The status of entrepreneurship education in Australian universities

• Published in: Education & training (London) Vol. 57; no. 8/9; pp. 1020 - 1035
• Main Authors: Maritz, Alex, Jones, Colin, Shwetzer, Claudia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Emerald Group Publishing Limited 09.11.2015
• Subjects: Academic Standards; Audiences; Australia; Best practice; Business Education; Business Schools; Colleges & universities; Community Relations; Content Analysis; Councils; Curricula; Curricular innovation in vocational education; Curriculum; Deans; Design; Education; Educational Needs; Educational objectives; Educational Policy; Entrepreneurs; Entrepreneurship; Entrepreneurship education; Foreign Countries; Higher education; Higher education institutions; Innovations; Literature Reviews; Majors (Students); Objectives; Pedagogy; Private Colleges; Private colleges & universities; Private schools; Program Descriptions; Qualifications; Research Design; Self Efficacy; Stakeholders; Teaching Methods; Universities; Vocational Education; Vocational education & training; Web Sites; Websites; Australia; Denmark; United Kingdom > UK; United States > US; Australia; Entrepreneurship; Entrepreneurship education
• ISSN: 0040-0912; 1758-6127
• DOI: 10.1108/ET-04-2015-0026

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an analytical overview of the current state of entrepreneurship education (EE) in Australia; placing emphasis on programs, curricula and entrepreneurship ecosystems. Design/methodology/approach – The authors performed a contextual review of the literature by delineating entrepreneurship education programs, the entrepreneurial ecosystem and EE learning and teaching. The review was enhanced by a systematic collection of data from higher education institutions web sites, depicting the prevailing situation of entrepreneurship programs, courses, subjects and their ecosystems. Findings – A number of interesting findings emerged from this study. From a curricular perspective, Australian universities offer 584 subjects related to entrepreneurship. This includes dominance at undergraduate level, representing 24 minors/majors and specializations in entrepreneurship. In total, 135 entrepreneurship ecosystems were identified. Research limitations/implications – This paper presents findings from university web sites and as such requires introspection to validate individual university offerings. Practical implications – The study provides the status of EE in Australia, and may guide academic and policy decision makers to further develop entrepreneurship initiatives. Originality/value – This paper provides the first analytical overview of EE in Australia and paves the way for further evaluation.