Entrepreneurship major
Entrepreneurship: courses, careers, and where to study
Entrepreneurship teaches you to start, finance, and run your own venture, suiting people who want to turn an idea into a working business and manage it day to day.
Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Entrepreneurship earn a median $61,027 four years after graduating; the middle half of programs ranges from $38,487 to $88,452 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard). By credential and college
Entrepreneurship prepares you to build and operate your own business rather than fill a defined role inside someone else's. You learn how to spot an unmet need, test whether people will actually pay for a solution, write a business plan, and assemble the money and people to launch it. Coursework runs across the functions a founder personally owns: validating customers, pricing and selling a product, reading cash flow and a balance sheet, raising money from lenders or investors, and steering the venture once it has employees and revenue. This is the applied, owner's-seat cousin of a general business administration degree, which trains you to manage established firms; entrepreneurship centers on creating something new and carrying the risk of getting it off the ground, and it differs from a finance or marketing major by treating those subjects as tools a founder uses rather than as separate careers.
The credential is most often a bachelor's degree, sometimes offered as a concentration within a broader business program, and many schools cap it with a capstone in which student teams pitch a real venture to a panel of investors or mentors. Programs lean on experiential work: business-plan competitions, incubator or accelerator placements, mentorship from working founders, and small-business consulting projects with local clients. There is no license to start a company, though specific ventures may need permits, registrations, or industry approvals that you should verify for your field and state, and it is worth confirming the accreditation status of the business program you are considering. Graduates start and run their own companies, take early operating roles at young firms, buy or operate franchises, lead business development, or move into corporate roles that reward people who can build a product or unit from nothing.
In federal data for the closely related occupation of general and operations managers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 2024 median wage of $102,950 and projects employment to grow about 4.4% from 2024 to 2034; a bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education for that occupation. National figures are occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages or graduate outcomes.
Academic classification (CIP)
In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Entrepreneurship maps to CIP 52.0701, Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies, within the BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES family. The official definition:
A program that generally prepares individuals to perform development, marketing and management functions associated with owning and operating a business.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov
What credential Entrepreneurship is awarded as
Of the 10,796 Entrepreneurship credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2024-25:
- Certificate: 42%, 4,587 credentials.
- Associate: 5%, 488 credentials.
- Bachelor's: 39%, 4,221 credentials.
- Graduate: 14%, 1,500 credentials.
This is one of the fields where the answer genuinely depends on where you study: across the 33 states reporting it, certificates run from 4% of credentials in the 10th-percentile state to 84% in the 90th. Check the mix in your state before assuming which credential a program leads to. See the full study.
Credentials conferred in 2024-25, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.
What you'll study
- Opportunity recognition and customer discovery
- New-venture financing, fundraising, and pitching to investors
- Business model design and lean startup validation
- Writing and defending a full business plan
- Founder-level accounting, cash-flow, and bootstrapping decisions
- Product and market development for early-stage ventures
- Small-business and family-enterprise operations
- Sales, pricing, and go-to-market strategy
- Venture capstone, incubator, and live consulting projects
Typical careers
- Founder and Owner
- Small Business Manager
- Startup Operations Lead
- Business Development Manager
- Product Manager
- Franchise Owner
Typical salary range: Early-career wages vary by employer, region, and experience (BLS, 2024 general and operations managers median $102,950).Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.
How much do Entrepreneurship graduates earn?
Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Entrepreneurship earn a median $61,027 four years after graduating; the middle half of programs ranges from $38,487 to $88,452 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).
| Credential | National median | Middle half of programs |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | $61,027 | $38,487 to $88,452 |
| Undergraduate certificate | $50,211 | $30,289 to $71,504 |
| Master's | $97,366 | $58,036 to $169,032 |
Compare Entrepreneurship programs in your state
Highest-earning bachelor's Entrepreneurship programs
- Boston College (MA): $132,903, median federal debt $19,000
- Brown University (RI): $125,955, median federal debt $18,000
- University of Arizona (AZ): $99,722, median federal debt $24,425
- Brigham Young University (UT): $97,085
- Syracuse University (NY): $87,851, median federal debt $26,350
- Baylor University (TX): $86,363, median federal debt $19,012
- Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus (PA): $78,476, median federal debt $25,000
- University of Dayton (OH): $77,318, median federal debt $25,492
- Loyola Marymount University (CA): $69,534, median federal debt $17,574
- University of North Texas (TX): $69,210, median federal debt $18,750
Ordered by median earnings: one federal measure, not a ranking of program quality. Federal program group: Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations. Earnings: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars, for graduates who received federal aid, worked and were not enrolled. Programs need at least 30 graduates in the earnings cohort to be listed; multi-state systems whose figures pool campuses are not listed. Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, 10 June 2026. How much the college matters, by major. Graduate programs over the new federal loan caps.
Related occupations
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Entrepreneurship, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | $102,950 | 308,700 | +4.4% | Bachelor's degree |
| Managers, All Other | $136,550 | 106,700 | +4.5% | Bachelor's degree |
| Chief Executives | $206,420 | 22,200 | +4.3% | Bachelor's degree |
| Business Teachers, Postsecondary | $97,270 | 8,100 | +5.7% | Doctoral or professional degree |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 4 of these 4 occupations report a median wage.
“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Entrepreneurship does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Before you commit to a Entrepreneurship major
CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Entrepreneurship program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.
Ask the Entrepreneurship department
- Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
- What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
- What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
- Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?
Ask current students & check the curriculum
- How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
- What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
- Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
- How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Find a Entrepreneurship program
CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.
Colleges that awarded the most Entrepreneurship credentials
Largest by credentials conferred in 2024-25. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.
- Brigham Young University-Idaho, ID · 581 credentials
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI · 453 credentials
- Ivy Tech Community College, IN · 375 credentials
- University of Pennsylvania, PA · 362 credentials
- Valencia College, FL · 336 credentials
- Sinclair Community College, OH · 229 credentials
- Grand Canyon University, AZ · 225 credentials
- Florida Gulf Coast University, FL · 192 credentials
- Baylor University, TX · 187 credentials
- University of Georgia, GA · 170 credentials
- Arizona State University Campus Immersion, AZ · 169 credentials
- Florida State University, FL · 158 credentials
Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2024-25. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Where Entrepreneurship credentials were awarded
28 states have a distinct enough set of Entrepreneurship colleges to be worth its own page.
- Florida: 34 colleges
- New York: 29 colleges
- Michigan: 29 colleges
- Illinois: 28 colleges
- Pennsylvania: 27 colleges
- Ohio: 25 colleges
- Texas: 23 colleges
- Minnesota: 20 colleges
- California: 18 colleges
- Wisconsin: 17 colleges
- Georgia: 17 colleges
- Massachusetts: 17 colleges
- Washington: 16 colleges
- North Carolina: 15 colleges
- Arkansas: 14 colleges
- Arizona: 13 colleges
- Indiana: 11 colleges
- Tennessee: 11 colleges
- South Carolina: 10 colleges
- Colorado: 10 colleges
- New Jersey: 9 colleges
- Missouri: 9 colleges
- Iowa: 7 colleges
- Oregon: 7 colleges
- South Dakota: 7 colleges
- Oklahoma: 6 colleges
- Alabama: 5 colleges
- Louisiana: 5 colleges
Entrepreneurship by state
Every Entrepreneurship program with its own CampusPin page
4 programs in 3 states, A to Z by state and then by college. Each page gives what the program's graduates earned four years after finishing, what they borrowed in federal loans, the monthly payment, and how the program compares with others in its state and the nation. The figure beside each college is the median for its largest credential with at least 30 graduates (U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23). The list is alphabetical; it is not a ranking.
Entrepreneurship programs in Arizona, 2 programs
- Arizona State University Campus Immersion Bachelor's, $64,478
- Grand Canyon University Bachelor's, $52,783
Entrepreneurship programs in California, 1 program
- Ashford University Bachelor's, $43,140
Entrepreneurship programs in Ohio, 1 program
- Miami University-Oxford Bachelor's, $67,193
Related majors
Business Administration
Business Administration is the most popular U.S. major, a broad foundation in accounting, finance, marketing, management, and economics that prepares graduates for nearly any industry.
Marketing
Marketing majors learn how to identify, reach, and convert customers, combining strategy, consumer behavior, digital channels, brand management, and analytics.
Finance
Finance majors learn how money moves, corporate finance, investments, financial markets, and risk management, preparing for roles in banking, investments, and corporate analysis.
Operations Management
Operations management trains you to run the day-to-day production and delivery work of a company, planning output, controlling quality, and keeping plants and processes efficient.
Supply Chain Management
Supply Chain Management studies how goods, information, and money move from suppliers to customers, suiting students who like logistics, data, and operations.
Put this major in context
The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Entrepreneurship degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.
Explore Management careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
Explore Education & Library careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
How one major leads to many careers
Why a single Entrepreneurship degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
When accreditation and licensure matter
How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Entrepreneurship path before you enroll.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Does picking a major narrow your college list?
Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.
Certificate or degree?
What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.
How this guide is sourced
This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.