Factors to Consider When Selecting an Entrepreneurship School
Higher Education Articles May 14, 2014An entrepreneurship major will teach students how to develop, organize, operate, and innovate business projects as both employees and owners. Four-year universities, usually through their business schools, across the country offer entrepreneurship programs.
Degree Overview: Bachelor’s Degree in Entrepreneurship
Schools typically offer a bachelor’s degree program in entrepreneurship as a concentration area or major within the business administration degree. Hands-on work is a key element of such programs and is offered through classroom simulations of the business setting, employment opportunities, off-campus internships, and on-campus training.
Prerequisite courses commonly include classes in computer science, accounting, business statistics, and finance. The program may also include upper-level subject areas such as:
•Business planning
•Product development
•Innovation and creativity
•Developing new ventures
•Franchising
Selecting an Entrepreneurship School
Students interested in entrepreneurship education have many options offered through the business divisions of four-year institutions. Coursework in business administration is included in these programs, in addition to information technology, accounting, and statistics.
The following are the most important factors to consider when you select an entrepreneurship school:
Opportunities for Practical Experience
An undergraduate entrepreneurship major must offer opportunities for hands-on experience, which is a key element to ensure success in the field. Students enrolled in some schools are allowed, either in groups or as individuals, to engage in the construction, design, development, and operation of their own businesses; the coursework allows this to be integrated within it during almost the whole duration of the program. Both paid and unpaid mandatory internships are required in most programs, while some other programs allow the dictation of their own level of real-world entrepreneurial experience to enrolled students, who are not required to participate in internships.
Resources of the School
Selection of a school will also depend on the quality of available on-campus resources, such as centers for entrepreneurial study or small business development. Students are likely to benefit, in their professional and internship experiences, from associating with the chosen school with local area businesses, along with government agencies and non-profit agencies. School affiliation with Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), among other international and national student organizations, may also influence prospective students.
Requirements
Students enrolled in some entrepreneurship programs complete substantial prerequisite coursework, both in general studies and mandatory business courses, before they are admitted as an entrepreneurship major. Other coursework begins immediately in the freshman year, whereby students can immerse themselves in entrepreneurial study of the four-year duration of the program.
