The MS in Innovation & Management (MSIM) is for the bold, curious, and action-oriented who want more than just a career—they want to make a difference. Built for collaborative creators and unconventional thinkers, we'll help you become fluent in business, technology, and innovation—so you can lead in any sector, from startups, to nonprofits, to government.
Through immersive venture creation sprints, you'll gain hands-on experience solving real-world problems. But this isn't just about launching ventures—it's about mastering how to turn any idea into meaningful impact.
You see possibilities where others see problems. You've got the ability to see the world with fresh eyes, and the savviness to leverage the latest technology. Now you want to build solutions that create real impact for real people. Change an industry. Maybe change the world.
Here's the thing: brilliant ideas become even more powerful with business fluency. Technical expertise combined with business acumen creates market reality. Creative vision paired with strategic thinking opens every door.
That's why MSIM exists. To transform your technical expertise into innovation leadership. Through real projects with real companies, immersive experiences that go beyond case studies. Through practitioner mentorship that applies academic theory. Through building what's next and shaping what's possible.
Ready to turn your curiosity into real-world impact?
This isn't theory-first education. We've identified six essential capabilities that successful innovators actually use. You'll master them by building real solutions.
1. Discover Your Customers’ Unmet Needs
Identify real problems that matter through customer research, taking an anthropological approach to gain genuine insights into opportunities to help real people.
2. Create Solutions Customers Will Demand
Generate breakthrough ideas and build products people line up for, because they’re better than the current alternatives. Not just clever technology searching for a use case.
3. Design a Sustainable Business Model
Build models that deliver customer value and capture it effectively. Create business plans that excite investors, ensure longevity, and value sustainability.
4. Create and Deliver Your Idea
Transform concepts into market-ready products. Craft positioning that resonates. Build go-to-market strategies that actually work.
5. Communicate and Persuade
Find your founder’s voice. Distill complexity into clarity so you can pitch investors, inspire teams, and convince customers.
6. Lead and Influence Others
Build teams that believe. Unite diverse talents around shared missions. Navigate the messy human side of innovation.
Three intensive sprints take you from “what if?” to “what’s next?” Real problems. Real funding. Real launches.
Team up with Tufts faculty mentors to transform cutting-edge research into viable solutions. Find a problem worth solving and build your first real solution. → Pitch your business plan to a panel of judges, all experts in launching innovative ideas.
Take your innovation deeper or pivot to something new. Validate with real customers. Refine your business model. Build what the market actually wants. → Take your idea on the road. Attend industry conferences anywhere in the world or compete for cash prizes in competitions like the Tufts New Ventures Competition
Choose your own adventure and graduate with proven experience:
Go Corporate: Immerse yourself in internship roles at leading companies
Go Venture: Launch your funded venture full-time
Go Consult: Solve innovation challenges for real clients
Master the essential capabilities by building real solutions.
Learn business by building it. Your courses connect directly to your Innovation Sprints. Customer discovery validates your solutions, finance frameworks guide your operations, marketing principles shape your launch. Everything applies immediately.
Choose courses that deepen your expertise and expand your impact.
Build expertise your competitors can’t match. Get Lean Six Sigma certified, master data analytics, or add technical depth at the School of Engineering. Gain global perspective at the Fletcher School or explore creative approaches at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.
Enhance your degree with additional opportunities that fit your goals.
Our faculty are seasoned practitioners who've navigated the challenges you face. They're executives actively leading transformations, mentors who've scaled operations, and master teachers who bring frameworks that succeed in boardrooms and beyond. Through powerful questions and real-world insights, they guide you to think, act, and lead with both technical depth and business strategy.
At TGI, you'll learn alongside innovation leaders from around the world. Our Joyce Cummings Center provides dedicated collaborative spaces including the MSIM Innovation Studio—a 24/7 space supporting your innovation sprint work—with close proximity to the fitness center, library, and other campus resources, many of which can be accessed online.
Beyond physical connections, our practitioner faculty and alumni network create pathways into Boston's innovation ecosystem. The Green Line MBTA stop on campus extends your reach, while weekend immersive experiences bring all students together. All on one of America's safest campuses—ranked 15th nationwide.
As an MSIM student, you'll access an integrated ecosystem designed to transform your ideas into impact:
Innovation Resources & Support
Career Transformation
Your Innovation Community
Boston Innovation Ecosystem
Take the first step toward innovation leadership. Explore application deadlines, admission requirements, tuition rates, and scholarship opportunities—everything you need to plan your MSIM journey.
† Data collected from 2017-2023 MSIM graduates