Applied Innovation Leadership MA

Study level: Postgraduate
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This course can equip you with the knowledge and skills required for a successful career in global organisations, governments, social enterprises, and NGOs.

Year of entry

Location

Coventry University (Coventry)

Study mode

Full-time

Duration

1 year full-time

Course code

AHT062

Start date

May 2023

How to apply
Book an Open Day
Download a prospectus
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Course overview

This course can equip you with the knowledge and skills required for a successful career in global organisations, governments, social enterprises, and NGOs.

The world is becoming an ever-more complex place in which, humans and machines combine to create new and interesting solutions to the most complex of problems.

  • Due to the dynamic nature of innovation, applicants from any discipline are welcome. The course aims to meld recent graduates with seasoned professionals to create a working environment that combines raw talent with hardened experience.
  • This course focuses upon the most important aspects of innovation as a positive driver for change. Participants engage in solving real-world problems in a contemporary learning environment that mimics that of the most innovative organisations on Earth.
  • Only through utilisation of cutting-edge thinking in design, innovation, and business practice, can humanity face the problems of tomorrow.
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Global ready

An international outlook, with global opportunities
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Teaching excellence

Taught by lecturers who are experts in their field
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Employability

Career ready graduates, with the skills to succeed

Why you should study this course

  • Innovation is at the very centre of modern Business, Government, and Charity sectors.  Without innovation, entire industries cease to exist.
  • This course recognises the need for contemporary approaches to innovation that provide solutions to some to the world’s most intractable problems.  To this end, Coventry University is committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that identify the seventeen most pressing issues facing humanity.
  • Supported by staff who are inspired by innovation to develop real-world solutions to complex problems, you will be empowered to pursue deep learning within one of the most exciting facets of the modern work environment.
  • Coventry University has invested in rapid prototyping technologies to provide you with opportunities to think-the-unthinkable and act as a real catalyst for positive change within industry and society at large.

We want our courses to be centred on real world experiences so you’re prepared for the working world. We do this by exposing you to industry, boosting your employability skills and exploring what the future possibilities of innovation could mean for us.

Lindsey Chambers, Associate Head of School
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What you'll study

In semester one, you will concentrate upon acquiring knowledge and skills required to innovate in situations that require deep thinking and an agile mentality.  Semester two sees you undertake a management role to guide new starters through their semester one. In semester three, you will embrace a leadership role that combines knowledge gained in the previous two semesters.

Modules

  • Through workshops, seminars, tutorials, and studio-based interactions that mimic real-world application, participants will produce prototype(s) capable of delivering product/service ideas to pseudo/real-customers. This module can prepare participants for employment across all industry sectors where critical thinking, curiosity and creativity are core recruitment and promotion considerations. Participants can fulfil a participatory role within a framework that supports a rapid process journey from ideation to minimum viable product through agile methodologies. This module will explore the application of innovation in different markets for you to apply your own prototype project.

    Compulsory

  • New enterprises are created, rise to prominence, and fail in pseudo-organic manner. The need for new has become a core component of free markets, providing opportunities for new ideas, products, and services to replace those of the past. We will explore the creative forces have been postulated by luminaries in their respective fields; from Darwin and Marx to Schumpeter and Christensen; each building upon the former's work to deliver an understanding of innovation that holds true in both, the natural world and that of human construction.

    Compulsory

  • This module will equip participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to answer the following question from the viewpoint of an innovator: Those who disrupt the market and it from the bottom, should existing enterprises lower their offerings to do battle with competitors who pose little or no threat to their existing market share? We will explore established principles of trade and commerce, products and services.

    Compulsory

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.

How you'll learn

You will have a base studio where you and your peers will explore innovation in all its guises; working collaboratively across semester intakes to provide thought-provoking solutions to contemporary problem domains.

You will receive a course of interactions designed to provide the foundations upon which you will contribute through extensive self-directed study. Academic staff will be on-hand to advise and guide your through your learning journey.

Practical group project work will be at the centre of course delivery, equipping you with the necessary knowledge and skills to work in highly complex innovation environments. You will become a master collaborator and communicator through continuous feedback and feedforward interactions with academic staff and peers. You will learn to manage stakeholders within Business, Government, and NGOs.

Teaching contact hours

Part of university life is undertaking self-directed learning. Across the course of the week you will have non ‘taught’ time that allows you to work independently to apply the skills you have learnt in taught or facilitated sessions to your projects or assignment briefs. This is particularly important in the school of art and design as it allows you to put into practice making in workshop and studio spaces.

This self-directed learning allows you to monitor and self-evaluate your development and how best to manage this time to best impact your creative work. SDL is key to designing and making as it is a process that takes discipline and repetition. This mode of learning under pins our community of practice approach.

A third of your time will be taken up with facilitated sessions whether that is group, seminar, lecture, 1-2-1’s and in the remaining 24 hours you will be applying that knowledge to your on going assignments. Every student is different and manage workloads differently so this can vary across students and times of year.

As an innovative and enterprising institution, the University may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the University may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are prepared for courses due to start in or after the 2022/2023 academic year to be delivered in a variety of forms. The form of delivery will be determined in accordance with Government and Public Health guidance. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.

Assessment

This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will vary depending upon the module.

Assessment methods include:

  • Written coursework
  • Practical project work
  • Group work
  • Presentation
  • Posters
  • Films
  • Roadmaps
  • Prototypes

The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.

Entry requirements

Applicants should normally have a 2:1 undergraduate degree, or equivalent international grade/qualification, from a recognised university.

We recognise a breadth of qualifications; speak to one of our advisers today to find out how we can help you.

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Select your region to find detailed information about entry requirements:

Europe

Americas

Middle East

South Asia

South East Asia

East Asia

Africa

Russia and Central Asia

You can view our full list of country specific entry requirements on our Entry requirements page.

Alternatively, visit our International hub for further advice and guidance on finding in-country agents and representatives, joining our in-country events and how to apply.

English language requirements

  • IELTS: 6.5 overall, with no component lower than 5.5. 

If you don't meet the English language requirements, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course. 

For more information on our approved English language tests visit our English language requirements page.

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Fees and funding

2022/23 tuition fees.

Student Full-time Part-time
UK £10,600 per year Not available
International £16,950 per year Not available

For advice and guidance on tuition fees3 and student loans visit our Postgraduate Finance page.

We offer a range of International scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.

  • We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Your fee status determines your tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available to you. The rules about who pays UK (home) or international (overseas) fees for higher education courses in England are set by the government's Department for Education. The regulations identify all the different categories of student who can insist on paying the home rate. The regulations can be difficult to understand, so the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has provided fee status guidance to help you identify whether you are eligible to pay the home or overseas rate.

    If you meet all the criteria required by any one category, including any residence requirements, your institution must charge you the home rate. You only need to find one category that you fit into.

Facilities

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities is joining two of our school’s completely refurbished Art and Design buildings and adding a range of new facilities, which is planned to open in 20234. These will include a hyper studio designed for cross-disciplinary projects; immersive studios with cutting-edge virtual reality and mixed-reality technologies. Our aim is to offer you sector-leading facilities in a unique environment.

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Arts and Humanities Building

We are currently in the process of a major redevelopment of our Faculty of Arts and Humanities buildings. The building will be open to the public, as well as students, and will feature an expansive gallery space.

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The Library

You will benefit from our support designed to help you succeed and our industry-relevant teaching and resources. These include our modern library and computing facilities, dedicated careers advice and Students’ Union.

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Talent Team

Our Talent Team aims to provide you with professional careers support throughout your journey at Coventry University, by providing you with individual careers advice and guidance, from enrolment to graduation and beyond.

Careers and opportunities

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

  • Undertake research to synthesise and articulate advanced knowledge of both theoretical and applied aspects of innovation in its four main forms – disruptive, radical, sustaining, and incremental;
  • Realise complex projects through creation of ambitious artefacts for identified and diverse audiences and/or contexts;
  • Contribute to shaping a global contemporary discourse by engaging with innovative, experimental, hybrid and creative approaches to one or more of the four types of innovation – disruptive, radical, sustaining, or incremental;
  • Deploy advanced personal skills, judgement, and critical awareness to facilitate innovative problem-solving for a wide range of creative, professional, social, and collaborative contexts;
  • Innovate while applying critical thinking to a selected range of contextualised problem domains that embrace user requirements, brand identity and/or social imperatives;
  • Demonstrate knowledge and understanding as to the principles and theories of both, entrepreneurship and intra-preneurship to facilitate strategic and tactical leadership.

This course provides you with the requisite knowledge and skills for leadership in any industry that places innovation at its centre. This will typically take the form of innovation units within large organisations, governments and NGOs. In addition, the course provides you with core competencies cognisant with starting your own business or social enterprise.
Our Talent Team is on hand to offer tailored career and enterprise information if you wish to gain employment within course-specific industries. It provides specialist careers information, advice, and guidance to all students, regardless of career aspirations. Our dedicated enterprise officers also offer valuable assistance on how to pursue an entrepreneurial pathway.

How to apply

  • 1Accreditations

    The majority of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships shall be renewed in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the university maintaining the same high standards of course delivery.

    2UK and international opportunities

    Please note that we are unable to guarantee any UK or International opportunities (whether required or optional) such as internships, work experience, field trips, conferences, placements or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be subject to additional costs (which could include, but is not limited to, equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable travel COVID and visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the visa requirements, please contact the International Office.

    3Tuition fees

    The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first Academic Year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For Home Students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation.

    For International Students, we may increase fees each year but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the University reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.

    4Facilities

    Facilities are subject to availability. Due to the ongoing restrictions relating to COVID-19, some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) may vary from those advertised and may have reduced availability or restrictions on their use.

    Student Contract

    By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the 2022/23 contract can be found here. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.

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