Entrepreneurship education in undergraduate business programs: A review of curricular integration and institutional priorities
Published 2025-12-25
Keywords
- Girişimcilik Eğitimi, Müfredat Analizi, İşletme Programı, Yükseköğretim, Girişimci Üniversite
- Entrepreneurship Education, Curriculum Analysis, Business Program, Higher Education, Entrepreneurial University
How to Cite
Copyright (c) 2025 Meral Dülger Taşkın

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
Abstract
This study aims to examine the status of entrepreneurship courses within undergraduate business programs in Türkiye and assess their alignment with institutional vision and mission statements at the higher education level. The research focuses on 45 universities listed in the Entrepreneurial and Innovative University Index (EIUI) and employs a mixed-methods approach. Entrepreneurship-related courses are analysed quantitatively in terms of number, status (compulsory/elective), and distribution, while institutional statements are examined through thematic content analysis. The findings reveal that, despite entrepreneurship being frequently emphasised in institutional discourse, it is reflected only to a limited extent in undergraduate program curricula. Of the 296 identified entrepreneurship-themed courses, only 42 (14.19%) are compulsory; the vast majority (85.81%) are offered as electives. The average number of mandatory classes per university is 0.93, and the average number of elective courses is 5.64. Entrepreneurship-themed courses account for only 5.27% of the total curricula, representing 2% of compulsory and 7.23% of elective offerings. The analyses reveal significant structural variations among institutions in the number, types, and statuses of courses offered. As one of the first comprehensive data-driven studies on entrepreneurship education in Türkiye, this research makes a unique contribution to the field by questioning the coherence between strategic discourse and educational practice in entrepreneurship education.
References
- Ahmad, N., & Seymour, R. (2008). Defining entrepreneurial activity: Definitions supporting frameworks for data collection. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1090372
- Ahmad, S. Z., Abu Bakar, A.-R., & Ahmad, N. (2018). An evaluation of teaching methods of entrepreneurship in hospitality and tourism programs. International Journal of Management in Education, 16, 14–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2017.11.002
- Almeida, J., Daniel, A. D., & Figueiredo, C. (2021). The future of management education: The role of entrepreneurship education and junior enterprises. International Journal of Management in Education, 19(1), Article 100318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2019.100318
- Avrupa Komisyonu. (2002). Final Report of the Expert Group ‘Best Procedure’ Project on Education and Training for Entrepreneurship, November, European Commission, Enterprise Directorate General. https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/23144/attachments/1/translations/en/renditions/pdf adresinden erişildi. Erişim tarihi: 28.06.2025
- Bae, T. J., Qian, S., Miao, C., & Fiet, J. O. (2014). The relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial ıntentions: A meta–analytic review. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 38(2), 217–254. https://doi.org/10.1111/etap.12095
- Bazeley, P. & Jackson, K. (Der.) (2013). Qualitative Data Analysis With Nvivo. Sage Publications Limited.
- Bechard, J. P., & Toulouse, J. M. (1998). Validation of a didactic model for the analysis of training objectives in entrepreneurship. Journal of Business Venturing, 13(4), 317-332. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0883-9026(98)80006-2
- Binks, M., Starkey, K., & Mahon, C. L. (2006). Entrepreneurship education and the business school. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, 18(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537320500520411
- Blenker, P., Dreisler, P., Færgeman, H. M., & Kjeldsen, J. (2006). Learning and teaching entrepreneurship: dilemmas, reflections and strategies, International Entrepreneurship Education—Issues and Newness, (Ed: A. Fayolle and H. Klandt) Ann Arbor, MI, USA: Edward, pp. 21–33. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781847201652.00008
- Bobbitt, F. (2004) Scientific method in curriculum-making. The Curriculum Studies Reader, (Ed: Flinders D. J. and Thornton S. J.), 2nd edn (New York: RoutledgeFalmer), 9–16. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203017609-8
- Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
- Bulad, M. & Dülger, M. (2023). Exploring The Impact of Entrepreneurship Education: A Study on Entrepreneurial Intentions in Turkish Universities, Journal of Behavior at Work (JB@W), 8(2), 74-88. https://doi.org/10.25203/idd.1350398
- Corbin, J. & Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of Qualitative Research. Sage.
- Doğan, E. (2015). The Effect of Entrepreneurship Education on Entrepreneurial Intentions of University Students In Turkey. Istanbul University Econometrics and Statistics E-Journal, (23), 79-93.
- Edelman, L. F., Manolova, T. S., & Brush, C. G. (2008). Entrepreneurship education: Correspondence between practices of nascent entrepreneurs and textbook prescriptions for success. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 7(1), 56–70. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2008.31413862
- Etzkowitz, H., Webster, A., Gebhardt, C., Regina, B. and Terra, C. (2000), The future of the university and the university of the future: evolution of ivory tower to entrepreneurial paradigm, Research Policy, 29, 313–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0048-7333(99)00069-4
- Etzkowitz, H. (2003). Research groups as ‘quasi-firms’: The invention of the entrepreneurial university. Research Policy, 32(1), 109–121. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0048-7333(02)00009-4
- Fayolle, A. & Gailly, B. (2015). The ımpact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial attitudes and ıntention: hysteresis and persistence. Journal of Small Business Management, 53 (1): 75–93. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsbm.12065
- Fayolle, A., & Klandt, H. (Eds.). (2006). International entrepreneurship education: Issues and newness. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781847201652
- Ferreira, J., Fayolle, A., Ratten, V. & Raposo, M. (Eds.). (2018), Vol. 288. Entrepreneurial Universities: Collaboration, Education and Policies. London: Routledge, ISBN 9781786432452. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781786432469
- Garavan, T. N., & O′ Cinneide, B. (1994). Entrepreneurship Education and Training Programmes: A Review and Evaluation–Part 1. Journal of European Industrial Training, 18(8), 3-12. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090599410073505
- Gartner, W. B., & Vesper, K. H. (1994). Experiments in entrepreneurship education: Successes and failures. Journal of Business Venturing, 9(3), 179–187. https://doi.org/10.1016/0883-9026(94)90028-0
- Gelaidan, H. M., & Abdullateef, A. O. (2017). Entrepreneurial intentions of business students in Malaysia: The role of self-confidence, educational and relation support. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 24(1), 54–67. https://doi.org/10.1108/jsbed-06-2016-0078
- Gibb, A. (2002). In pursuit of a new ‘enterprise’and ‘entrepreneurship’ paradigm for learning: creative destruction, new values, new ways of doing things and new combinations of knowledge. International Journal of Management Reviews, 4(3), 233-269. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2370.00086
- Gibb, Y. K., & Nelson, E. G. (1996). Personal competences, training and assessment: A challenge for small business trainers. Proceedings of the European Small Business Seminar, 15, 97-107.
- Goetz, S. J., Fleming, D. A., & Rupasingha, A. (2012). The economic impacts of self-employment. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, 44(3), 315-321. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1074070800000432
- Gürol, Y., & Atsan, N. (2006). Entrepreneurial characteristics amongst university students: Some insights for entrepreneurship education and training in Turkey. Education+ Training, 48(1), 25-38. https://doi.org/10.1108/00400910610645716
- Gürol, Y., Aydınlık A. & Atsan, N. (2008). Entrepreneurship Education In Turkish Universities, 18th Annual Global Conference, Internationalizing Entrepreneurship, Education and Training, 17-20 July 2008 Ohio, USA.
- Henderson, R., & Robertson, M. (2000). Who wants to be an entrepreneur? Young adult attitudes to entrepreneurship as a career. Career Development International, 5(6), 279-287. https://doi.org/10.1108/00400919910279973
- Honig, B. (2004). Entrepreneurship Education: Toward a Model of Contingency-Based Business Planning. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 3(3), 258–273. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2004.14242112
- Iwu, C. G., Opute, P. A., Nchu, R., Eresia-Eke, C., Tengeh, R. K., Jaiyeoba, O., & Aliyu, O. A. (2021). Entrepreneurship education, curriculum and lecturer-competency as antecedents of student entrepreneurial intention. The International Journal of Management Education, 19(1), 100295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2019.03.007
- Kalyoncuoğlu, S., Aydıntan, B., & Göksel, A. (2017). The effect of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial intention: An experimental study on undergraduate business students. Journal of management research, 9(3), 72-91. https://doi.org/10.5296/jmr.v9i3.11282
- Karadeniz, Y., & Özkan, Ç. (2020). Dünya ve türkiye üniversitelerinde girişimcilik bölümlerinin artan önemi: Lisans ve lisansüstü eğitim düzeyinde bir araştırma. MANAS Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi, 9(2), 872-885. https://doi.org/10.33206/mjss.523372
- Karimi, S., Biemans, H. J., Lans, T., Chizari, M., & Mulder, M. (2016). The impact of entrepreneurship education: A study of Iranian students' entrepreneurial intentions and opportunity identification. Journal of Small Business Management, 54(1), 187-209. https://doi.org/10.18174/296219
- Kazakeviciute, A., Urbone, R., & Petraite, M. (2016). Curriculum development for technology-based entrepreneurship education: A cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural approach. Industry and Higher Education, 30(3), 202-214. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950422216656050
- Kirby, D. A. (2004). Entrepreneurship education: can business schools meet the challenge?. Education+ Training, 46(8/9), 510-519. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781847201652.00009
- Küçük, O. (2009). Türk Eğitim Sisteminde Girişimcilik ve Girişimcilik Eğitiminde Avrupa Birliği (AB) Hibe Projelerinden Yararlanma Düzeyi: Bir Uygulama, 2. Uluslararası Girişimcilik Kongresi, Kırgızistan.
- Laukkanen, M. (2000). Exploring alternative approaches in high-level entrepreneurship education: creating micromechanisms for endogenous regional growth. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 12(1), 25-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/089856200283072
- Lekoko, M., Rankhumise, E. M., & Ras, P. (2012). The effectiveness of entrepreneurship education: What matters most?. African Journal of Business Management, 65(1), 12023- 12032. https://doi.org/10.5897/ajbmx12.001
- Liñán, F. (2004). Intention-based models of entrepreneurship education. Piccolla Impresa/Small Business, 3(1), 11-35.
- Liñán, F. (2007). 13 The role of entrepreneurship education in the entrepreneurial process. Handbook of Research in Entrepreneurship Education, Volume, 230. 230-247. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781847205377.00023
- Liñán, F., Rodríguez-Cohard, J. C., & Rueda-Cantuche, J. M. (2011). Factors affecting entrepreneurial intention levels: a role for education. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 7, 195-218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-010-0154-z
- Lyons, E., & Zhang, L. (2018). Who does (not) benefit from entrepreneurship programs? Strategic Management Journal, 39(1), 85–112. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2704
- Maresch, D., Harms, R., Kailer, N., & Wimmer-Wurm, B. (2016). The impact of entrepreneurship education on the entrepreneurial intention of students in science and engineering versus business studies university programs. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 104, 172–179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2015.11.006
- Martin, C. (2015). Needs and perspectives of entrepreneurship education for postgraduate students. A Romanian case study. Journal Plus Education, 153-157.
- Martin, B. C., McNally, J. J., & Kay, M. J. (2013). Examining the formation of human capital in entrepreneurship: A meta-analysis of entrepreneurship education outcomes. Journal of Business Venturing, 28(2), 211-224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2012.03.002
- Matlay H (2005) Researching entrepreneurship and education. Part 1: What is entrepreneurship and does it matter? Education + Training, 47(8/9): 665–677. https://doi.org/10.1108/00400910510633198
- Mclntyre, J. R., & Roche, M. (1999). University education for entrepreneurs in the United States: a critical and retrospective analysis of trends in the 1990s. Center for International Business Education and Research, Georgia Institute of Technology, Working Paper Series, 99/00-021.
- McMullan, W., Chrisman, J., & Vesper, K., (2002). Lessons from successful innovations in entrepreneurial support programming (Ed: Chrisman, J., Holbrook, J., & Chua, J.), Innovation and entrepreneurship in Western Canada: From family businesses to multinationals (pp. 207–223). University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv6cfq9m.12
- Meyer, J. P., & Allen, N. J. (1991). A three-component conceptualization of organizational commitment. Human Resource Management Review, 1(1), 61-89. https://doi.org/10.1016/1053-4822(91)90011-z
- Meyer, J. W., & Rowan, B. (1977). Institutionalized organizations: Formal structure as myth and ceremony. American Journal of Sociology, 83(2), 340-363. https://doi.org/10.1086/226550
- Mohamed, N. A., & Sheikh Ali, A. Y. (2021). Entrepreneurship education: systematic literature review and future research directions. World Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, 17(4), 644-661. https://doi.org/10.1108/wjemsd-07-2020-0084
- Morris, M. H., Webb, J. W., Fu, J., & Singhal, S. (2013). A competency-based perspective on entrepreneurship education: Conceptual and empirical ınsights. Journal of Small Business Management, 51(3), 352–369. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsbm.12023
- Neck, H. M., & Greene, P. G. (2010). Entrepreneurship education: Known worlds and new frontiers. Journal of Small Business Management, 49(1), 55–70. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-627x.2010.00314.x
- Nelson, L. (2001). The entrepreneurial university, (Ed: Teich, A.H., Nelson, S. D., McEnaney C. and Lita, S. J), AAAS Science and Technology Policy Yearbook 2001, Washington, DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science, pp. 279–85.
- Oosterbeek, H., van Praag, M. & Ijsselstein, A. (2010). The impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurship skills and motivation. European Economic Review, 54(3), 442–454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2009.08.002
- Özdem, G. ve Sarı, E. (2008). Yükseköğretimde yeni bakış açılarıyla birlikte yeni kurulan üniversitelerden beklenen işlevler (Giresun Üniversitesi örneği). Üniversite ve Toplum Dergisi, 8(1), 1-15.
- Özdemir, P. (2017). Üniversitelerimizdeki girişimcilik eğitiminin farklı boyutlardan değerlendirilmesi. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 6(2), 1-24.
- Paço, A., & Raposo, M. (2011). Entrepreneurship education: Relationship between education and entrepreneurial activity. Psicothema, 23(3), 453-457.
- Peschl, H., Deng, C., & Larson, N. (2021). Entrepreneurial thinking: A signature pedagogy for an uncertain 21st century. International Journal of Management in Education, 19(1), Article 100427. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2020.100427
- Piperopoulos, P. & Dimov, D. (2015). Burst bubbles or build steam? Entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, and entrepreneurial intentions. Journal of Small Business Management, 53(4), 970–985. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsbm.12116
- Pulka, B. M., Aminu, A. A., & Rikwentishe, R. (2015). The effects of entrepreneurship education on university students’ attitude and entrepreneurial intention. European Journal of Business and Management, 7(20), 149-157.
- Rae, D., Martin, L., Antcliff, V., & Hannon, P. (2012). Enterprise and entrepreneurship in English higher education: 2010 and beyond. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 19(3), 380-401. https://doi.org/10.1108/14626001211250090
- Rasmussen, E. A., & Sorheim, R. (2006). Action-based entrepreneurship education. Technovation, 26, 185-194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2005.06.012
- Rauch, A. & Hulsink, W. (2015). Putting entrepreneurship education where the ıntention to act lies: An ınvestigation into the ımpact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial behavior. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 14 (2): 187–204. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2012.0293
- Ray, D.M. (1997). Teaching entrepreneurship in Asia: impact of a pedagogical innovation. Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Change, 6 (3), 193–227.
- Razak, A. (2025). Driving Global Competitiveness: The Internationalization of Research and Innovation in Business and Entrepreneurship Education for Sustainable Development and Social Impact (Ed: Chawla, G., & Gupta, A.), Internationalization of Higher Education: Strategic, Structural and Policy Dimensions in Business Education (pp. 173-212). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-8994-1_10
- Rideout, E. C., & Gray, D. O. (2013). Does entrepreneurship education really work? A review and methodological critique of the empirical literature on the effects of university-based entrepreneurship education. Journal of Small Business Management, 51(3), 329–351. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsbm.12021
- Samwel Mwasalwiba, E. (2010). Entrepreneurship education: a review of its objectives, teaching methods, and impact indicators. Education+ Training, 52(1), 20-47. https://doi.org/10.1108/00400911011017663
- Schultz, C. (2022). A balanced strategy for entrepreneurship education: Engaging students by using multiple course modes in a business curriculum. Journal of Management Education, 46(2), 313-344. https://doi.org/10.1177/10525629211017958
- Seikkula‐Leino, J. (2011). The implementation of entrepreneurship education through curriculum reform in Finnish comprehensive schools. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 43(1), 69–85. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220270903544685
- Tessema Gerba, D. (2012). Impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial intentions of business and engineering students in Ethiopia. African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, 3(2), 258-277. https://doi.org/10.1108/20400701211265036
- Tiberius, V., & Weyland, M. (2023). Entrepreneurship education or entrepreneurship education? A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 47(1), 134-149. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877x.2022.2100692
- Tiberius, V., Weyland, M., & Mahto, R. V. (2023). Best of entrepreneurship education? A curriculum analysis of the highest-ranking entrepreneurship MBA programs. The International Journal of Management Education, 21(1), 100753. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2022.100753
- Times Higher Education. (2025). Impact rankings 2025: Industry, innovation and infrastructure. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/impactrankings/industry-innovation-and-infrastructure
- TÜBİTAK. (2024). 2024 Yılı Girişimci ve Yenilikçi Üniversite Endeksi Sonuçları, https://tubitak.gov.tr/tr/kurumsal/politikalar/girisimci-ve-yenilikci-universite-endeksi/girisimci-ve-yenilikci-universite-endeksi-tablo adresinden erişildi. Erişim tarihi: 30.05.2025
- Vesper, K. H., & Gartner, W. B. (1997). Measuring progress in entrepreneurship education. Journal of Business Venturing, 12(5), 403–421. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0883-9026(97)00009-8
- von Graevenitz, G., Harhoff, D., & Weber, R. (2010). The effects of entrepreneurship education. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 76(1), 90–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2010.02.015
- Walter, S. G., & Block, J. H. (2016). Outcomes of entrepreneurship education: An institutional perspective. Journal of Business Venturing, 31(2), 216-233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2015.10.003
- Wilson, K. E. (2008). Entrepreneurship education in Europe. Entrepreneurship and Higher Education, Chapter 5, OECD.
- Wilson, F., Kickul, J., & Marlino, D. (2007). Gender, entrepreneurial self–efficacy, and entrepreneurial career ıntentions: Implications for entrepreneurship education. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 31(3), 387–406. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6520.2007.00179.x
- Wu, Y. C., Hsueh, H. Y., Liao, W. H., & Chang, H. C. (2025). Interpersonal Network Modeling Based on Text Analysis: A Case Study Using the Overseas Taiwanese Leftist Database. 2025 19th International Conference on Ubiquitous Information Management and Communication (IMCOM) (pp. 1-7). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/imcom64595.2025.10857495
- Yelkikalan, N., Akatay, A., Yıldırım, H. M., Karadeniz, Y., Köse, C., Koncagül, Ö., & Özer, E. (2010). Dünya ve Türkiye üniversitelerinde girişimcilik eğitimi. Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey Üniversitesi Sosyal ve Ekonomik Araştırmalar Dergisi, 2010(2), 51-59.
- Yıldırım, A. ve Şimşek, H. (2008). Sosyal Bilimlerde Nitel Araştırma Yöntemleri. Ankara: Seçkin Yayıncılık.


