Some have even begun to refer to the present period of rapid market change as the fourth industrial revolution. The most effective entrepreneurship courses are those that teach students how to rapidly prototype and rapidly scale up their concepts. These institutions put their students at the forefront of innovation and development, generally with an interdisciplinary orientation that reflects the interrelated nature of the modern economy. More importantly, students will have the chance to develop skills like creativity, collaboration, and leadership, all of which will help them and the people around them.
Due to the breadth of its scope, entrepreneurship cannot be reduced to a single academic field. Those who study entrepreneurship learn to take risks, network effectively, think creatively, and produce tangible results. Over this reason, for the last fifteen years, we have collaborated with The Princeton Review to help guide students to the best undergraduate and graduate schools for aspiring business owners. This year’s poll examined various schools in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe based on a wide range of criteria. We looked beyond the curriculum to factors like the quantity of accessible mentors, the employment rates of recent graduates, and the school’s overall reputation. Find out in the next section which schools made the cut.
1. University of Houston (#1 Southwest)
Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship
Houston, TX
Number of Entrepreneurship Courses Offered: 39
Tuition: $11,276.00 (in-state); $26,936.00 (out-of-state)
Companies Started by Graduates Over the Last 5 Years: 779
What Sets us Apart
The goals of our programme at the University of Houston are centred on the success of our students, both academically and in their future careers. There are nearly half as many students of Hispanic or African-American descent as there are students of European descent. They lack leadership experience, self-assurance, and social capital because of this. In other words, we wouldn’t be setting them up for success if we just taught them how to market products or manage money. Therefore, we place an emphasis on equipping students with the necessary materials to develop into well-rounded leaders capable of fostering positive connections with others. Mentoring, retreats, and other forms of enrichment and outreach are just a few of the ways we promote and facilitate human development.
2. The University of Texas at Austin (#2 Southwest)
Harkey Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies
Austin, TX
Number of Entrepreneurship Courses Offered: 51
Tuition: $11,752.00 (in-state); $40,996.00 (out-of-state)
Companies Started by Graduates Over the Last 5 Years: 258
What Sets us Apart
Across its 40 acres, the University of Texas at Austin (UT) provides students with a wealth of opportunities to join the city’s thriving startup scene. The McCombs Business School, one of our most formidable partners, offers a minor in entrepreneurship, allowing students to complement their major with five courses in which they gain practical experience in their chosen field, network with peers from other academic fields, and develop new ideas for improving local communities. As part of their Entrepreneur-In-Residence and pre-accelerator programs, the Herb Kelleher Center has more than 20 well-known business leaders available to help budding entrepreneurs. Our brand new Kendra Scott Institute is staffed entirely by women who are experts in the field of entrepreneurship and who are dedicated to fostering its growth on campus. For students in the School of Undergraduate Studies, the Blackstone Launchpad is the most extensive shared office space for new businesses. The 40 acres are situated in a city that is rapidly becoming a hub for tech startups. Undergraduates have unprecedented entry to the startup ecosystem, including internships, funding, mentorship, and clientele. Last but not least, undergraduates in Texas have access to an extensive alumni network that can help them find jobs in fields like consulting, new product development, technology commercialization, corporate innovation, product management, event management, strategy, and business development where they can put their entrepreneurship skills to use.
3. Babson College (#1 Northeast)
Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship
Babson Park, MA
Number of Entrepreneurship Courses Offered: 37
Tuition: $55,714
Companies Started by Graduates Over the Last 5 Years: 246
What Sets us Apart
The graduates of Babson College are a global force for good, contributing significantly to economies and societies. At Babson, entrepreneurship is more than just a class topic; it’s a way of life. We use entrepreneurship as a pedagogical framework to help students develop the skills necessary to use Entrepreneurial Thought and Action® (ET & A) in a wide range of on- and off-campus contexts. All Babson students must take a course in entrepreneurship, and the vast majority (70%) of them choose from among more than seventy other options. All of the 51 professors in the entrepreneurship department, whether they be the 23 full-time professors or the 28 adjuncts, have both business and classroom experience. Through our Price Babson Entrepreneurship Educators Program, we have educated over 5,000 educators from across the globe on our innovative approach to teaching entrepreneurship. On our campus, students may participate in accelerators, labs, and other immersive experiences related to their interests in social innovation, start-ups, family entrepreneurship, women’s-led entrepreneurship, fashion, and food solutions. Our students have access to a one-of-a-kind prototyping and experimenting facility called the Weissman Foundry. The eTower, the CODE, and the CREATE/the Studio are just a few of the residential learning communities at Babson where students may explore their interest in entrepreneurship.
