Student Involvement

Get Involved on Campus as an MSIE Student

Gain hands-on experience practicing your classroom skills, make network connections, find lasting friendships, build your resume and learn how to develop that entrepreneurial mindset by plugging into the community on campus for MSIE students. Join a student organization that aligns with your professional and personal interests, or explore the opportunities below.

Venn diagram titled 'INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP'. The left circle is labeled 'Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship' and lists: Co-Curricular Programs, The Big Idea Competition, Comet Accelerator, SideHustle Program, Mentoring, Networking Opportunities, and Entrepreneurship Events. The right circle is labeled 'Innovation & Entrepreneurship' and lists: Master of Science, Undergraduate Concentration & Minor, Graduate Certificate, and Undergraduate Certificate. A paragraph below explains that these programs at UTD support entrepreneurial growth, research commercialization, and venture development through collaboration among students, faculty, and industry leaders.

Join Innovation and Entrepreneurship Leadership Council

The Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Leadership Council (IIELC) is a student-led group focused on promoting innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership. The council encourages entrepreneurial thinking, startup culture, and modern business practices through academic and extracurricular activities.

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Big Idea Competition

Speaker presenting at an auditorium

An annual pitch competition that brings the best undergraduate and graduate students together from all disciplines, alongside top research faculty and alumni, to pitch the most innovative startups in front of their peers and a panel of esteemed judges for cash scholarship awards.

UTDesign Startup Challenge

Faculty helping students with a lab experiment

Leveraging the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science’s UTDesign senior capstone course, selected ventures can receive $15,000 of engineering services over one of two semesters, a technical mentor, business coaches and $5,000 cash to grow their business.

CometX

Attendees looking at a presenter

The University of Texas at Dallas’ Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship proudly hosted its Summer 2025 CometX Accelerator, a six-week program designed to inspire and develop future business startups. Running from July 15 to August 26, the program welcomed 63 participants, evenly split among undergraduate students, graduate students, and alumni, all eager to transform ideas into ventures.

Spaces

  • Innovation center
    The new JSOM 3 building will feature a state-of-the-art Innovation Center designed to foster creativity, entrepreneurship, and real-world problem-solving.
  • Venture Development Center
    Exclusive university incubator designed to help UTD students, faculty and alumni commercialize their research ideas and inventions.
  • Richardson IQ HQ
    New, innovative space that will foster corporate innovator and university collaborations, support Richardson and the region’s startup and entrepreneur community, and advance UT Dallas Research.

Start your graduate application

Before you apply, get familiar with the application process for Jindal School graduate programs at UT Dallas.

How to Apply