Campus & Community

College of Law and Whitman School Launch New Graduate-Level Certificate of Advanced Study in Technology Law and Entrepreneurship

Tuesday, July 19, 2022, By Robert Conrad

Syracuse University’s College of Law and Martin J. Whitman School of Management (Whitman) are launching a new Certificate of Advanced Study in Technology Law and Entrepreneurship (CASTLE). This program leverages areas of strength at each of the schools that equip students with an advanced, marketable designation as they seek careers at the intersection of law, business management and technology.

The CASTLE curriculum consists of a minimum of 12 credits, including a foundational course in entrepreneurship offered at Whitman and an applied capstone course offered at the College of Law through its Innovation Law Center (ILC). The ILC offers a unique, interdisciplinary experiential learning program for students interested in the commercial development of new technologies. It is also the designated New York State Science & Law Technology Center by Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR). Under the leadership of Director Brian Gerling L’99, ILC students and faculty provide research, information, and advisory and support services to the more than 30 universities and research centers in New York supported by NYSTAR as well as New York state entrepreneurs and companies with new technologies.

Students enrolled in CASTLE can choose from courses in the areas of intellectual property, patents, venture capital and startup advising, among others. CASTLE is open to graduate and law students enrolled at Syracuse University, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF) and SUNY Upstate Medical College.

“The College of Law’s Innovation Law Center has a twenty-plus-year track record of preparing law students to drive growth in tech-related industries, including emerging medical, pharmaceutical, robotics, computing and manufacturing technologies, by combining real-world practical experience and academics, including courses at Whitman. CASTLE formalizes this interdisciplinary approach with an advanced credential that employers will immediately recognize as an added value in candidates,” says Dean Craig M. Boise.

Whitman School Interim Dean Alexander McKelvie says, “We are delighted to be able to launch this new program with the College of Law. We have a long history of working collaboratively and this new program formalizes our joint work in support of technology entrepreneurs and innovators. This new program is a major benefit to students as they learn both business and legal skills, like how to do market sizing, competitive analyses and commercialization, as well as intellectual property law and how to do patent searches.”

Students interested in CASTLE can apply at any time during their graduate programs. College of Law students should apply in the spring of their 1L year. Tuition follows the current tuition rate per school and course.

For more detailed information about this Certificate of Advanced Study, please visit the College of Law’s Certificates of Advanced Study webpage. Current College of Law students interested in the certificate should contact the ILC at 315.443.8933 while prospective law students should contact College of Law admissions. Whitman students should email Christopher Wszalek, executive director of graduate admissions and student recruitment.