The 'Tec 21' Model: Disrupting Higher Education
Welcoming a new generation of people with a distinctive and unique vision, and facing a continuously changing global society and economy, Tecnológico de Monterrey is reinventing the higher education model to go hand in hand with the needs of a new era and addressing the challenges of a world that has yet to be invented.
Tec21 Educational Model provides students with the foundations of Tec's vision: leadership, entrepreneurship, and innovation. With a radical transformation of the traditional semester-based curricula and grounded on competences demanded by a 21st century context, Tec21 Educational Model dwells on four core elements: challenge-based learning, flexibility, inspiring faculty, and memorable college experience.
Entrepreneurship at Tecnológico de Monterrey
Successful and exemplary entrepreneurs, whose vision of wealth creation and regional transformation through leadership, education, courage, and new venture creation still resonates in the country, founded Tecnológico de Monterrey more than 75 years ago. Indeed, entrepreneurship has been the "DNA" of the institution since its inception, and according to an independent study has produced impressive results around the world:
- 41% of Tec de Monterrey alumni have started a for-profit business.
- 65% of these companies are estimated to still be in operation today.
- Of all for-profit funders, 38% are serial entrepreneurs, where 26% of them created two for-profits, and 12% created three.
As a private university - which has become a major player in the Mexican and Latin American regional development - Tecnológico de Monterrey is always looking for new experiences to promote entrepreneurship and innovation-based culture in all the students, communities and regions. Currently the primary and most important strategy has been to promote entrepreneurship and innovation through a distinctive educational model for entrepreneurship learning and development, aided by a network of 21 business incubators, 11 technology parks, liaison offices in Silicon Valley. Tec also presents a unique mentoring program with more than 1,000 high level executives, most of them successful alumni. Some of the accomplishments are summarized as follows:
- Tecnológico de Monterrey incorporated entrepreneurship programs more than 30 years ago, becoming the pioneer and leading university in Latin America on this subject.
- Subsequent to this thriving initiative, and over the following years, the institution formed and implemented a network of business incubators, business accelerators, technology parks, venture capital support activities, and mentoring, taking advantage of the unique national presence through 26 campuses in México.
- The 21 business incubators distributed throughout the country currently serve 1,200 projects; the incubator network has graduated more than 4,500 companies since 2002.
- The Technology Parks Network currently includes 11 Technology Parks. These "hubs" hosts more than 250 firms and had created and supported more than 3,600 high value jobs.
- In 2013, a unique entrepreneurship and innovation festival for entrepreneurs, innovators and investors branded INCmty was founded, reaching more than 10,000 participants in the 2020 edition.
The entrepreneurship strategy and organization at Tecnológico de Monterrey is headed by the Institute for Entrepreneurship Eugenio Garza Lagüera, named after a prominent Mexican business leader.
Education on ethics and citizenship
Students at Tec de Monterrey consolidate their ethics and citizenship competencies through curricular and extra-curricular activities, particularly with social and community service projects, and student group activities. These capabilities teach students to ponder, analyze and evaluate ethical dilemmas related to themselves, their professional practice and their context; to respect and serve humanity and planet (aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals); to know and be sensitive about the social, economic, political and ecological context; and to act with solidarity and civic responsibility.
Internationalization
Arguably regarded as the most international university in Latin America, Tec's strategic alliances with globally renowned consortiums and universities from over 48 countries promotes students and faculty exchange, as well as research projects. The attendance of foreign students and faculty in most of the campuses shapes an international environment favoring a global competitive profile in the students.
Research
Research is located at the graduate schools, and it is strongly driven by current economic, social and technological demands in these fields:
- Biotechnology
- Mechatronics and Engineering
- Information Technologies, Communication and Electronics
- Sustainable development
- Public Policy
- Business
- Entrepreneurship
- Medicine
- Education, Humanities and Social Sciences
