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Alumni Spotlight: Jeffery Montgomery
Meet Jeffery Montgomery, a Walton College alumnus who works as a Product Manager for Walmart Global Tech and is also the founder of FireWatchAI.
04/17/2026 | By Jenni Wiltz
Master of Science in Product Innovation
Gain the skills and experiences to turn great ideas into great products.
The part-time Master of Science in Product Innovation advances your professional skills
through coursework and the hands-on capstone experience – without stepping out of
the workforce to advance your education.
The products that we interact with daily - both digital and physical - shape our experiences of the world. Through the coursework and capstone experience, you will develop your skills to create impact through new product development and product management. Current issues in product development such as novel materials, changing customer demographics, sustainability, sourcing challenges, and inclusivity through product design are woven throughout the program to equip students for success in a rapidly changing world.
Just the Facts
How Much? How Long?
Who can enroll?
NWA Community
What makes Northwest
Arkansas special?
Courses and Schedule
What coursework is required for this degree?
The Walton Advantage
Students are increasingly choosing the Walton Master of Science in Product Innovation to build the skills needed to turn ideas into market-ready products and drive innovation within startups and organizations alike.
Master of Science in Product Innovation Video Playlist
Frequently Asked Questions
Just the Facts: Master of Science in Product Innovation
Program Length
1-2 Years
The full-time program can be completed in 1 year. The professional part-time program can be completed in less than 2 years.
Start Date
Fall
Admissions Info
Do I Qualify to Enroll?
Complete your undergraduate degree and meet additional requirements. View Requirements
Entrance Test
GMAT or GRE
Students may be eligible for a GMAT/GRE test waiver with a 3.2 undergraduate GPA or 3 years of professional work experience. Please review our master's admissions policies.
Application Deadline
International applicants: February 15
Priority (domestic applicants): April 15
Final (domestic applicants): July 1
Total Estimated Cost
$23,762.70*
*In-state tuition and fees. Additional tuition costs applied for out-of-state and
international students.
View cost details
Class Profile
Current Students
View a listing of current Master of Science in Product Innovation Students.
News and Notes: Master of Science in Product Innovation
U of A Entrepreneurship Grad Program Climbs to No. 20 in Princeton Review Rankings
The Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas has been ranked No. 20 by The Princeton Review in their list of the Top 50 Entrepreneurship Graduate Programs, rising two spots from last year's ranking of No. 22 and 15 spots in the past two years since making its debut on the list at No. 35 in 2023.
11/12/2025 | By Brandon Howard, Jerra Toms
The Northwest Arkansas Community
Join a supportive and engaging community located in the vibrant business network of Northwest Arkansas, with over 300 Fortune 500 companies with a presence in the region.
Business leaders and Walton alumni are closely connected to the college, not just during your studies, but throughout your career.
Courses and Program Schedule
To obtain the Master of Science in Product Innovation degree, students must complete the following 30 hours of coursework.
Core Courses
SEVI 52303: Human-Centered Design
This course will serve as a highly hands-on experience through the human-centered design process, organized around the following modules: design research, problem identification, concept generation and creativity, prototyping, testing, communication and visualization. Within this course, students have the structure and space to be collaborative, creative, and agile, enabling them to rapidly design viable solutions for their organizational partners. (Typically offered: Irregular)ISYS 53203: Development with Digital Innovations
This course exposes graduate business students with the ever evolving environment of modern software development. Using a hands-on approach to exploring modern software development tools and techniques students will learn how to conceptualize, design, and implement software product prototypes using a variety of emerging technologies. Students will gain understanding of how to evaluate digital innovations for inclusion into an ever-evolving software development environment to help accelerate development. Skills will focus on providing students the ability to quickly design and implement functional prototypes for business use-cases while exploring the introduction of innovations in the market.SEVI 52103: Business Foundations for Innovators & Entrepreneurs
Introduction to the fundamental business concepts an entrepreneur needs to know to evaluate and launch a successful new venture. Topic areas include recruitment, selection, motivation and management of employees, market analysis and the marketing mix, financial strategies and accounting for funds, economic considerations, and the management of operations.SEVI 52403: Product Management
This course presents an integrated overview of the field of product management. Through this interactive course, students will be able to take organizational innovation ideas formed in the pre-requisite Human Centered Design course to the next level by learning and implementing the fundamentals of product management which included improving technical acumen, strategy development, business modeling, product market fit, understanding OKR's, EPIC's, and Retrospectives.SEVI 54403: Principles of Product Design & Prototyping
Principles of Product Design and Prototyping develops foundational skills in product design, including hands-on experimentation with digital design and prototyping tools (e.g. Autodesk, Solidworks, Adobe). This course will pair readings, lectures, and hands-on mini-workshops to build confidence and capability in product design in the context of the student' own ideas.SEVI 54303: Legal, Social and Economic Context for Product Innovation
In this class, we will cover a variety of issues important to product development, including intellectual property and liability issues, industry and competitor analysis, supply chains and sales channels, and social and environmental issues. The course will combine readings guest lectures, and project work that applies concepts to the students' specific projects.SEVI 58603: Experimental Product Analytics
This course is designed to enhance students’ data fluency as related to product testing and development in both the pre-market validation and post-market optimization phases, thereby closing the loop on new product development. The course focuses on A/B design, testing, and data interpretation. It places a strong emphasis on the scientific method of hypothesis testing using artificial intelligence.SEVI 58703: Storytelling & Stakeholder Management1
This course is a master class on influence and the art of the pitch, to executives and investors. Students will learn communication skills in storytelling, smart brevity, and meaningful metrics and analytics that support decision making. In addition, students will learn how to create slide decks with high impact visuals. Finally, students will learn interdisciplinary leadership skills and networking that generate buy-in across functions like engineering and design, and a range of other stakeholder groups.Capstone Experience
SEVI 58803: Venture Creation Lab2
A capstone project that equips students with the entrepreneurial skills to develop a new venture. Students have the unique opportunity to build on product ideas developed earlier in the program. Using lean startup methodologies, students will conduct market analyses, develop the product or service offering, and design the business model with cohesive go-to-market and human and financial strategies. The course emphasizes crafting impactful pitches, actionable business plans, and a range of financing methods including bootstrapping, government grants, and more formal investment strategies.SEVI 58903: Enterprise Innovation Lab
A hands-on, team-based course in which students partner with real companies to tackle complex problems at scale. Each team is assigned a challenge and must identify, size, and prioritize the underlying problem before designing solutions. Guided by faculty experts and industry mentors, students create customized deliverables and project timelines that directly advance sponsor goals. The course emphasizes innovation frameworks, user insights, product roadmaps and cross-functional collaboration to deliver tangible solutions with measurable business impact.2 SEVI 53203 New Venture Development I may substitute for SEVI 58803 Venture Creation Lab with prior program Director approval.
Program Overview
The Master of Science in Product Innovation will prepare students to usher new products from the idea through the commercialization phases within existing companies or in new ventures. The program aims to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to improve the probability of commercial success for innovative new products and services.
The degree will consist of a 1-year or a 2-year, 30-hour program that includes full summer, fall and spring terms. Classes will meet online during the week and one Saturday per month at the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville.
Product/Venture Capstone Experience
Students will choose a project-based capstone experience related to some aspect of new product development - developing a new product, building a product-focused business, or working with an existing brand to advance their product portfolio - with the support of faculty experts and mentors from various industries, such as outdoor recreation, biodesign, digital products, and others. The small cohort size of each group enables students to have a high level of engagement with faculty and project sponsors, ensuring a more customized learning experience for a variety of professionals. Students also have the opportunity to participate in a product incubator program and test new product concepts and prototypes.
- Product Development Capstone Experience – The self-paced capstone experience will be in partnership with a project sponsor in the industry of the student’s preference. With a faculty advisor and project sponsor, the student will develop customized deliverables and timeline to advance the product development goals of the sponsor organization.
Saturday Class Dates
| Spring 2026 |
Summer 2026 |
Fall 2026 |
Spring 2027 |
Summer 2027 |
| January 17 |
May 16 |
August 22 |
January 23 |
May 22 |
| February 14 |
June 6 |
September 12 |
February 13 |
June 12 |
| March 14 |
June 27 |
October 3 |
March 13 |
June 26 |
| April 4 | July 25 |
November 7 |
April 10 |
July 24 |
| April 25 | December 5 |
May 1 |
* Students admitted to the professional programs in the Walton College are required to attend a multi-day orientation prior to the start of scheduled courses. Dates to be determined. Please contact gsb@walton.uark.edu for more information.
How Do I Enroll?
Admission to Walton College masters programs is selective. Enrollment in each program is limited.