What does entrepreneurship education look like in Brazil? An analysis of undergraduate teaching plans

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aimed to describe and analyze the contents and methodologies of entrepreneurship education in undergraduate courses in higher education institutions in Brazil.Design/methodology/approachThe teaching plans of 113 undergraduate entrepreneurship courses were surveyed and reviewed. Data were subjected to descriptive and content analyses.FindingsCourses are offered by public and private universities in Brazil in 56 undergraduate programs in several fields. Lectures are among the main teaching methodologies employed, being mentioned in 98% of the teaching plans analyzed. There is a broad use of active methodologies. About 75% of the contents covered in the courses refer to declarative knowledge of basic concepts and theories and enterprises creation and management skills. The survey showed that 50% of the teaching plans addressed content related to business modeling, and only 18% of these mentioned the use of business model canvas. In addition, contents such as prototyping, minimum viable product, design thinking and pitch are mentioned in less than 20% of the teaching plans analyzed.Originality/valueThe article contributes to the advancement of the entrepreneurship education theory as it presents a new way to classify the contents of entrepreneurship courses, in light of educational theories, using learning taxonomies. It identifies the main contents, resources, methodologies, evaluation methods and bibliographies used in undergraduate entrepreneurship courses in Brazil. Moreover, it is the very first article that analyzes this number of teaching plans in Brazil with these categories of analysis. In practical terms, the article contributes to improve the entrepreneurship courses offered.