University-wide Entrepreneurship Education: Alternative Models and Current Trends

WP 2002-02 March 2002The paper examines the trend towards university-wide programs in entrepreneurship education. We present a conceptual framework for dividing university-wide programs into two categories: “magnet programs,” which draw students into entrepreneurship courses offered in the business school, and “radiant programs,” which feature entrepreneurship courses outside the business school, focused on the specific context of the non-business students. Examining 38 ranked entrepreneurship programs, we found that about 75% now have university-wide programs, most of which follow a magnet model. In interviews with stakeholders at sample institutions (some ranked, others not), we found that magnet and radiant programs differ in terms of program definition, motivation for the university-wide focus, and costs and benefits. Our major findings are 1) The trend toward University-wide entrepreneurship education is strong and gaining momentum 2) Our conceptual framework clarifies the different pathways for creating a university-wide approach, 3) While the radiant model is extremely appealing to students, parents, and alumni, the magnet model is easier to administer and represents the pathway of least resistance, and 4) While the magnet model is simpler to implement, it may lead to conflicts in the longer term because the benefits (in terms of flow of students and donors) may not be shared equally across the university