Key Takeaways:
- Our #1 ranking school for an accelerated master’s in entrepreneurship is Texas A&M University, followed by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- All listed programs can be completed in under two years and emphasize affordability.
- Entrepreneurship master’s degrees enhance skills in business development, innovation, and leadership through varied flexible formats.
Welcome to our ranking of the top 20 accelerated master’s in entrepreneurship degree programs!
By definition, entrepreneurs are innovators who start companies. They have considerable amounts of initiative, an entrepreneurial mindset, and understand the high levels of risk.
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One way to minimize that risk is by saving money on your masters degree. The U.S. economy is driven by entrepreneurs. In the last decade, there has been a surge in entrepreneurial job growth.
It is noted that entrepreneurship will continue to grow in all areas of business. In spite of the risks, entrepreneurs find their careers quite rewarding. According to Payscale, entrepreneurs make an average salary of $100,000.
There are many collegiate degrees available in entrepreneurship. Here, we’ve compiled a list of Top 20 Fastest Master’s in Entrepreneurship.
20 Accelerated Entrepreneurship Master’s Degree Methodology
We looked at dozens of quality colleges that have masters in entrepreneurship programs. This included both on-campus programs and online programs.
Many of these schools have rankings in the U.S. News and World Report and other relevant websites. Only the schools whose master’s in entrepreneurship programs could be completed under 2 years and had 36 credits or less made it onto the list.
After these considerations, the colleges were placed on the list based on the raw affordability of estimated yearly expenses according to College Navigator. Keep in mind these schools and programs have varying admission requirements.
#1. Texas A&M University
Master of Science in Entrepreneurial Leadership
College Station, Texas
Texas A&M structures its MS Business in a unique way. Its 36 credits are separated into five blocks. During these blocks, the courses Market and Customer Insights and International Business Environment (which is a 7-10 day trip abroad) run concurrently.
Other classes for the master’s in entrepreneurship include:
- Entrepreneurial Finance
- Ethical Decision Making and Conduct
- Strategic Human Capital
- Business Communications
- Professional Presence
Making it to the top of our list for its fast completion time of 11 months and its affordable tuition rates, this MS Business is a quality choice when looking to complete a Masters in Entrepreneurship. Texas A&M University holds accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
Enrolled students benefit from the guidance of faculty advisors as they look to complete their degrees and start their own companies. Financial aid may be available to qualified students.
Tuition: $6,885
#2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Online MBA – Entrepreneurship Concentration
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Sitting at #2 on Top 20 Fastest Masters in Entrepreneurship 2020 is UNC’s Online MBA With a Focus on Entrepreneurship. It also tops the charts as the #1 Best Online MBAs ranked by U.S. News & World Report in 2020, as well as #2 by the Princeton Review’s Best Online MBAs 2020. Most of the core courses are four credits. Some of these are:
- Business Strategy
- Finance
- Operations
Elective courses are two credits and include Data Analytics, New Ventures Discovery, Sales, and more. Graduate students will be required to attend two in-person Summits, where they will immerse themselves with like-minded students and professors to talk about real-time business perspectives as well as their own ventures, new ideas, and career goals.
UNC-Chapel Hill is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business to award this online master’s in entrepreneurship.
Tuition: $10,552
#3. Oklahoma State University
MBA in Entrepreneurship
Tulsa, Oklahoma
OSU’s MBA Concentration in Entrepreneurship ranks number 40 by U.S. News for many reasons. It’s a fast-paced, 33-credit program designed for students interested in business development. The estimated cost is $17,127, which makes it one of the most affordable graduate programs in the nation.
Courses in the program include:
- Business Finance
- Organizational Behavior & Leadership
- Financial & Managerial Accounting
- Prescriptive Analytics
A few of the entrepreneurship courses are:
- Venture Capital
- Ideation, Creativity & Innovation
- Launching a Business: The First 100 Days
Tuition: $5,611
#4. Ball State University
MBA – Entrepreneurship Concentration
Muncie, Indiana
Ball State delivers its Master of Business Administration-Entrepreneurship through online, on-campus or hybrid format. U.S. News and World Report ranked its Online MBA as the #15 Best Online MBA in the nation.
This accredited graduate school program is 30-51 credits, depending on if the student had a business degree prior to enrolling. Its entrepreneurship courses are:
- Entrepreneurial Innovation and the Discovery of Opportunity
- Entrepreneurial Planning and Feasibility
- Entrepreneurial Strategy
Degree-seekers can begin in the summer, fall, or spring, adding to their flexibility. Two of the eight core courses include Entrepreneurial Leadership and Accounting and Decision Making. Transfer credits may be accepted.
Tuition: $9,480
#5 University of Maryland
Online Master’s of Professional Studies in Technology Entrepreneurship
College Park, Maryland
There is a unique Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Technology Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland. It’s offered as a flexible online program. Not only is this program ranked here for its Masters of Entrepreneurship, but is recognized by U.S. News & World Report, Entrepreneur Magazine, and Princeton Review.
This 15-month program features a 9-course curriculum including:
- Creative Design, Prototyping, and Testing
- Legal Aspects of Entrepreneurship
- Launching Technology Startup Ventures
- Business Modeling and Customer Validation
This program is self-paced and uses top-notch software to ensure ease with the online format.
Tuition: $10,955
#6. Indiana University
Masters of Science in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Bloomington, Indiana
IU’s Master of Science in Entrepreneurship and Innovation made it to our list of fastest masters in entrepreneurship for its quality 30-credit program. This graduate school program can network with students through its study abroad and virtual consulting project. A unique feature of Indiana University’s online programs is the ability to earn a dual-major in a speedy time.
If a student wants to earn an online Master’s in Entrepreneurship and their MBA at the same time, it’ll be around 66 credits, as opposed to an average of 84 credits.
This fast 30-credit masters in entrepreneurship program costs $1380.00 and can be taken 100% online. Each student will share in two rigorous in-residence courses, as well.
Tuition: $9,909
#7. Clarion University
MBA – Innovation and Entrepreneurship Concentration
Clarion, Pennsylvania
Clarion provides a Master’s in Business Administration with an Entrepreneurship concentration. This program combines its core and concentration courses for a total of 33 credits. Clarion offers this online or in the evenings on campus.
The objectives are to graduate professionals with a solid business foundation, give opportunities to teach in community colleges, empower them to start their own businesses, move them towards a doctorate, or prepare them to obtain middle-management jobs with new companies. Along with the foundational courses, the entrepreneurship concentration consists of:
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- Entrepreneurial Enterprise Sustainability
- Customer-Focused Entrepreneurship
- Special Problems: Entrepreneurial Practicum
A bachelor’s degree in business or a related field, as well as an online application, is required for admission. Eligible students are encouraged to apply for financial aid.
Tuition: $9,288
#8. Colorado Technical University
Master of Business Administration – Entrepreneurship
Colorado Springs, Colorado
CTU is known for its excellent online graduate programs. Its online MBA program made it onto U.S. News and World Report for the last five years. As far as getting a fast master’s in entrepreneurship, CTU offers this online or on-campus. It’s accredited by ACBSP and is in step with the National Business Education Association.
While taking core classes in business foundations, degree-seekers will get hands-on experience building their own business plan for small businesses. While this 48 credit entrepreneurship program is rigorous, courses are 4-credits each and the online flexibility makes it manageable.
Sample courses for students who meet admission requirements include:
- Applied Managerial Finance
- Financial Accounting
- Risk Management
- Leadership and Ethical Decision-Making
- Entrepreneurship & Intrapreneurship: Skills for Success
- Entrepreneurial Business Planning Capstone
This program can be completed in as little as 12 months.
Tuition: $13,683
#9. University of South Carolina
Full-Time MBA – Entrepreneurial Concentration
Columbia, South Carolina
Website – No longer available.
USC’s Darla Moore School of Business offers an accelerated MBA that takes ten months to complete, making it one of the fastest masters in entrepreneurship programs. It features many core business admin courses, along with entrepreneurship electives. Two of these electives are:
- Innovation and New Venture Analysis
- International Entrepreneurship
This program is rigorous and usually starts in July. After completing the core courses to gain basic entrepreneurial skills, students will work on their own functional specializations. The Moore School has a strong international reputation from which its graduates will benefit.
The University of South Carolina is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Tuition: $13,734
#10. University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
MBA – Entrepreneurial Concentration
The University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management is home to an Online Master of Science in Entrepreneurship. This distance learning program can be completed in as little as 12 months with a Fall 1 start time.
Students will complete 18 core credits and 12 elective credits. These courses are rich in entrepreneurship foundations. Some of the elective courses are:
- Family Business
- Financial Accounting
- Healthcare Entrepreneurship
- Leading and Organizing for Innovation
- Information Security in Public and Private Sectors
This program connects its degree-seekers with entrepreneurs, venture capital investors, guest speakers, and mentors, all while having a 100% online format.
Tuition: $12,711
#11. University of Texas at Dallas
Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship MS
Richardson, Texas
The University of Texas at Dallas has a 36-credit hour Master of Science in Innovation and Entrepreneurship program that takes about 1-2 years to complete. UT Dallas was ranked #22 in Princeton Review’s Top Schools for Entrepreneurship in 2017. Students who create quality concepts are able to apply for $25,000 in funds to help with their start-up.
The core courses, Accounting for Managers, Entrepreneurial Finance 1, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship, account for nine credits and instill fundamental entrepreneurial skills. There are 15 concentration credits as well as 12 elective credits to complete as well. Some of these featured are:
- Managing the Emerging Enterprise
- Business Model Innovation
- Social Entrepreneurship
- The Entrepreneurial Experience
- Principles of Leadership
- Global E-Business Marketing
Students graduate from the program with real-world experience in entrepreneurship.
Tuition: $15,088
#12. Temple University
Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship MS
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Temple’s Fox School of Business has an Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship MS available at $1,114.00 per credit. This speedy program consists of 33 credits and can be completed in a timely fashion. Plan, Pitch, and Fund an Entrepreneurial Start-Up, Business Model Innovation, and MS Advanced Professional Development Strategies are several required courses.
Some of the entrepreneurship concentration courses are:
- Lean Entrepreneurship / Innovation: Fast & Frugal Methods to Launch Startups & Test Innovative Ideas
- Creativity Unleashed: Harnessing Creativity to Solve Real-World Innovation Challenges
- Entrepreneurial Thinking and New Venture Creation
One of our more flexible graduate entrepreneurship programs, the delivery method for this program is online, on campus, or hybrid.
Tuition: $17,388
#13. Everglades University
Master’s in Entrepreneurship Degree
Boca Raton, Florida
Website
Everglades University offers a 36-credit Master’s Degree in Entrepreneurship to be completed in 12 months. This is one of the fastest masters in entrepreneurship programs, and it has an online program that allows flexibility for its professional students. There are 12 courses to complete in this master’s program. Some of these include:
- Entrepreneurship
- Leadership Skills for Managers
- Advanced Organizational Behavior
- Accounting for Decision Makers
- Business Strategy for Competitive Advantage
- Managerial Finance
- Entrepreneurship Capstone Course
This degree will prepare its graduates to be successful in their business ventures as well as various career paths and professional opportunities.
Tuition: $21,600
#14. Penn State University
Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship Online
University Park, Pennsylvania
Penn State University is one of the top 1% of universities in the world. Along with all its quality programs, Penn State offers a Master’s in Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship Online. This university is one of the best for its graduate entrepreneurship programs.
It’s home to the Farrell Center for Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Invent Penn State Technology Commercialization and New Venture Creation Initiative. This esteemed program consists of 33 credits and is taught in an online format.
A couple of the accredited courses are Business Modeling and New Venture Creation and Marketing in a Global Environment.
Tuition: $18,898
#15. Regent University
Master of Business Administration – Entrepreneurship
Virginia Beach, Virginia
A regionally accredited college, Regent was just placed as #7 on U.S. News and World Report’s list of Best Online MBA Programs in Virginia 2020. Its Master of Business Administration – Entrepreneurship is offered 100% online or in a hybrid format. Its entrepreneurship concentration consists of these four 3-credit courses:
- Quality Management
- Entrepreneurial Government Contracting Strategies
- Investment, Finance, and Funding Relationships
- Strategic Management
Regent is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs. This program also features 2 courses that develop skills such as communication skills and analytical techniques to help students meet professional goals.
Career services are available to all students, including distance learners enrolled in graduate and undergraduate programs.
Tuition: $15,590
#16. Full Sail University
Master of Science in Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Winter Park, Florida
Full Sail runs its graduate degree programs at an accelerated pace. Its credit hours per month are greater than most universities. Students taking the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Master of Science can expect to graduate in 12 months.
This program is on our 20 fastest masters in entrepreneurship because it breaks down its 36 credits into a simple 3-credit-course-per-month model. These courses include:
- Mastery: Personal Development and Leadership
- Creativity and Innovation
- Business Feasibility
- Legal Issues for Entrepreneurs
Course highlights for degree seekers are:
- Business Model Development
- Product Design and Development
- Entrepreneurial Finance
Tuition: $15,472
#17. Concordia University
Seward, Nebraska
Online Master’s in Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Concordia’s Master’s of Business Administration graduate degree features an entrepreneurship emphasis and is comprised of 100% online classes. It takes 18 months to complete and costs $555 per credit hour.
It features a digital learning style that can save money and give fast access to all materials online. After meeting admission requirements, students learn:
- Strategic Management
- Organization Development
- Human Resources Management
- Leadership and Organizational Behavior
- Social Entrepreneurship
It is accredited by the International Accreditation Council for Business Education. Since this fast master’s degree program is taught by experts in the field, there’s plenty of networking among other professionals with an entrepreneurial mindset and an eye for business opportunities.
Tuition: $8,650
#18. Babson College
Master of Science in Management in Entrepreneurial Leadership
Babson Park, Massachusetts
Babson is one of the fastest master’s in entrepreneurship programs, with a completion time of 9 months. Its Master of Science in Management in Entrepreneurial Leadership was ranked #1 in Entrepreneurship by U.S. News & World Report from 1994–2018. Babson uses 6 areas to develop its students’ skills in business. These include:
- Entrepreneurial Thinking and Acting
- Social, Environmental, and Economic Responsibility
- Self and Contextual Awareness
- Managing in a Global Environment
- Leadership and Teamwork
- Innovative Problem Solving
A sample of the core courses includes
- Resource Planning and Control (Managerial Accounting)
- Entrepreneurial Economics
- Law
- New Venture Finance
- Information Technology
Tuition: $89,550
#19. Northwestern University
MBA – Entrepreneurship Pathway
Evanston, Illinois
Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management boasts a 67% entrepreneurship-related faculty. Its focus is to prepare graduates in all facets of their business ventures and for work with entrepreneurial companies.
Its fastest MBA-Entrepreneurship track takes just 1 year to complete as a full-time student. Along with coursework, students can choose electives in this master’s program, including:
- New Venture Discovery
- Start-up Branding
- Intellectual Property for Entrepreneurs
- Medical Product Financing and Commercialization
- Real Estate Technology
- Social Innovation: Designing
This program develops graduates not only in personal ventures and entrepreneurial strategy but gives a strong business foundation as well.
Tuition: $56,067
#20. University of Chicago
Full-Time MBA in Entrepreneurship
Chicago, Illinois
At the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, students with an entrepreneurial mindset are given three ways to finish their MBA-Entrepreneurship programs: Full-time, Evening, Weekend. Its full-time option ranks on our list of 20 Fastest Masters in Entrepreneurship.
The master’s in entrepreneurship is very flexible. It takes 21 months to complete its MBA-Entrepreneurship program. The University of Chicago is home to the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, which has currently helped roll out 330 start-up companies. Some course selections include:
- Entrepreneurial Finance and Private Equity
- Venture Finance
- Building the New Venture
- Special Topics in Entrepreneurship: Developing a New Venture
Tuition: $62,640
Sources
- Accelerated MBA Programs Online
- Online Graduate Degrees
- Top Colleges for Student Entrepreneurs
- Highest Paying MBA Concentrations
This concludes our ranking of the 20 Fastest Master’s in Entrepreneurship.
CVO Staff