You want to study business in college but can’t decide between an entrepreneurship degree or a general business degree This is a common dilemma for many students interested in the world of business. While both degrees can prepare you for success, there are some key differences to consider.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll compare entrepreneurship and business bachelor’s degrees You’ll learn about the curriculum, careers, and other factors to help determine which program suits your interests and professional goals. Let’s dive in!
Defining Business and Entrepreneurship Degrees
First, what exactly are these degrees?
Bachelor’s in Business
A bachelor’s in business provides broad training across various business disciplines. Common courses include:
- Management
- Marketing
- Finance
- Accounting
- Operations
- Human resources
- Business law
- Statistics
This equips graduates with general skills to work in diverse business roles and settings. You gain well-rounded business acumen to thrive in many corporate environments.
Bachelor’s in Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship programs take a more specialized approach. Coursework focuses on:
- Developing business ideas
- Writing business plans
- Bootstrapping and fundraising
- Launching a startup
- Managing a small business
This degree cultivates the strategic thinking and hands-on skills to create and run your own company. The emphasis is on turning ideas into realities.
Curriculum Comparison
Let’s go deeper into the typical courses in each program.
Bachelor’s in Business Curriculum
General business degree courses include:
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Principles of Management: Covers leading teams, organizational structure, operations management, and business strategy.
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Principles of Marketing: Explores market research, branding, advertising, consumer behavior, and marketing strategy.
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Business Law: Introduces contract law, business regulations, employment law, liability, and governance.
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Business Statistics: Teaches statistical analysis skills for data-driven business decisions involving forecasting, quality control, and risk.
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Managerial Accounting: Focuses on using financial data to guide business planning. Covers budgeting, cost analysis, financial reporting, and more.
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Corporate Finance: Examines financial management, including capital budgeting, investments, securities, and monetary policy.
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Microeconomics/Macroeconomics: Provides economic theory foundations around supply, demand, markets, GDP, policy, trade, inflation, and more.
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Business Information Systems: Introduces tools and technologies for managing business systems and data, such as databases and enterprise resource planning software.
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Business Capstone Course: Culminating project to synthesize learnings, often involving analysis of real business cases.
Bachelor’s in Entrepreneurship Curriculum
Typical courses in entrepreneurship programs include:
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New Venture Creation: Guides students through conceptualizing a new business idea, conducting feasibility studies, and drafting a business plan.
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Entrepreneurial Finance: Covers startup funding options like bootstrapping, venture capital, angel investors, and small business loans. Reviews financial management for new ventures.
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Entrepreneurial Marketing: Focuses on marketing for startups and small businesses, including lean methods, social media, and branding strategies with limited resources.
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Startup Operations: Explores legal structures, risk management, human resources, and operational strategies for cost-effective, scalable systems.
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Family Business Management: Examines unique aspects of family businesses including succession planning, governance, and managing family dynamics.
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Social Entrepreneurship: Emphasizes business ideas addressing social/environmental problems through sustainable, innovative models.
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Entrepreneurship Lab: Provides hands-on consulting experience advising local startups and small businesses.
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Entrepreneurship Capstone: Students launch their own venture or finalize their business plan through this culminating project.
As you can see, business degrees take a corporate perspective while entrepreneurship degrees focus on small business contexts.
Career Pathways
Both degrees can lead to rewarding careers, but they prepare you for different roles.
Business Careers
General business graduates are equipped for positions like:
- Business/Data Analyst
- Accountant
- Financial Analyst
- Market Research Analyst
- Logistician
- Operations Manager
- Sales Representative
- Human Resources Manager
- Corporate Trainer
You have flexibility to work across diverse industries and advance into management. A business degree is great for those seeking stability in an established company.
Entrepreneurship Careers
Entrepreneurship graduates are primed for roles like:
- Entrepreneur/Small Business Owner
- Business Development Associate
- Independent Consultant
- Franchise Owner
- Innovation Manager
- Venture Capital Analyst
- Digital Marketer
- Nonprofit Director
These paths involve creating something new and thriving in fast-paced environments. An entrepreneurship degree equips you to drive growth, creativity, and change.
Should You Get a Business or Entrepreneurship Degree?
So which program is the better fit? Here are key factors to consider:
Your Personality and Workstyle
Do you prefer stability and structure or flexibility and variety? Business degrees suit those desiring more routine corporate jobs. Entrepreneurship suits self-starters who thrive under pressure and uncertainty. Assess your work values.
Career Goals
Will you be happier rising through the ranks of a corporation or growing your own company? Entrepreneurship makes sense for aspiring founders but business provides skills for established firms. Reflect on your vision.
Mindset and Skills
Business degrees require analytical thinking and quantitative skills. Entrepreneurship demands creativity, vision, communication abilities, and tenacity. Know your strengths.
Hands-on Experience
Entrepreneurship degrees provide more direct business experience through consulting projects, incubators, accelerators, and competitions. If you crave real-world practice, they offer an edge.
Specialized Knowledge
General business programs offer knowledge across a breadth of topics while entrepreneurship provides depth in startup topics. Decide which suits your learning style.
By weighing these aspects objectively, you can determine which degree matches your abilities, interests, and professional trajectory.
Combining Business and Entrepreneurship
Note it’s also possible to blend business and entrepreneurship through:
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A double major or dual degree
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Business minor paired with an entrepreneurship major
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Entrepreneurship certificate program with a business degree
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Electives in entrepreneurship while majoring in business
This enables you to gain well-rounded business acumen along with specialized startup knowledge.
Bottom Line
When choosing between business and entrepreneurship in college, reflect carefully on your skills, interests, values, and vision. Business degrees open doors across industries but focus more on established companies. Entrepreneurship degrees provide startup knowledge yet involve dealing with uncertainty and volatility.
With proper self-assessment and career planning, you can confidently choose the business or entrepreneurship degree path that suits you best!
What Is Business Entrepreneurship?
Think of entrepreneur degree programs as more specialized programs within a business degree. Students earning a bachelor’s in entrepreneurship will take many of the same courses found within a business degree. But an entrepreneurship program focuses heavily on business development and growth. Coursework may center around starting a small business. It may even emphasize a specific product or service.
Students pursuing an entrepreneurial degree acquire the skills to take a business plan from a dream to reality. This means learning how to:
- Create an effective business plan
- Attract investors
- Execute a new business idea
- Run a small business
Many entrepreneur business degrees focus on moving beyond theoretical concepts. Instead, they help students develop their own business plan or idea they can take with them beyond graduation. Therefore, finding a program that offers students skills to start their own small business can be invaluable.
Business and entrepreneurship obviously go hand in hand. But an entrepreneurship degree may feel like a more “creative” endeavor. It’s about coming up with big ideas and turning a small business plan into something extraordinary. Of course, degrees in entrepreneurship will impart general business and technical skills. However, they are typically related to launching a new business from the ground up. No company wants to be insolvent, but running a business can be tough, and sometimes things just don’t work out. Proactive Business Insolvency Assistance can help you maintain a healthy financial outlook and ensure your business stays on track.
Entrepreneur Business Degree vs. Business Entrepreneur Degree
Did you enjoy business classes in high school? Maybe you were a member of DECA or another business-related club. Or perhaps you’ve always had an entrepreneurial streak. Are you constantly thinking up great new side gigs and ways to make money? Investing can provide a steady source of passive income, helping your money grow over time. A great place to start in the digital age is cryptocurrency. Using the best crypto wallets can ensure your investments are secure and easily accessible.
As your high school years are coming to a close, it’s time to decide on the next steps. Choosing an undergraduate degree might seem daunting. This is especially true when certain degrees seem so similar. Two programs often considered similar are the bachelor in business and the bachelor in entrepreneurship programs.
Choosing an online bachelor’s in entrepreneurship or online bachelor’s in business can be a tough choice. But in reality, there are some clear differences between the degrees. Once those are examined, selecting the right program will be a breeze. Below, let’s compare business and entrepreneurship degrees.
A bachelor in business is a generalized degree in business. Rather than focusing on a specific aspect of business (like marketing or accounting), this degree is broader. A business degree is designed to provide general knowledge of the various aspects of business.
This difference can be seen most in a bachelor’s in business degree curriculum. These programs focus on teaching students the different functions of a business. For example, students will likely take management, finance, accounting, or marketing courses. They may even take a course in entrepreneurship. But these classes are only smaller pieces of the pie that make up a business program.
Another critical component of a bachelor of business is that it teaches students the skills to enter an existing business. For example, students might study essential human resources and organizational behavior topics. Or they may study operations, finance, and other areas integral to the day-to-day function of a business. Often, business students can choose to specialize in a particular area. Still, if you go for a straight-up business degree, you’ll get a broad view of the field.
Is An Entrepreneurship Major Worth It?
Is an Entrepreneurship degree worth it?
Business and entrepreneurship obviously go hand in hand. But an entrepreneurship degree may feel like a more “creative” endeavor. It’s about coming up with big ideas and turning a small business plan into something extraordinary. Of course, degrees in entrepreneurship will impart general business and technical skills.
What is the difference between an Entrepreneurship degree and a business degree?
A degree in entrepreneurship helps students develop the practical skills needed to start a business. This differs from a conventional business degree, which focuses on many aspects of business. Understanding the difference between an entrepreneurship degree and a business degree can help you decide which option is right for you.
What is an entrepreneur degree program?
Think of entrepreneur degree programs as more specialized programs within a business degree. Students earning a bachelor’s in entrepreneurship will take many of the same courses found within a business degree. But an entrepreneurship program focuses heavily on business development and growth. Coursework may center around starting a small business.
Is a Bachelor’s in entrepreneurship a good choice?
A bachelor’s in entrepreneurship program is for anyone who wants to focus on creating and developing new businesses. If you wish to start a business or grow an existing small business, a bachelor’s in entrepreneurship degree is an excellent choice. You may miss out on more focused courses like finance or accounting.
