Bridging Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Education : Perspectives and Approaches from Swedish University Educators

Master thesis, Master of Science in Business Administration with specialisation in Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, and Social Change Field of research: Business Administration, School of Business & Economics University: Linnæus University, Växjö, Sweden Course code: 5FE06ESemester: Spring 2023Author: Felix Bause & Sophie JungbauerExaminer: Viktorija KalonaityteSupervisor: Marina JogmarkTitle: Bridging Entrepreneurship and Sustainability EducationSubtitle: Perspectives and Approaches from Swedish University Educators Background: Human-made climate change and its impact on humanity is one of the most severe challenges of modern times. Due to its complexity and global interconnectedness, it requires significant change and collaboration between different decision-makers. Entrepreneurs are seen as agents of change who can contribute to the transformation. Therefore, the importance of integrating entrepreneurship education in universities is repeatedly emphasised to provide students with sustainable entrepreneurial knowledge. Sustainability education is also repeatedly mentioned, and the importance of combining sustainable and entrepreneurial aspects in education is underlined. Research questions: How do university educators in Sweden work with and talk about entrepreneurship and sustainability? How is entrepreneurship and sustainability taught and intertwined in higher education in Sweden? Purpose: The purpose of the study is to increase the understanding of how entrepreneurship and sustainability are taught and perceived at Swedish higher institutions. Moreover, this thesis aims at raising awareness of the importance of sustainability and entrepreneurship education and shows their connection. Method: This research follows a qualitative approach and utilises semi-structured interviews to explore sustainability and entrepreneurship education at Swedish universities. Since empirical material and theories evolved simultaneously throughout the study, an abductive approach was applied. Conclusion: This study found that sustainability and entrepreneurship education is very intertwined in Sweden and that both sustainability in entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurship in sustainability education are taught. The findings show that sustainability is frequently addressed through ideas shared with the Planetary Boundary theory, and themes of Schumpeter's theory of innovation and entrepreneurship are regularly touched upon in entrepreneurship education. Although the teaching styles vary widely, reflective theory and constructivism are commonly used among Swedish university educators. Keywords: Entrepreneurship education, sustainability education, pedagogies, Sweden, higher education, entrepreneurship, sustainability, sustainable development, innovation, sustainable development goal