Graduate Certificate in Innovation - Foster Center for Innovation

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

Undergraduate Minor

Innovation Micro-Credential

Graduate Certificate

Innovation Academic Programs Home

Course Pathway

About the Graduate Certificate

Whether you desire to be an entrepreneur or work within an established company or organization, the Innovation Graduate Certificate provides you with the tools and confidence to be an innovator in any field. Students learn a systems-thinking approach to generating creative solutions, effectively persuading others to support your innovations, and testing and implementing them faster and with less risk. The Innovation Graduate Certificate consists of three applied experiential learning courses (9 credit hours) and can be completed in a little as one year.

Students will receive the level 1, 2, and 3 micro-credentials when they complete the certificate.

Course Descriptions

INV 510: Fundamentals and Systems of Innovation

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission

Provides students with the fundamental skills to create, communicate and implement innovations in any field. Students will learn how to generate unique solutions to problems, define and communicate those solutions to stakeholders, and test the viability of innovations. Students will also learn the principles of system design and thinking in order to lead systems for innovation in organizations of any type.

INV 511: Innovation Engineering: Advanced Innovation Methods

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: INV 510 or permission

Students learn advanced techniques for ideation, problem solving, positioning and pitching their innovations, and moving ideas through validation and development. These skills provide a systematic approach to innovation and apply to the creation and execution of ideas in any field.

INV 590: Using Innovation and Final Project

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: Graduate standing and INV 510 & 511

Emphasizes the intensive application of concepts explored in earlier Innovation courses to a graduate student’s field of specialization, with the purpose of creating the student’s own proposal and project. Students will be expected to identify a problem or opportunity and to research existing solutions to the problem or opportunity and to research existing solutions to the problem before developing their own ideas. Before taking this course, students must consult with a committee consisting of an advisor in the Student Innovation Center, as well as an advisor in their major field of study or graduate program. Students will have the opportunity to take their own idea from proposal stage to prototype and beyond. Projects may be individual or team-based.