Innovation

Outline

Outline

In this course you will gain the expertise and the creative mindset to solve complex industry and societal challenges, to make a difference.

The course has been designed by researchers at Curtin Business School to support the development of next-generation innovators. The course integrates our ‘GRIT’ concepts – global, responsible, innovative, technology – and the skills that the World Economic Forum has identified as ‘non-negotiable’ for the 21st century.

During your studies you will learn innovation strategies and how to innovate ethically, engage globally, and use technology decisively to deliver solutions with positive social and industry impacts.

You’ll learn how to apply critical business knowledge, creative thinking and innovation skills to the discipline of your choice. You’ll also have transformative experiences such as regional and international study tours, hackathons, internships and other work-integrated learning opportunities.

Additionally, as an Innovation student you can join the Curtin Ignition and Curtin Accelerate entrepreneurship programs, and access executive education masterclasses that are designed to help you set up your own enterprise.

This course supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and advocates for the stewardship of First Nations Peoples, and you’ll gain a useful understanding of different cultural perspectives and communicating for various local, regional and global contexts.

You can create a multidisciplinary skill set by choosing one business major or two specialisation units from study areas such as business, humanities, science and and the Centre for Aboriginal Studies.

You’ll start studying the business and innovation core units during your first year. You’ll also decide how you’d like to customise your degree to reach your dream career. You’ll do this by selecting a business major or two specialisations. These units are commenced during your second year of study and will be completed alongside your remaining core units.  

Throughout the course you’ll have scaffolded opportunities to build expertise through four transformative experiences – which will challenge you to solve real-world local, regional and global problems using innovation skill sets. 

View the course structure.

Business core

With these business core units you'll gain a solid foundation in business theory and practice:

• Communication Culture and Indigenous Perspectives in Business
• Strategic Career Design
• Markets and Legal Frameworks
• Financial Decision Making
• Analytics for Decision Making.

Innovation fundamentals

These units are our suite of innovation fundamentals:

Introduction to Innovation Principles: You will learn about innovation principles, types, contexts and approaches, and about the development of innovation and technological capabilities in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. You’ll also use your innovation skillsets to solve a real-world problem faced by a local organisation.

Design Principles and Processes: This unit focuses on design principles and process and how to research, ideate and develop a design to a professional standard.

Design Computing OR Introduction to Business Programming

• Design Computing: You’ll learn about industry-standard design technologies and software and complete practical design exercises and projects and exercises.
• Introduction to Business Programming: This unit focuses on contemporary programming language, computing environments and system software that will enable you to solve business problems.

Responsible Innovation and Leadership: In this unit you’ll explore the benefits of a global, responsible, innovative and technology (GRIT) mindset. You’ll also develop a responsible leader’s approach to innovative solutions that consider the needs of all stakeholders while aligning with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Project Management: You’ll learn about the management of information and tasks that ensure successful project delivery, including project scope and the management of time, cost, quality, risk, human resources, communication and procurement.

Entrepreneurship OR International Management

• Entrepreneurship: This unit focuses on research, theory and practice of entrepreneurship so that you gain an understanding of the characteristics and challenges of entrepreneurship and growing a new business.
• International Management: You’ll learn about international management theory and practice, and study the challenges and adaptation required in cross-cultural or cross-national managerial interfaces.

Management of Innovation: This unit explores how innovation drives the creation of competitive advantage, and how a firm’s innovation strategy emerges from its competencies and capabilities.

Customise your course

You can customise your degree through two options:

Option 1: Complete a Business major

Select one of the following Business majors that match your career aspirations:

• Business Information Systems
• Business Law¹
• Economics
• Finance¹
• Human Resource Management
• International Business
• Logistics and Supply Chain Management
• Management¹
• Marketing¹
• Property Investment and Development
• Taxation¹
• Tourism and Hospitality

¹ Available to study online.

Option 2: Complete two specialisations

Select two relevant specialisations (four units each) from discipline areas such as business, humanities, science and the Centre for Aboriginal Studies.

The ability to choose two specialisations means that you can mix and match to suit your interests – and with more than 60 specialisations to choose from, you can create the right combination for your dream career. For example, you could match:

• Small Business Start up with Marketing for a career in marketing consultancy
• Graphic Design with Digital Experience Communication for a career in UX design
• International Business with Fine Art for a career as an art curator
• Business Information Systems with Mining for a career as a resource sector systems analyst
• Urban Design and Planning with Climate Change Science for a career in sustainable urban design.

See the full list of specialisations. 

Transformative experiences

Throughout the course you'll complete four transformative experience units.²

1. Sustainable Business Innovation Project: You’ll apply your entrepreneurial skills, business ideas and out-of-the-box thinking to a genuine business environment, improving your employability.

2. Business Innovation Lab: You will use your initiative, creativity and adaptability as you work on an applied business project within a start-up environment. As part of an interdisciplinary team, you’ll solve a problem or advance an innovation while demonstrating your managerial judgement, professional communications and commitment to responsible business practice.

3. Business Internship OR Interactive Study Tour OR Business and Law International Experience

• Business Internship: You’ll have the opportunity to gain work experience with an external employer or work on a real industry project related to your area of study, in Australia or internationally.² These projects have defined objectives, with activities that a graduate in that role would be expected to complete. On an internship, you could:
  • conduct research or data analysis
  • scope the viability of new projects
  • support the implementation of new systems
  • identify market opportunities and revise marketing strategies
  • assist with an upcoming event.

  Note that selection for internships is a competitive process.

• Interactive Study Tour: Our Interactive Study Tour enables you to enjoy a study abroad experience from home! You'll connect with Curtin students from our global campuses and collaborate to develop strategies for addressing current and emerging global problems.
• Business and Law International Experience: Study while travelling the world, by completing a short course with one of our exchange partners.

4. Business Study Tour: Visit regions, countries and organisations in Australia or overseas to apply your innovation skill-sets to solve a regional problem and experience diverse ways of doing business.²

² Opportunities may vary depending on academic performance and international travel restrictions.

How this course will make you industry ready

• You’ll learn about the design principles, processes and technologies that help create innovation, and the markets and legal frameworks that are relevant to implementing innovation.
• You'll complete four transformative experiences that will enhance your industry knowledge and skills.
• The course integrates the concepts identified by the World Economic Forum as non-negotiable skills for the 21st century and you'll gain the job-ready skills that are valued by employers – teamwork, critical thinking, and data analysis and interpretation.

What you'll learn

• apply multidisciplinary knowledge to solve complex local, regional and global business and societal challenges using creative and innovative thinking
• use information and technology decisively to critically analyse business and societal challenges and arrive at innovative yet responsible and impactful decisions
• communicate professionally in ways that are appropriate for local, regional and global contexts
• influence inclusively by appreciating the importance of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and advocate for indigenous and first nations‐based stewardship
• demonstrate industry readiness by developing future-focussed capabilities including a global, responsible, innovative and technology (GRIT) mindset