Salt Lake City, Utah — December 19, 2025
One of Utah’s most distinctive entrepreneurship programs is going global—again.
The University of Utah’s Master of Business Creation (MBC), a founder-first graduate program housed at the David Eccles School of Business, is expanding to Europe. Beginning in August 2026, entrepreneurs based in Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands will be able to enroll in the program without relocating to the U.S.
For Utah’s startup community, the move underscores how far the MBC has come since launching in 2019—and how seriously the university is taking its role as a global player in applied entrepreneurship education.
The European rollout builds on the MBC Global option introduced in fall 2024. That initiative first opened doors to founders in Africa (Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa), later expanded to Ontario, Canada, and now Europe. Additional regions are under consideration.
Unlike traditional MBA programs, MBC is structured as a one-year, accelerator-style degree designed specifically for active founders. Participants work on their companies in real time, supported by mentors, applied coursework, and a cohort model. The program is jointly run by the Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy and the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute—one of the engines behind Utah’s broader startup pipeline.
Program director Jeff Davis says the expansion reflects demand for a model that blends academic rigor with hands-on company building.
“This is about building the world’s best ‘accelerator plus graduate degree’ for serious entrepreneurs,” Davis said. “The global expansion shows the model works—and scales.”
The European launch is being led in partnership with Luxembourg-based philanthropic organization Aureus Ars & Scientia.
Leading the partnership in Europe are Olivier Van Regemortel, Jacques Mahaux and Amélie Madinier, who are the chairman, board member and executive director at Aureus Ars & Scientia, respectively. Madinier will serve as regional director for MBC Global Europe, overseeing founder recruitment, mentorship, and local partnerships
“We look forward to enrolling founders in our region into the Master of Business Creation, one of the most unique and valuable degree programs for entrepreneurs anywhere in the world,” said Van Regemortel.
“We invite founders across eligible European countries to learn more and apply. We expect admissions to be competitive, and we expect to have scholarships for the most qualified applicants who apply before the 31st of January 2026,” he added.
The expansion was made possible with support from the Lassonde Family Foundation, whose backing has been instrumental in shaping MBC and other entrepreneurship initiatives at the University of Utah.
Admissions for the European cohort are expected to be competitive, with scholarships available for top applicants who apply by January 31, 2026.
While MBC Global operates fully online, founders are grouped into regional cohorts and plugged into a growing international network of alumni, mentors, and faculty—extending Utah’s entrepreneurial reach far beyond state lines.
Applications are now open for founders in the U.S., Africa, Canada, and Europe for the August 2026 start. Space is limited, and pricing is standardized across regions to keep the program accessible to early-stage and scaling founders.
More information about the MBC Global program is available at eccles.utah.edu/mbc/global.
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