The Certificate in Product Innovation allows undergraduate students to develop competency in the area of product innovation.
Employing a cross-disciplinary perspective that embodies concepts from arts, design, business, engineering, and humanities and sciences, students receive a robust learning experience that leads to an understanding of the challenges associated with and means for managing product design, product development and new-product introduction endeavors.
The Certificate in Product Innovation program runs concurrently with a student’s major and is not a stand-alone program. In order to participate in the program, students must have a declared major in the schools of the Arts, Business, Engineering, the College of Humanities and Sciences, or another VCU unit that is an official partner of the da Vinci Center.
Students participating in this program will learn how to:
- Collaborate successfully: Students will demonstrate successful collaborative skills by learning how to work in teams, manage team conflict and organization and apply these learnings in real teaming situations.
- Develop product concepts: Students will demonstrate the ability to develop and test effective product concepts and prototypes.
- Think across disciplines: Students will demonstrate the ability to think across disciplines through taking courses outside their main area of study and working on teams with students from various backgrounds.
- Use effective verbal and oral communication: Students will be prepared to effectively express product innovation ideas and views in both verbal and written forms. Students will also be able to effectively communicate using verbal presentations and written executive reports.
Students should apply to the program during or after taking the introductory course, INNO 200. Interested students should submit their application to the VCU da Vinci Center which administers the certificate program. Upon acceptance to the certificate program, a Change of Major form will be signed by the student and submitted to Records and Registration by the VCU da Vinci Center.
Certificate requirements
Students with majors in the School of the Arts, School of Business and College of Engineering take the two non-discipline electives outside their major and two discipline-specific electives from within their major. Students from outside the schools of the Arts, Business and College of Engineering must take all three non-discipline electives and one discipline-specific elective. Note INNO 223 is usually offered only in the spring semester.
A minimum grade of C is required in each course that applies to the certificate.
The certificate requires a minimum of 16 credit hours of approved course work as follows:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| INNO 200 | Introduction to Innovation and Venture Creation | 1 |
| Select two courses from the following non-discipline electives: 1 | 6-9 | |
| Introduction to Arts and Design Principles | ||
| Introduction to Business Principles | ||
or ECON 205 | The Economics of Product Development and Markets | |
or MKTG 301 | Marketing Principles | |
| Introduction to Engineering and Technology Principles | ||
| Select two discipline-specific electives (approved 300- or 400-level courses in the major) 2 | 3-6 | |
| INNO 460 | Product Innovation: da Vinci Project 2 | 3 |
| Total Hours | 16 | |
Choose the courses offered on the subjects outside the major; students from outside the Schools of the Arts, Business, and Engineering must take all three non-discipline electives.
Students may take only one discipline-specific elective course while enrolled in INNO 460. Students from outside the Schools of the Arts, Business and Engineering are required to take only one discipline-specific elective, since they take nine credits of non-discipline electives.
The minimum total of credit hours required for this certificate is 16.
Electives
Note that elective choices are discipline-specific by major.
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core discipline electives | ||
| School of the Arts | ||
| Type and Image | ||
| Sequential Imaging | ||
| Digital Drawing | ||
| Game Design, Theory and Practice | ||
| Business of Communication Arts | ||
| Idea Accelerator | ||
| Piloting the Enterprise | ||
| Design Ops Internship | ||
| Furniture Design | ||
| Intermediate Glass Fabrication/Hot | ||
| Intermediate Textiles: Pattern Weaving | ||
| Merchandise Planning and Control | ||
| Fashion Forecasting | ||
| Focused Design Applications and Cultural Issues in Studio Practice | ||
| Fashion Internship | ||
| Web Design | ||
| Core Studio III | ||
| The Business of Design | ||
GDES 343 | ||
GDES 347 | ||
| Studio Management | ||
| Multi Studio I | ||
| Design Center | ||
GDES 492 | ||
| Interior Design Studio I | ||
| Advanced Interior Graphics II | ||
| Furniture Design | ||
| ID Business Practices | ||
| Topics in Interior Design | ||
KINE 308 | ||
| Drawing, Advanced | ||
| Flexible Molds | ||
| School of Business | ||
| Legal Environment of Business | ||
| Public Finance | ||
| Systems Analysis and Design | ||
| Leadership | ||
| Survey of Entrepreneurship | ||
| Marketing Research | ||
| Integrated Marketing Communications | ||
| Experiential Marketing | ||
| Product Development and Management | ||
| Introduction to Project Management | ||
| College of Engineering | ||
| Fundamentals of Software Engineering | ||
| Algorithm Analysis with Advanced Data Structures | ||
| Biomedical Engineering Design Practicum | ||
| Biomedical Instrumentation | ||
| Biomedical Engineering Senior Design Studio | ||
| Biomedical Engineering Senior Design Studio | ||
| Human Factors Engineering | ||
| Mechanical Systems Design | ||
| Material Science for Engineers | ||
| CAE Design | ||
| Senior Design Studio (Laboratory/Project Time) and Senior Design Studio (Laboratory/Project Time) | ||
| College of Humanities and Sciences | ||
| Biology Preceptorship: ____ | ||
| Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design | ||
| Professional Writing | ||
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Writing | ||
| International Marketing | ||
| Introduction to Intercultural Communication | ||
| International Management | ||
| International Human Resource Management | ||
| Technical Prowess | ||
| Graphics for Journalism | ||
| Visual Communication and Design for Public Relations | ||
| Beginning Media Production | ||
| Advanced Media Production | ||
| Public Relations Research Methods | ||
| Invention | ||
| Web Site Design | ||
| The Physics of Sound and Music | ||
| Public Administration | ||
| Financial Management for Nonprofits | ||
| Stress and its Management | ||
| Industrial Psychology | ||
| Experimental Methods | ||
UNIV 301 | ||
UNIV 499 | ||
The program director for product innovation will approve all course work intended to satisfy any elective requirements for the undergraduate Certificate in Product Innovation.
Sample plan of study
Note that classes are taken in conjunction with major course work; see curriculum outline for discipline-specific electives. Students should work with their da Vinci adviser to set a plan of study that best aligns with their major course work.
| Year one | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall semester | Hours | |
| INNO 200 | Introduction to Innovation and Venture Creation | 1 |
| Term Hours: | 1 | |
| Spring semester | ||
| INNO 221 or INNO 223 | Introduction to Arts and Design Principles 1 or Introduction to Business Principles 1 | 3 |
| Discipline-specific elective (approved 300- to 400-level course in the major) 2 | 3 | |
| Term Hours: | 6 | |
| Year two | ||
| Fall semester | ||
| INNO 221 or INNO 225 | Introduction to Arts and Design Principles 1,3 or Introduction to Engineering and Technology Principles 1,3 | 3 |
| Discipline-specific elective (approved 300- to 400-level course in the major) 2 | 3 | |
| Term Hours: | 6 | |
| Spring semester | ||
| INNO 460 | Product Innovation: da Vinci Project 4 | 3 |
| Discipline-specific elective (approved 300- to 400-level course in the major) or third non-discipline elective 2 | 3 | |
| Term Hours: | 3 | |
| Total Hours: | 16 | |
Arts, business and engineering majors choose the non-discipline electives appropriate to their major area as described in curriculum outline. H&S and other majors take all non-discipline electives. Note INNO 223 is usually offered only in the spring semester.
Students from outside the Schools of the Arts, Business and Engineering are required to take only one discipline-specific elective, since they take nine credits of non-discipline electives.
Engineering majors choose INNO 221; all others select INNO 225.
Students may take only one discipline-specific elective course while enrolled in INNO 460.
The minimum total of credit hours required for this certificate is 16.
Students who complete the requirements for this program will receive a Certificate in Product Innovation.
For more information, contact the student services coordinator for the VCU da Vinci Center at (804) 827-3764 or davincicenter@vcu.edu.