Should I Get an Entrepreneurship Degree?

If you've ever dreamed of starting your own business—or if you're already in the process of doing so—you could equip yourself with essential business skills that are particularly important in the early stages of planning, launching, and growing a new venture by pursuing a degree in entrepreneurship. 

What is an entrepreneurship degree?

While many budding entrepreneurs might choose to pursue a business degree, entrepreneurship has begun to emerge as its own degree subject at the bachelor's and master's degree levels. Entrepreneurship degrees typically cover how to start, launch, grow, and scale your own business, and more and more colleges and universities are offering them. They are a popular degree choice for people who are interested in business. 

Common coursework for an entrepreneurship major

To obtain a degree in entrepreneurship, you will have to complete many business-related courses. These courses are designed to give you a solid understanding of what makes a business successful and how to create a successful business from the ground up. The courses you take will depend on the program and university but could include the following:

• Entrepreneurial strategy

• Leadership skills

• Business strategy

• Product development

• Design thinking

• Social entrepreneurship

• Organizational management

• Social media marketing

• Negotiation

• Entrepreneurial finance

• Intellectual property law

Entrepreneurship degree vs. business degree: What's the difference?

Entrepreneurship degrees and business degrees are similar in the fact that they both cover various business topics. In fact, an entrepreneurship degree is a type of business degree. However, the two degrees are not the same. The most significant difference is that entrepreneurship degrees focus heavily on business development and business growth. This involves learning how to construct effective business plans, win over investors, and execute a new business strategy. In other words, entrepreneurship degrees are more heavily focused on learning how to start and grow a business, while business degrees are focused more heavily on general business principles. 

What can you do with a business entrepreneurship degree?

After obtaining a degree in entrepreneurship, many entrepreneurs simply start their own businesses and run them. Often, entrepreneurs start their companies alone or with just a partner or two. Sometimes, entrepreneurs secure funding from investors, and sometimes they self-fund their ventures.

In 2024, roughly 7 percent of Americans were established business owners, and 19 percent were in the initial stages of starting their business, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2024/2025 Global Report [1]. Based on US population estimates for 2023 by the World Bank, that's about roughly 87 million Americans who work as entrepreneurs, either starting or running their own businesses [2]. 

Besides starting your own business, the skills you learn in an entrepreneurship program could set you up for success in a variety of other careers:

• Business consultant: Established businesses need professionals who can quickly identify and fix problems—skills that align well with the entrepreneurial spirit.

• Business manager: Many of the business principles you'll learn in this degree program carry over to larger, more established companies, as well.

• Sales representative: Success in sales often requires good negotiation skills and the ability to take the initiative, both traits of entrepreneurial thinkers.

• Marketing manager: Leverage your creativity and leadership skills for a career in marketing.

• Intrapreneur: While you're unlikely to find this as an official job title, you can apply your entrepreneurial skills to lead new initiatives within an existing company.

Entrepreneur salary 

The estimated base pay for entrepreneurs in the United States is $141,127 as of March 2025, according to Glassdoor [3]. As a business owner, you'll typically be in charge of deciding how much to pay yourself. Some small business owners don't take a salary at all when they're first starting out. Others take an owner's draw—a withdrawal from the company's profits after accounting for expenses like rent, utilities, supplies, and employee salaries.

Do I need a degree to become an entrepreneur?

You don't need an entrepreneurship degree—or a degree of any kind—to start your own business. But a degree can be useful. In addition to learning key business skills in a more structured environment, you can also build a network through your college connections. If you decide that business ownership isn't right for you, having a business degree means you'll be a more competitive job candidate for more traditional roles.

Next steps toward a degree in entrepreneurship on Coursera

Learn more about developing, launching, funding, and growing your own business with the Entrepreneurship Specialization from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Another option for developing your skills is IBM’s Project Manager Professional Certificate, which provides in-demand skills through hands-on experience.