Alberta Charney and Gary D. Libecap
In this chapter, Charney and Libecap report on their analysis of the 15-year old entrepreneurship program at the University of Arizona. 2,484 business school graduates, including…
Abstract
In this chapter, Charney and Libecap report on their analysis of the 15-year old entrepreneurship program at the University of Arizona. 2,484 business school graduates, including 460 of the entrepreneurship program, were surveyed in a study indicating that entrepreneurship education has been highly advantageous for not only its graduates but also the companies they lead or work for. Among several key findings: compared to other graduates, alumni of the Berger Entrepreneurship Program make more money and their firms grow more rapidly; they are more likely to work for high-tech companies and to be instrumental in new product development. Compared to other alumni, entrepreneurship graduates are three times more likely to start new businesses; have annual incomes that are 27% higher and own 62% more assets. This study represents the first, in-depth analysis of entrepreneurship education and its results indicate that the investment is a valuable one.