Online Entrepreneurship Degrees

If you’re trying to start your own business, you may not have time to drop out of the real world to spend extended periods of time on campus. Online degrees in entrepreneurship give you access to innovative programs without geographic limits, and let you earn your spurs with all the flexibility that online learning offers.

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If you already have a background in business and want to gain expertise in specific areas, you might consider an online certificate program. Online certificates in entrepreneurship can be general “mini-MBA” programs, but they also can be highly specific by function or even by type of business. You will find certificates in accounting and bookkeeping for entrepreneurs, marketing for entrepreneurs and business planning for entrepreneurs. You’ll also find entrepreneurship certificates for people who want to go into the catering business, open a bed and breakfast or start a retail store.

If you think you need a little bit more of a grounding in business, you may opt for an online associate degree. You will start with some basic liberal arts classes, including writing and mathematics, but the bulk of your courses will be directly related to business and, especially, entrepreneurship. Many programs combine online courses with online discussions and group projects involving virtual cooperation.

If your ambitions are bigger and broader, you might want to invest in an online bachelor’s degree or even a master’s degree. Entrepreneurs who plan to pursue a complex business or a business that must take in venture capital need serious business skills. Some of the best-known business schools are now offering their four-year and postgraduate programs online.

Middlesex Community College: This online certificate program in entrepreneurship is designed to give you the practical, hands-on knowledge you need to start a business or to manage small business growth. This program requires you to take between 25 and 27 credit hours. You will learn about general management, managing people, marketing and communications, accounting, sales and even e-commerce. Because the program is offered online, you can complete the work at your own pace.

Catawba Valley Community College: This community college offers an online Associate of Applied Science in entrepreneurship intended to give you genuine mastery of the skills and knowledge needed to start your business. The program is designed to be completed in four semesters, if you are able to devote yourself to it full time. Courses, instructional materials, class discussions and connections to faculty are all facilitated online. More often than not, an entrepreneur needs to be a jack-of-all-trades, so you will learn about planning for your business, accounting, marketing, business law, information technology management and more. The program is specifically designed to inspire and empower you to take careful risks. Case studies and group work are a core part of the program.

University of North Carolina: The University of North Carolina has a well-established online program that now includes a Master of Business Administration for entrepreneurs. The program is focused on starting and building a business. You may learn how to identify, size and tap underserved areas of markets, and how to create business plans that can get you funding. Innovation and inspiration are key program themes.

Introduction to Entrepreneurship

An entrepreneur is someone who uses her talents, skills and abilities to start, build and operate one or more companies, often starting from scratch to chisel out a successful business. The entrepreneurial spirit, with its desire for being your own boss, working your own hours, and succeeding on your own merits, echoes the principles of the “American dream”. Those with aspirations of building empires and following in the footsteps of business gurus like McDonald’s founder, Ray Koch, or Microsoft pioneer, Bill Gates, are often pulled to entrepreneurship.

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