In a 2012 proclamation for National Entrepreneurship Month, President Barack Obama said, “Ours is a Nation where men and women can take a chance on a dream — where they can take an idea that starts around a kitchen table or in a garage and turn it into a new business or a new industry.”
“Our nation’s small businesses employ over 60 million Americans, or half of the private sector workforce,” wrote Jason Furman and Tom Kalil for The White House Blog on January 17, 2013. President Obama concurred, stating in his 2012 proclamation that entrepreneurs’ new businesses were responsible for creating most of the country’s new jobs and added, “That is why my Administration has fought tirelessly to invest in entrepreneurs and small businesses so they can do what they do best — take risks, develop new ideas, grow businesses, and create new jobs. To help them expand and hire, I have signed 18 tax cuts for small businesses into law. Last year, my Administration launched the Startup America initiative to help connect innovators to funding and mentorship, cut through red tape, speed up innovation, and get their ventures off the ground faster…[among other measures to foster budding entrepreneurs].”
Would you like to follow your dream, be innovative and creative, be your own boss, provide a valuable service or product and create jobs? Then an Entrepreneurship Degree is clearly your ideal academic choice.
You should also know that the same degree can help make you an ideal candidate for leadership or ‘intrapreneurship’ roles for an already established company, or to help you grow your existing business.
Why is an Entrepreneurship Degree Valuable?
In a research study sponsored by The Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, entitled “Impact of Entrepreneurship Education,” researchers Alberta Charney and Gary D. Libecap discovered several key findings, including:
- “Entrepreneurship education produces self-sufficient enterprising individuals.”
- “Entrepreneurship education produces successful business and industry leaders.”
- “Entrepreneurship education enhances a graduate’s ability to create wealth.”
- “Entrepreneurship education produces champions of innovation.”
An entrepreneurship degree can be equally beneficial to those wanting to start their own IT firm, consulting business, retail boutique or restaurant, or those wishing to fill vital leadership or business-savvy roles within an already established company.
Additionally, many reputable entrepreneurship degree programs are taught by faculty who have been or are currently entrepreneurs/business owners themselves so they can share their own personal experiences—their struggles and successes.
Many programs also include a beneficial experiential component, whether it is an internship, a service learning opportunity (either locally or overseas), competitions (such as business plan or elevator pitch competitions), real-world entrepreneurial projects and seminars and/or mentorships or collaborations with experienced entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurship Education Options
Students enrolled in an entrepreneurial program learn a variety of relevant skills in areas of management, marketing, accounting, finance and operations. Specifically, such programs generally teach students how to write a business plan, how to obtain and manage financial resources, developing a business idea/innovation, launching the business, human resources, risk management, ethics and more.
Entrepreneurship degree programs, depending on the school, are offered on campus or online. They are offered at various academic levels, depending on where you are along your academic and career path and the scope of your professional goals:
- Associate degree
- Bachelor degree (with the option of a Major or Minor in Entrepreneurship)
- Master degree (such as an MsE or an MBA in Entrepreneurship)
- Certificate programs (general Entrepreneurship or specialties, such as technology entrepreneurship, performing arts entrepreneurship, digital media entrepreneurship or entrepreneurial management)
