Entrepreneurship Schools and Programs in The United States

Entrepreneurship Studies in The United States

Entrepreneurship is the study of how new ventures are created and grown: finding an opportunity, testing an idea, building a business model, raising money and managing a young company. In the United States it is taught in three ways: as a major within a business bachelor's degree, as a minor or certificate open to students of any subject, and through university centres that run courses, competitions and incubators alongside the degree. SpainExchange lists 45 colleges and universities in the United States under entrepreneurship.

How the studies are organised

• Bachelor's degree with a major in entrepreneurship: a four-year business degree. Middle Tennessee State University offers a Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship B.B.A., taught on campus, with specialised courses, an internship and mentoring by an advisory board of entrepreneurs. Fort Lewis College in Colorado lists an Entrepreneurship & Small Business major at its Katz School of Business
• Minors and certificates: a shorter set of courses added to another degree. Boston University has an Innovation & Entrepreneurship Minor, and Fort Lewis College an Entrepreneurship Certificate
• University centres: at the University of Washington, the Arthur W. Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship supports students from all majors with workshops, competitions, startup incubation and courses such as Creating a Company. At Temple University, the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute works across the university's 17 schools and colleges with classes, workshops, mentoring and events. Hofstra University's Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship includes ideaHUb, a business incubator certified by New York State
• Graduate study: centres such as the Buerk Center also run graduate programmes; a master's degree in the United States generally takes two years
• Community colleges: two-year associate degrees in business, which can be the first half of a bachelor's degree

Learning by doing is a common feature. MTSU describes internships, business plan competitions, consulting projects and mentorship from entrepreneurs as part of its programme. At the University of Washington, judges awarded $87,500 to early-stage student startups in 2026, the 28th year of its startup competition.

Admission and language

Each institution sets its own requirements. Undergraduate applicants need to have completed high school; master's applicants need a bachelor's degree. Teaching is in English, and universities require an English proficiency test before admission. Many entrepreneurship activities are open to all students: Innovate@BU, for example, addresses all Boston University students regardless of their major.

International students need an F student visa for a full degree. They must first be accepted by an institution certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), whose international student office issues the Form I-20 for the visa application. Working or running a business while on a student visa is subject to immigration rules; ask the international student office before starting a company.

Costs

Tuition is set by each institution. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, average tuition and fees at four-year institutions in 2022-23 were $9,800 at public institutions and $40,700 at private non-profit institutions. The public figure is the in-state rate, so international students should check the non-resident rate of each university. Starting at a community college is cheaper: public two-year colleges charged $4,000 on average in 2022-23, and students can complete a bachelor's degree with two years of community college followed by two years at a university.

Where to study entrepreneurship

Baltimore, Philadelphia and Boston have two schools each in this directory: Johns Hopkins University and Baltimore City Community College in Baltimore, Temple University and Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, and Northeastern University and Boston University in Boston. Other examples are Harvard University in Cambridge, Brown University in Providence, the University of Washington in Seattle, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Florida State University in Tallahassee, the University of Miami, Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, and Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. Community and technical colleges such as Northeast Community College in Nebraska, Piedmont Technical College in South Carolina and the College of Southern Idaho are also listed.

Recognition

Entrepreneurship is not a regulated profession, and nobody needs a degree to start a company. Recognition of credits and degrees by other institutions and by employers is linked to the accreditation of the institution. Business schools may also hold a specialised accreditation; Fort Lewis College, for example, refers to the AACSB International accreditation of its business school. There is no official ranking of U.S. universities.

Careers

Not every graduate starts a company. MTSU notes that the degree also prepares students to innovate within established companies, family businesses, non-profit organisations and public organisations, and lists roles such as small business owner, business development consultant, sales manager, project manager and franchise owner.

Official statistics give some context. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), top executives typically need at least a bachelor's degree and considerable work experience; their employment is projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 304,100 openings a year. On new businesses, BLS notes that some will inevitably fail and that survival rates vary by industry: health care and social assistance consistently ranks among the industries with the highest survival rates, and construction among the lowest.

Frequently asked questions

Is entrepreneurship a full degree or a set of courses?

Both exist. Some universities offer a bachelor's degree with a major in entrepreneurship, such as the B.B.A. at Middle Tennessee State University; others offer a minor or certificate that is added to another degree.

Do I have to study business to take entrepreneurship courses?

No. University centres such as the Buerk Center at the University of Washington and Innovate@BU at Boston University are open to students from all majors.

What can I do with an entrepreneurship degree if I do not start a company?

Graduates also work in established companies, family businesses and non-profit organisations, for example in business development, sales or project management.