Abstract
Entrepreneurial programs have experienced a phenomenal growth in the past two decades. In this exploratory study the authors survey undergraduate entrepreneurship programs to identify courses that are being offered by these programs with the objective of determining if innovation is being addressed in the programs. The study explores innovation from both startup and corporate perspectives to see if industry needs are being met by academia. Findings suggest that entrepreneurship programs focus on functional knowledge and an opportunity exists to include courses that address innovation, design, intellectual property, and social media. Further research is needed to align market needs with academic offerings in entrepreneurship programs.
Highlights
Entrepreneurial education should be an enabling education that focuses on innovation, which we define as the creation of new capacities for wealth creation
Entrepreneurship programs provide an opportunity for academic institutions to graduate students that can contribute in meaningful ways to solve complex societal and organizational problems
The knowledge base and skill set needed for innovative solutions to societal and organizational problems requires a unique mindset for designing an entrepreneurship program
Summary
Entrepreneurial education should be an enabling education that focuses on innovation, which we define as the creation of new capacities for wealth creation. Data from the Kauffman Foundation report titled Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity published in April 2013 indicates that 300 out of 100,000 adults created a new business each month in 2012 in the United States. This rate, which is a slight drop from the 2008–2011 periods, is at the same level with findings from 2007. To address innovation needs there has been an interest in offering undergraduate entrepreneurship programs by higher education institutions. To answer the research questions we used the list of schools that offer undergraduate entrepreneurship as a major complied by the Saint Louis University John Cook School of Business (http://www.slu.edu/x17964.xml). We conclude with a discussion of innovation education in undergraduate Entrepreneurship programs with implications for future research and practice
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