If you want to get a degree in entrepreneurship, and you want it fast, an online accelerated entrepreneurship degree is for you. An accelerated entrepreneurship degree program allows students with a bachelor’s degree in another field, or with an associate’s degree, to complete an entrepreneurship degree in less time – as little as a year in some cases. With an accelerated entrepreneurship degree program, students can complete their degrees quickly and move on to develop their business ideas.
The best accelerated bachelor’s in entrepreneurship programs cater to students who want to start their own businesses. Typical students include operations managers, business owners and employment or marketing managers. Entrepreneurship degrees prepare students to take a pivotal role in a growing business or to begin their own business. Many accelerated degrees are offered online so that students don’t have to miss out on work opportunities.
Methodology: Ranking the Best Accelerated Entrepreneurship Degree Programs
Fast isn’t everything – quality is important. That’s why the editors at Great Business Schools concentrate on accredited degrees from legitimate schools. Programs are ranked by their tuition rate, student reviews, and salary potential, using data from IPEDS and Niche.
1. New Jersey Institute of Technology
The New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) Tuchman School of Management offers a BS in Business Entrepreneurship concentration that is AACSB accredited and available entirely online. NJIT’s accelerated entrepreneurship degree program is divided into seven-week terms that can be completed in only one and one-half years. Coursework for this baccalaureate degree in entrepreneurship and business includes corporate finance, organizational behavior, new product development, business policy, database systems for managers, and operations analytics, to name a few.
Founded in 1930 as an engineering college, the New Jersey Institute of Technology is now a polytechnic institution of higher education with a student enrollment of approximately 11,450 students, with about 2,000 students attending classes and living on campus. Additionally, NJIT is a space-grant and sea-grant school.
Highlight The New Jersey Institute of Technology’s first class consisted of 88 students attending classes in the evening.
Degree Business – Entrepreneurship
2. Grand Canyon University
The Colangelo Business College at Grand Canyon University offers a BS in Entrepreneurial Studies that requires that degree candidates complete 120 credit units, of which up to 90 semester credits may be eligible for transfer. This online accelerated entrepreneurship degree program requires 60 credit units from the entrepreneurial major curriculum that includes the fundamentals of business finance, business execution, new venture financing, and ethical & legal issues in business, to name a few.
Grand Canyon University (GCU Online) is a private institution of higher learning that operates as a for-profit school. Established in 1949, GCU has a comprehensive distance-learning platform that serves nearly 100,000 online learners.
Highlight Grand Canyon University is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and further organized into nine colleges and schools, including the opening of a seminary in 2016.
Degree Entrepreneurship, BS
3. Peirce College
Peirce College offers a BS in Business Administration Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management track that requires degree candidates to complete a minimum of 121 semester credits. Peirce College’s accelerated entrepreneurship degree program is available entirely online and offers a generous transfer credit policy that allows for up to 90 credits to be transferred, if eligible. Classes for this undergraduate degree in entrepreneurship include policy and staff formation, ethical leadership, accounting, finance and taxes for small businesses, human resource management, and financial analysis, among others.
Peirce College was established in 1865 with a primary focus on offering educational programs to adult learners. Peirce College was originally established as a business school but was renamed for its founder in 1964.
Highlight Peirce College was used as a setting for the filming of the 1999 hit movie, The Sixth Sense.
Degree Entrepreneurship/Small Business Management, BS
4. Southern New Hampshire University
Southern New Hampshire University offers a BS Business Administration Entrepreneurship track that allows for up to 90 eligible to be transferred and applied to the required 120 semester credits. SNHU’s accelerated entrepreneurship degree program is available 100% online and includes classes in small business management, business law, principles of management, and business plan preparation, to name a few.
Southern New Hampshire University was founded as a private business school by a Russian couple in 1932. Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU Online) is recognized among the fastest-growing higher learning institutions in the United States, in part, due to its extensive online course offerings.
Highlight Online student enrollment was about 8,000 at the beginning of the century and is more than 80,000 only a decade or so later.
Degree Business Administration: Entrepreneurship, BS
5. Colorado Christian University
Colorado Christian University offers a BS in Business Administration Entrepreneurship concentration that can be completed entirely online with a fast-track option. Colorado Christian University’s accelerated entrepreneurship degree program can be completed in only sixteen months and have the option of participating in the Values Aligned Summit each year. Degree candidates will complete 120 credit units to meet program requirements; however, CCU allows for up to 90 credit units to be transferred. Classes begin every 5 to 7 weeks.
Colorado Christian University is an interdenominational Christian higher learning institution that was established in 1914 as a bible college in Denver. CCU’s suburban Lakewood campus (about ten miles from downtown Denver) is home to approximately 8,250 students.
Highlight Colorado Christian University is organized into two divisions – undergraduate or graduate/adult studies.
Degree BS in Business – Entrepreneurship
6. Herzing University
Herzing University offers a BS in Entrepreneurship that is considered among the best accelerated entrepreneurship degree programs available online. Students enrolled in Herzing University’s undergraduate degree in entrepreneurship complete 122 semester units to graduate across a three -year plan of study. Classes for this degree in entrepreneurship include business ethics, business law, leadership and organizational behavior, small business development, consumer behavior, social media, managerial cost accounting, and principles of marketing, to name a few.
Herzing University (HU) was established in 1965 as a computer training school. Herzing University maintains nine campuses (across seven states), plus a robust distance learning division. Herzing University’s business degree programs are accredited by the IACBE.
Highlight Students enrolled in Herzing University have the option of completing the degree online or as a hybrid delivered degree.
Degree Entrepreneurship, BS
7. Liberty University
Liberty University offers a BS in Business Administration Entrepreneurship emphasis that can be completed entirely online in only 30 months, on average. Liberty University offers potential students the possibility of transferring up to 90 credits if eligible. Liberty University’s accelerated entrepreneurship degree program is available entirely online and accredited by the ACBSP. Featured courses for Liberty’s entrepreneurship degree include operations management, innovating into industries, intro to entrepreneurship, and developing entrepreneurial opportunities, among others.
Established about fifty years ago, Liberty University is a private evangelical Christian institution of higher learning located in Lynchburg, VA. Liberty University is recognized among the largest private nonprofits in the nation. The school’s suburban 6,800+ campus and online platform is home to more than 91,150 students.
Highlight Liberty is organized into seventeen colleges/schools that offer hundreds of degree options.
Degree Business Administration: Entrepreneurship, BS
8. Granite State College
Granite State College offers a BS program in Business Management Entrepreneurship emphasis that is available 100% online. Students enrolled in Granite State College’s accelerated entrepreneurship degree program must complete 120 semester credits, which can be completed in only one and one-half years. Coursework for this baccalaureate degree in entrepreneurship includes entrepreneurial finance, entrepreneurial marketing, the entrepreneurial mindset, and launching entrepreneurial ventures, to name a few. Students explore the fundamentals of business that include ethical practice, leadership, managing a global environment, and critical thinking.
Founded in the early 1970s, Granite State College is a member school of the state’s university system. US News and World Report recognizes Granite State College’s online programs among the best in the nation.
Highlight GSC maintains seven campuses across New Hampshire.
Degree Business Management – Entrepreneurship
9. Green River College
Green River College offers a Bachelor’s of Applied Science (BAS) in Marketing and Entrepreneurship that offers degree candidates a hybrid completion over eighteen months. Green River College’s accelerated entrepreneurship degree program has been developed for working learners who can continue to work while completing this baccalaureate degree in entrepreneurship. Students enrolled in this undergraduate degree from Green River College must complete 180-quarter credits. Classes for this degree include marketing fundamentals, personal and professional branding, and practical financial accounting, to name a few.
Established in the early 1960s, Green River College maintains a main campus in Auburn with satellite campuses in Enumclaw and Kent. Students enrolled in GRC have also been publishing the school’s newspaper since the mid 1960s.
Highlight Green River College operates an FM and an AM radio station that is run by staff and students.
Degree Bachelor’s in Marketing and Entrepreneurship
10. Linwood University
Lindenwood University offers a BS in Fashion Business and Entrepreneurship that is available entirely online through the school’s distance platform. Students enrolled in Lindenwood University’s accelerated entrepreneurship degree program can complete by finishing 120 semester credits in two to four years, with a general transfer credit policy that allows for up to 90 semester credits, if eligible. Classes for this undergraduate degree in entrepreneurship include advertising & promotional strategy, pricing strategies, small business entrepreneurship, fashion design, fashion writing, and apparel buying and trend forecasting in a global economy, among others.
Lindenwood University (LU) is a private school that was established in 1827 as a private school for girls. As the second oldest girl’s school situated to the west of the Mississippi River, Lindenwood University now serves approximately 7,150 students on its urban campus and online.
Highlight Lindenwood University has an impressive student to faculty ratio f 13 to 1.
Degree Fashion Business and Entrepreneurship, BS
What are the Advantages of an Accelerated Entrepreneurship Degree?
Whether students take an accelerated or regularly paced degree, there are opportunities to specialize in specific industries or niches. This includes health service, sports management, hospitality and other areas where entrepreneurs tend to do well. Accelerated entrepreneurship programs include the same foundational knowledge as regular degrees. Graduates emerge ready to launch their own businesses or to manage other businesses, including startups.
Many programs offer internships where students can get hands-on experience working with mentors in their field. An accelerated entrepreneurship degree prepare students to quickly mastered the concepts and skills needed to put their own business plans into action.
How Fast Can I Get an Entrepreneurship Degree?
Students may wonder how long is an entrepreneurship degree? Students can complete an associates degree in entrepreneurship within two years if attending full-time. For a bachelors degree it may take up to four years of full-time study to complete an entrepreneurship degree.
How long is an entrepreneurship degree if a student already has another degree? If students can take advantage of transfer credits or get accepted into an accelerated entrepreneurship degree, they can finish their studies within two to three years on average. Otherwise, students will have to take extra courses and summer classes if they want to complete their degree early.
What if I Don’t Need a Bachelor’s Degree?
Students who don’t need a bachelors degree can earn certificates in entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship certificates provide the same knowledge as a degree in entrepreneurship but only take a few months to a year to complete.
What is a certificate for entrepreneurship? A certificate in entrepreneurship gives students the knowledge they need to begin, manage or grow a business. Students who choose entrepreneurship certificate programs receive instruction in finance, accounting, marketing and management.
Certificates in entrepreneurship often appeal to people who want to own their own company. New business owners with certificates in entrepreneurship can more easily build credibility in the business community and may find it easier to get financing thanks to their credentials. Entrepreneurship certificates give business leaders the tools they need to maximize their revenue.
The cost of earning a certificate for entrepreneurship varies based on the popularity of the program and the reputation of the school hosting the program.
Students who receiver certificate in entrepreneurship often already own their own business or plan to open one upon graduation. With the help of entrepreneurship certificate programs, students gain skills that they can apply in a number of industries. Earning an entrepreneurship certificate gives students the confidence they need to interact with venture capitalists, financial institutions and potential investors.
Can I Get an Entrepreneurship Certificate Online?
Students can find online entrepreneurship courses with certificates hosted by community colleges and ivy league schools. When choosing the best online entrepreneurship certificate programs, students should consider their career goals. For example, students who want to open their own restaurant may choose online entrepreneurship courses with certificates that specialize in hospitality or food service.
The best online entrepreneurship certificate programs come from top schools but cost a fraction of what it takes to get a four-year degree. For example, Harvard has Innovation and Entrepreneurship Programs that are highly valued by employers, investors and the business community. Graduates gain knowledge and skills needed to innovate businesses and found successful companies. Innovation is a cornerstone of Harvard’s programs and key learning outcomes of these programs include the following:
- Principles of generating ideas and developing products. This includes design thinking and creativity.
- Knowledge needed to manage groups and organizations based on entrepreneurship an innovation.
- A deep understanding of business models and the connection between entrepreneurial initiatives and group objectives.
- Gain proficiency in financing and marketing new ideas to bring them to the market.
The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business has a three month program that culminates in a certificate in Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program: Scaling Your Business. This program gives graduates a toolkit that helps them get their ideas on paper and in front of investors who can help them scale their businesses.
Students should choose an online entrepreneurship certificate or degree that aligns with their future business plans for maximum return on investment.
Carrie Morris
Author
Warren Dahl
Editor-in-Chief