An examination of entrepreneurship education in the United States

Purpose - This paper seeks to provide an analytical overview of the current state of entrepreneurship education in the USA for the years 2004-2005. Design/methodology/approach - The author performed an extensive review of the literature in entrepreneurship education and enhanced the review by conducting a national survey of two and four-year colleges and universities. This survey was the sixth since 1979 conducted by the author to examine trends and the "current state of entrepreneurship education." Findings - The 2004-2005 survey indicates that the trends, especially in the use of technology initially examined in prior national studies of entrepreneurship, have continued in a similar direction and in some areas, for example, the use of technology has increased dramatically. Also, new findings confirm that the traditional teaching method of requiring students to create a business plan is still used and is popular. Finally, the data show that entrepreneurship educators are increasingly using guest speakers and class discussions more frequently than the traditional approach of class lectures. Research limitations/implications - The national survey resulted in 270 schools responding. The survey findings cannot be generalized to all schools in the USA, although there are no other samples of this size. The evaluation and interpretation of some of the findings represent the author's own perceptions and experiences, and should, therefore, be viewed with caution. Originality/value - Provides an evaluation of the state-of-the-art of entrepreneurship education in the USA.