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Entrepreneurship education, once considered a “niche program” has become a “hot” area of focus that is now expected in most M.B.A. programs and is primarily focused on experiential, rather than theoretical learning, said Sarah Gardial, dean of the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business and president of the MBA Roundtable.
Those two points were among the top findings in an M.B.A. Roundtable study, which sought to better understand what approaches MBA programs are taking to teach topics related to entrepreneurial thought. The study relied on data gathered from interviews with and surveys from 137 M.B.A. program directors.
The study found that 91 percent of MBA entrepreneurship programs use at least some form of experiential learning. The teaching in these programs focuses on an apprenticeship model of education, where the learning is largely hands on, and students are mentored and coached rather than taught. This is a sharp contrast from traditional business school methods of teaching, Gardial said. She said this report on entrepreneurial programs could provide a model for other areas of business school to create a “healthier balance” between theory and “doing.” The study also found that 85 percent of the MBA programs surveyed offered entrepreneurship, and a third of executive MBA programs are likely to have 75 percent or more of their students participate in entrepreneurship offerings.
