Want to become an entrepreneur?

The one-year course has a focus on practice, not theory, and will introduce students to commercially relevant concepts, contacts, and opportunities, giving them the skills and support that they need to accelerate their success.

It’s for people who want to fast forward their careers as entrepreneurs and unlock the value of their ideas.

For eligible applicants, the Peter Coates Foundation is offering full bursaries to cover the whole course cost (which for UK students is £11,000). At the end of the course, there is also the opportunity to pitch your business plans for an investment of up to £200,000!

The course contains taught modules and one independent study module where you will engage with developing your entrepreneurial ideas. Each of the taught modules will run over five weeks and you will study one module at a time.

The course lasts approximately one year.

Each of the modules is designed to group the teaching together in two to three days each week, to allow you time to work on your business ideas and their development outside of the classroom.

There will be a maximum of 12 hours, and an average of seven hours, of face-to-face contact hours per week.

No, you do not need a business idea before you start, but if you already do that is great. The course will include ideation sections where you will be developed in the process of developing and assessing the feasibility of ideas.

If you have a new small business or a ‘side hustle’ and you would like to scale it up, you are welcome to join. The course will support the development of new growth ideas and the assessment of their feasibility.

Applications are open to students with both academic and non-academic backgrounds. The important thing is that applicants have the fire and desire to start their own business and become a part of Stoke-on-Trent’s emerging entrepreneurial community. Many successful entrepreneurs do not have strong academic records for a variety of reasons and the entrance criteria for the MSc has been designed to allow talented ambitious people to acquire the skills they need even if they do not have a strong academic track record.

Bursary applications are open to all UK students in receipt of an offer for the Peter Coates MSc in Entrepreneurship from University of Staffordshire. Applications are submitted through the Peter Coates Foundation website. Partial bursaries may also be awarded for students from higher income households. Priority will be given to local applicants, University of Staffordshire graduates, and students from lower income households, but the main criteria is that applicants intend to use the opportunities provided by the Peter Coates Fast Forward Programme to ultimately create a new business venture in the local area.

Yes, at the culmination of the course, individuals or teams of graduates will be able to pitch for either a £20,000 growth grant – designed to support smaller businesses – or up to £200,000 equity investment in their business idea.  Successful individuals and teams will also get the opportunity for ongoing mentoring and start-up support, as part of the Peter Coates Fast Forward programme*.