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. It demands that we strengthen how we lead change. We are all being stretched to learn, unlearn, relearn, and this is especially true for technology leaders – who operate in the ‘eye of the storm’ of relentless change. 

In this context, strategic advocacy -- achieving support for change to address the challenges that confront an organization and the opportunities they provide – requires knowing and applying useful skills, behavior, and practices to win commitment to new, even unanticipated directions.

This is a full-semester core course in the MS in Technology Management executive program designed to expose students to practices, tools, frameworks, concepts, and real-world examples that will help you move from a technical/functional role to a senior executive orientation. Everyone’s journey is unique. As you apply the course content in real life you will be expected to choose, experiment with, and adapt the relevant approaches most meaningful to your situation.

Every organization today is a technology organization. Every leader must have a fundamental understanding of how technology works. This class eliminates the mystery of what’s behind the curtain and gets you past the jargon so that you can make more informed decisions. This class is not technology in the abstract; this challenges every student to interact hands-on with technology regardless of their level of experience.

The Residency is an immersive four-day mini-conference, crafted for Executive Master’s students at Columbia University. Set against both the historic backdrop of the Columbia campus and the energy of the City of New York, this event is pivotal in forging and strengthening the social connections among students through a series of participatory workshops and shared cultural experiences. The Residency features Interactive Workshops designed to enhance your leadership skills and strategic thinking; Inspirational Guest Speakers delivering motivational talks and participating in roundtable discussions that provoke thought and encourage dialogue; Engaging In-Person Classes; and Presentation Days when you deliver your project presentations, providing a platform to engage not only with your peers in the program—both full-time and part-time—but also with expert practitioners from relevant fields. 

This event is compulsory for Executive Master’s students who are eager to maximize their educational experience through collaborative learning and networking opportunities in one of the world’s most inspiring cities.

In this course, students will comprehend the fundamental principles of these new technologies and how to strategically apply them to drive innovation, create efficiencies, and generate new opportunities in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. It offers students the opportunity to understand the factors fueling the adoption of these technologies including the exponential growth of data, the decline in trust post-financial crisis, the desire for data ownership, growing regulatory transparency requirements, the need for greater efficiencies, and the required protection of sensitive data. The evolution goes beyond the implementation of new processes, decentralized business models and technologies. The convergence of new technologies and interdisciplinary innovation drive the requirement for changes in regulatory processes, governance, and ethics. 

This course is designed for graduate students who aspire to lead in the era of digital transformation. It is ideal for those who seek to understand the strategic applications of blockchain, AI, and Web 3.0 technologies to drive innovation within their organizations. Whether planning to advance in a career in technology management or a professional in data and knowledge-driven industries, this course will enable the acquisition of knowledge and skills necessary to navigate and leverage the opportunities presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Design-based Innovation is a set of perspectives and processes that organizations of all kinds, in any kind of industry or context, can use to navigate ambiguity to find the best possible opportunities for creating change. It is also a well-developed set of practices to devise and deliver solutions for those potential audiences that result in valuable products, services, and other experiences that customers, consistent, and others respond to with satisfaction, delight, and a sense of value.

This course provides a comprehensive examination of modern software product development, focusing on creating solutions that address clear user needs and challenges. A “product” in this context refers to a software program that instructs computer hardware to operate, solve problems, and manage tasks effectively.

Modern product development benefits from systematic practices that enhance efficiency, sustainability, and continuity. These practices, including flexibility, iterative development, customer feedback, and efficient project management, are essential for adapting quickly to rapidly evolving market and technology landscapes.

The Independent Study course provides a dynamic platform for our top students, who are as ambitious as the Technology Management program itself. This course offers a special opportunity to engage deeply with a topic of personal or professional interest under the expert guidance of a faculty mentor. Designed to foster self-directed learning, the Independent Study allows students to explore new areas, deepen existing knowledge, or intersect different fields that are not covered in the standard curriculum.

Enrollment in this course is selective and intended for self-motivated students who demonstrate exceptional ability and initiative. Access to the course requires approval from the Program Director’s Office and endorsement from a faculty advisor who will work closely with the student throughout the study.
 

Generative AI is accelerating the need for organizations of all kinds to adapt to survive and grow. This imperative for “transformation” occurs among organizations of all types and sizes, increasing the demand for the ability to lead through disruption and organizational change. This course is intended to provide flexible frameworks for assessment, strategy, and implementation to enable students to understand the inputs to and develop the strategies for transformation.

This course teaches students how to get through to any audience for any reason. Technology leaders, more than in any other industry, must be equally comfortable as public speakers for vastly different audiences, from software developers and sales teams to politicians and the general public. Through exercises in speaker and audience analysis, studies in public speaking techniques, and an exploration of behavioral psychology principles influencing audience receptivity, students will gain tangible skills to increase their impact as public speakers. Specifically, this course will equip students to: 1. identify how impactful speakers prepare for, present to, and pivot for maximum impact according to audience type, size, and receptivity; 2. learn strategies on how to “read the room” and adapt both verbal and nonverbal communication techniques in real-time; and 3. gain hands-on experience in public speaking through exercises designed to develop public speaking skills across a range of tech-sector specific experiences, circumstances, audiences.

This course is designed to provide a fundamental understanding of the capital raise process for early-stage founders and technology leaders who are seeking seed and growth capital for their innovative solutions. The course will begin with a survey of the state of the current fund-raising market and the types of capital available in the market along with their relevant terms. The course will then dive deeper into the various aspects of the fund-raising process including 1) fund-raising strategy development, 2) engagement tactics with the fund-raising community, and 3) understanding term sheets and financing agreements Students will also develop their pitch materials as they progress through the course and be expected to present or submit their pitch materials along the way.

This course equips the next generation of technologists with the skills, strategies, and savvy needed to secure systemic and lasting change for social good. These topics are examined in three units: 1. Intrapreneurship: how to guide responsible technology within and by multinationals and other large-scale, risk-averse institutions; 2. Entrepreneurship & Nonprofits: how to balance market pressures with values-based missions within startups, nonprofits, and other social-good tech enterprises; and 3. Civic Tech: how to navigate policy, politics, and bureaucracies in delivering citizen-facing technologies within local, regional, and national government bodies.

Technology’s complexity becomes intricately detailed and beautiful when viewed as a system —its components, though diverse, work in symbiosis underpinned by shared communication protocols and governance structures. This system enables machines to operate with increasingly minimal human intervention. 

This survey course offers a broad and holistic exploration of technology as an integrated system, emphasizing the seamless integration that characterizes modern technological frameworks. Students will delve into the core components that constitute digital environments—such as the Internet, networks, hardware, and software—and understand how these elements collectively drive and shape today’s IT infrastructure.