Online MBA in Entrepreneurship

    The below online MBA programs in entrepreneurship are pushing the education experience for entrepreneurs forward and providing excellent opportunities for the next generation of business leaders.

    Are you considering an online MBA in entrepreneurship? Take some time to research your choices carefully. Not every online MBA program is going to be your perfect match. Look at each program in depth. Look for the program that best matches your needs.

    Are you an entrepreneur who wants to start your venture? Or, are you an intrapreneur who wants to promote innovative product development from within a company?

    Take time to get a sense of what a good program for you looks like. You will see that they each play to the strengths of a specific type of student. You will have to take some time to chase it down, so be careful as you look. Not every online entrepreneurship program is created equal.

    Weighing the Opportunity Cost – Business students understand the concept of opportunity cost. An MBA in entrepreneurship comes with such a price. This cost usually relates to sacrificing your career or experience while getting your degree. Flex programs and virtual classrooms have reduced this cost a lot. Students often pursue professional interest while taking online classes as time permits.

    Even with the ease and flexibility these programs now offer, not every online program is a great fit. For an entrepreneur or intrapreneur looking for a unique online MBA program, finding a good fit is a key to lowering the opportunity cost.

    Look at each of the below programs in more depth. Take some time to research your choices carefully. Look for the program that best matches your needs. Regardless of your specific needs, the programs listed below are a reliable place to START.

    Best Online MBA Programs in Entrepreneurship

    The below MBA programs are pushing the education experience for entrepreneurs forward and providing excellent opportunities for the next generation of business leaders.


    Kelley School of Business

    Indiana University–Bloomington

    School at a Glance

    AccreditationAACSB
    GMAT Score620
    Acceptance Rate76%
    Tuition/ Credit$1,200

    The Kelley School of Business online MBA program has great faculty and a huge alumni network. It offers so much more, though, like its real-world learning program. It starts you right off with the Kelley Connect Week. Connect Week gives you the chance to network with other students, work with faculty, and get a better sense of what you want out of work and your studies. Want an immersive MBA program that can put you in touch with the right people? Start by giving the Kelley School of Business a look.

    Test Your Entrepreneurial Capabilities
    A reputable online MBA program is a great start, but Kelley offers a lot more. Its MS in Entrepreneurship & Innovation targets future entrepreneurs first and foremost. Take the Silicon Valley Venture Challenge, or “Spine Sweat Experience.” This residency throws you right in the deep end. You will pitch startup ideas directly to venture capitalists (VCs). It tests more than just nerves, though. You will also get to pitch real business ideas and see if yours have what it takes to succeed. If you impress the VCs enough, you might get some real startup money out of it. Even if you do not, though, you will still have that experience to learn from. Your next pitch will be that much better. Everything gets more comfortable when you do it a few times.

    The MS program also offers two more real-world courses: the Global Startup Challenge and Entrepreneurship Intensive Immersion Challenge. These courses take immersion to the next level. The Intensive Immersion Challenge is a project-based course. Students apply what they have learned to help real firms solve problems. Almost every part of the Kelley program gets students’ feet wet. You will rack up hundreds of hours of real-world learning through the MS program.

    Who’s a Fit for this MBA program?
    The MBA program is mostly online, so if you need that extra time, start there. Want to squeeze everything out of the program? Take the full-time MS instead. You will not find some of these opportunities anywhere else.

    Entrepreneurship Faculty
    The Kelley School of Business Entrepreneurship program has the world’s largest entrepreneurship faculty. Their combined skills and knowledge will be a massive boon if you feel entrepreneurial.

    All of them have outstanding credentials, but one who stands out is Director Dr. Donald Kuratko, founder of the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC). Dr. Kuratko was recently ranked as the #1 Entrepreneurship course Director in the U.S. by Entrepreneur Magazine.

    Professor Dean Shepherd, too, stands out among Kelley faculty. This leading faculty member has several published books about entrepreneurship. He has also collaborated with a lot of other great minds.

    Naveen Jindal School of Management

    University of Texas–Dallas

    School at a Glance

    AccreditationAACSB
    GMAT Score620
    Acceptance Rate76%
    Tuition/ Credit$1,200

    Naveen Jindal also offers a 100% online MBA program. They even provide a free course demo. So, you can learn what the online program’s format is like first hand.

    Self-motivated? Want to learn on your own time?

    Designed for people who have already entered the working world. You can choose how you want to learn, as well as set your schedule. If you have a hard time developing your own goals and staying on track, you can even opt to do a hybrid of online and in-person learning.

    The online MBA program is convenient, but we should mention it does lack some popular electives offered on campus.

    In addition to the online MBA program, the MS in Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MSIE) targets students who want to launch a venture, pursue investment vocations, or become innovative leaders within corporations. While some of the MSIE program courses are offered online as MBA electives, students looking to get the most from this program need to participate full-time on campus.

    The University’s graduate program has earned some recognition, too. It was designated the National Model Master’s Program 2014 by the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

    About the Faculty
    The MBA program has some leading professionals and academics heading it up. Professor Rajiv Shah is the management program’s founder and director. He recently published an important book on international innovation and entrepreneurship.

    The University has also recently welcomed a new faculty member, Toyah Miller. Along with a colleague, Miller won the Best Paper award at the 11th Annual Social Entrepreneurship Conference.

    Advantages of the Entrepreneurship Program
    One of the University of Texas – Dallas online MBA program’s key features is the Annual Business Idea competition. All seven UT Dallas schools send participants to this competition. This healthy competitive environment pushes you to think harder and more creatively. The competition will encourage you to develop new ideas, leverage campus resources, and solve big problems.

    Online MBA Program Format and Credits
    The University offers this degree as a 36-semester credit hour program. You will likely complete it within 18 to 24 months. It expects you to have at least a bachelor’s degree, but it can be in any field. The program has three modules of 12 credit hours each.

    1. The Flex course offers you the most flexibility. You can start studying in Fall, Summer, or Spring. The courses can be taken online or on campus. You choose the number and timing of the courses. You have a lot of freedom to decide what is best for you.
    2. The format of the courses closely follows the Flex courses. However, some of the electives may not be available for this format.
    3. Both the Flex and online courses are 53 credit hours long. The core classes take up to 29 credit hours. The rest, meanwhile, is spent on electives. You can set your own learning goals. Learn what is most important in your field.
    4. Any graduate course offered by the school can be taken as an elective. You cannot spend more than 12 credit hours on any single topic, though. Plan to develop a few different skills.

    Foisie School of Business

    Worcester Polytechnic Institute

    School at a Glance

    AccreditationAACSB
    GMAT Score644
    Acceptance Rate54%
    Tuition/ Credit1325

    The Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Robert A. Foisie School of Business offers an online MBA program. The curriculum bridges the gap between business and technology. Its flexibility is great for people looking to continue their careers while getting their degrees.

    For intrapreneurs, it is a real winner. Bloomberg Businessweek has praised the Innovator’s MBA highly since 2007. The magazine ranks it the number one part-time MBA in the northwest.

    Additionally, the problem-oriented approach allows the faculty to impart real-world skills and practical skills to aspiring entrepreneurs. WPI was at the top position in the 2013 Business Week listing of Best B-Schools for Entrepreneurship.

    The MBA program, however, does require on-campus classes on top of its web-based courses. If you are looking for a full-time online MBA program, this program offering probably is not for you.

    Capstone Culmination
    One of the most rewarding but challenging aspects of the program is the MBA Capstone Project. It is also known as the graduate qualifying project (GQP). This project is required for all MBA students. In the capstone, you use what you learned throughout the program to help a real company solve problems. The GQP can be conducted individually or with a group. The experience will test your knowledge of what you learned in the program. You will also have a chance to strengthen your resume with real-world experience. If you nail this capstone project, the company you work with may even offer you a job.

    This experience is intrapreneurship at its best. If you are a business student looking to work within a major company, you will fit right in. Are you looking for the knowledge necessary to thrive in corporate politics? Great.

    About the faculty
    WPI has some top names among its business faculty. Department Head Professor Joseph Sarkis has been published in several journals. He has also collaborated with other leading minds in the field of other publications. Professor Michael Elmes, another faculty member, plays a crucial role in the Journal of Management Education. He serves as an associate editor for its essays section. He also has a lot of publication credits to his name. These include 50 papers and multiple books.

    Advantages of the online MBA program
    One of the best features of this program is its mixture of online and face-to-face courses. You can get a lot more involved and learn a lot more through the mix of formats. If you are a working professional, you can benefit from its flexible timing.

    Students can either choose the two-course track or one-course track to complete their degree. In the program’s cohort format, all students start the course at the same time. They progress together and complete the degree at the same time. They can then share networking opportunities and learn from one another during the process.

    Another feature of the WPI course that warrants a special mention is the Online MBA Capstone Project. The Graduate Qualifying Project or GQP gets students to apply their skills on behalf of a real client. This challenging course encourages them to use their full knowledge to solve actual problems. GQP sponsor organizations include Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, and government entities. Lots of students receive employment offers from their sponsors on completion of the degree.

    Entrepreneurship @ Foisie
    The Collaborative for Entrepreneurship & Innovation or CEI provides a glimpse into the real world of startup companies and new business. Entrepreneur Magazine recognized it as a leading entrepreneurship program in 2005. Its Techknowledge Point Survey labeled it one of the top ten such programs in America.

    UHV – School of Business

    University of Houston-Victoria

    School at a Glance

    AccreditationAACSB
    GMAT Score420
    Acceptance Rate74%
    Tuition/ Credit$286

    The University of Houston’s online MBA program is designed for everyone. Both traditional and nontraditional business students get what they need. Flexible online or face-to-face classes let students get hands-on or stay hands-off. This program seeks out students from other countries. Its learning environment is more diverse than that of other schools.

    If you pursue this degree to help start a global venture, you will not be disappointed.

    The broad range of knowledge and background will also help make discussions more fun and exciting. A program like this can give you a new way of looking at things, as you meet people from very different backgrounds from your own. This will also provide an excellent opportunity to network with potential partners.

    The School of Business Administration has one of the most distinctive entrepreneurship programs in the country. It shows off the concepts that help new companies succeed.

    The School of Business Administration is a good fit for many MBA students because of its diverse collection of courses. Its options for online or face-to-face classes draw in many types of learners. Additionally, the entrepreneur program’s addition of economics to the mix sets it apart from other programs on this list.

    Though this program can support more needs than some of the others listed, it serves people looking for new ventures or economic data best. This focus might make the program less attractive to intrapreneurs looking to grow within an organization. Business students who find theory-based topics like economics hard to swallow will also have a hard time.

    Hands-On, Minds-On Learning
    Intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs both have chances to learn new things in such a program. Take the required Capstone Project, for example. This is a hands-on project that requires a minimum of 130 hours to complete. The project must be focused on economic development, entrepreneurship, or both. Students are encouraged to work directly with different types of organizations. Government agencies, mentors, and other business minds are just a few of the groups you might work with if you take this course. To finish the project, you will need to develop keen research and project management skills.

    The School of Business Administration is a good fit for many MBA students because of its diverse collection of courses. Its options for online or face-to-face classes draw in many types of learners. Additionally, the entrepreneur program’s addition of economics to the mix sets it apart from other programs on this list.

    Though this program can support more needs than some of the others listed, it serves people looking for new ventures or economics best. This focus might make the program less attractive to intrapreneurs looking to grow within an organization. Business students who find theory-based topics like economics hard to swallow will also have a hard time.

    Independent of the MBA, the School of Business Administration has one of the country’s most distinctive entrepreneurship programs. The Master of Science in Economic Development & Entrepreneurship (MSEDE) provides an intense blend of traditional economic development and entrepreneurship classes. This program stands behind the principle that economies are contingent on the successful launching of new companies, the ability to sustain business growth, and the attraction or acquisition of new ventures.