MANAGING ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS - CASE ROMANIA

Abstract

Higher education institutions are facing growing challenges and therefore they must be pro-active in educating students and providing graduates able to develop and combine theoretical knowledge with skills and abilities required in the labor market. After analyzing students’ motivations and expectations regarding the “added value” of the master studies in Business Administration, we found a solid confidence in the value and utility of master studies for their future careers. Moreover, entrepreneurship is a valuable alternative, even than lots of the expressed intentions are more declarative. The students’ self-assessment regarding the knowledge and skills useful for a possible entrepreneurial career revealed some remarkable features. However, most of the students we had investigated are rather related to the traditional “by necessity” entrepreneurship. There is a relatively small share of traits able to stimulate innovative “by opportunity” entrepreneurship, as we could expect from young, well-educated and open-minded persons. Higher education institutions bear a large part of the responsibility of a correct orientation of students’ potential towards an inspiring and prosperous entrepreneurship. Higher education institutions should constantly adapt the academic curricula to the requirements and challenges of the contemporary economy.