Top 10 Online MBA Programs for Entrepreneurship

An Online MBA is not just a route to the top of a corporation; it can be a pathway into entrepreneurship too. Many of the world’s best Online MBA courses offer specialisms in new business creation and innovation. 

The entrepreneurial-minded Online MBA courses are designed for those who want to establish their own business ventures, as well as those whose ambitions are in the venture capital space, or lead innovation within existing corporations. Online MBA programs might offer elective offerings in valuating companies and startups, for instance, alongside entrepreneurship electives ranging from e-commerce to web analytics and product marketing. 

Combined, these modules teach take students through the entire entrepreneurial journey, from idea to exit. Online MBA students will learn to identify winning business ideas, develop business plans, refine them, secure funding and scale the business. In some cases students work in teams on a practical project, taking an idea for a new product or service, developing a value proposition, conducting market research, validating the idea, and pitching it to a panel of investors, competing for real money.  

Many of the courses explore themes beyond the generation of shareholder returns, including sustainable development and social entrepreneurship. 

Many business school graduates have established companies that have gone on to raise venture capital funding, and some institutions track these outcomes. 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 32 Followers 9 Discussions

Tepper’s Online MBA curriculum focuses on analytics, leadership development and strategic decision-making, all essential for entrepreneurship. The wider CMU also has a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem with students having established a number of successful enterprises. More than 260 companies have been launched since 2008, and raised more than $1bn in funding since 2011. Students can take full advantage of an abundance of resources at the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship. 

View School Profile
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 36 Followers 22 Discussions
UNC - Kenan-Flagler

Students can take an Online MBA with a specialism in entrepreneurship at UNC. It’s designed for those who want to establish their own business ventures, move into the venture capital space, or lead innovation within existing corporations. Students learn to identify potentially lucrative business ideas, develop business plans, refine them to secure funding and grow the business over time. There are elective offerings in managing innovation, pricing and sales too. 

View School Profile
Berlin, Germany 3 Followers 4 Discussions
ESMT Berlin

ESMT runs an Online MBA program that focuses on analytics, innovation and leadership. There’s also an elective in new business creation, in which students develop the skills to go from idea to company formulation, including marketing and finance. There’s also an elective in valuating companies and startups, that is useful for those hoping to finance companies in a venture capital or private equity job, for example.  

View School Profile
Champaign, Illinois 29 Followers 44 Discussions
Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Students taking the iMBA at Gies can specialize in innovation, which is needed both within established organizations and to create new ones. Students learn to develop an “entrepreneurial mindset”, as well as how to manage innovation amid uncertainty, and how to assess the feasibility of a new business idea and the challenges involved in establishing a fledgling enterprise. The capstone project sees students develop a new business idea and test the model against feedback from classmates and faculty.  

View School Profile
London, United Kingdom (UK) 92 Followers 24 Discussions
Imperial

At this leading British institution, students can access the wider Imperial College’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and STEM research network. They can also take specific elective modules in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. There’s also the Entrepreneurial Journey, a team-based venture start-up program. In this course, students will take an idea for a new product or service, develop a value proposition, conduct market research, validate the idea and pitch it to a panel of investors, competing for real money.  

View School Profile
Los Angeles, California 39 Followers 1 Discussion
Pepperdine - Graziadio

Online MBA students at Pepperdine can customize their education by taking a specific concentration in entrepreneurship. The specialist modules help students tap into their creativity and form the spark of an idea. They then learn skills to turn their vision for a business into a reality. The course’s focus on not just creating wealth but generating positive impact and expressing personal values and passion too. 

View School Profile
Amherst, Massachusetts 12 Followers 21 Discussions

Isenberg offers an Online MBA with a Focus in Entrepreneurship. It offers a mix of general business and more entrepreneurial elective courses to help students meet their unique goals, whether that’s launching a business or launching a unit within a larger enterprise. Students can choose from a wide array of entrepreneurship electives ranging from e-commerce to web analytics and product marketing. The business-focused courses cover cash management, business analytics and negotiations. 

View School Profile
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 25 Followers 6 Discussions

At Fox, Online MBA students can take a concentration in entrepreneurship. This helps them with launching a new venture while completing their degree. What’s more, Online MBA candidates can pair the degree with a Master of Science in Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship. On the dual degree program, students learn innovation strategies from leading faculty, diverse classmates and successful entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. They chart their own path by taking customized, hands-on projects. 

View School Profile
Richardson, Texas 32 Followers 6 Discussions
UT Dallas - Jindal

Students taking the UT Dallas Online MBA can take a concentration in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. It prepares them to launch new ventures, work in venture capital or private equity, or in innovation-related roles in major corporations, for example product marketing and development. Students study varied modules from developing a global business plan to financial modelling for valuation, and technology and new product development. 

View School Profile
Boston, Massachusetts 25 Followers 4 Discussions
Northeastern - D'Amore-McKim

Northeastern’s Online MBA program offers a concentration in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. It takes an in-depth look at concept development and testing, business plans, debt financing, sustainable development and social entrepreneurship. Graduates of the concentration pursue a wide range of careers in numerous industries, alongside establishing companies. These include chief technology officer and director of business development roles. 

View School Profile

Related Articles

Can Entrepreneurs Benefit from Online MBA Programs?

Jul 10, 2024

Online MBA programs can be a flexible and effective educational pathway for  entrepreneurs, whether they are individuals or part of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). And here’s why.

More Articles

More Top 10 Lists

More Top 10 Lists

Advanced Online MBA Program Search
KEYWORDS (optional)
COUNTRY / REGION
SPECIALIZATION
LANGUAGE
PROGRAM TYPE
INTAKE
SHOW ONLY
AVERAGE GMAT
AVERAGE WORK EXPERIENCE
TUITION
DURATION