From the number of student startups popping up around the D.C. metro area, it's no surprise that the District finds itself with a handful of top-notch entrepreneurship programs for people from all walks of life.
But the programs found in the DMV vary drastically in their offerings. Schools such as American University and Johns Hopkins University host their own on-campus entrepreneurship incubators and accelerators. Places like Georgetown University allow their business school students to set up independent studies with local startups and tech community hubs. All the while schools such as Howard University sprinkle their entrepreneurship course offerings throughout their undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Virginia Tech seems to be the only program in the region offering a full-time Bachelor's degree in entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship centers at most universities also work to host on-campus funding competitions and connect students with other entrepreneurs in the area.
According to data from MBA.com, the online destination for anyone registering to take the GMAT entrance exam for business school, the number of business school programs devoted to entrepreneurship nearly doubled between 2012 and 2015 to 70 MBA, master's and doctoral degree programs in entrepreneurship or related areas.
To help silo the number of different offerings in the Greater Washington region, DC Inno compiled a list of the entrepreneurship programs and courses at local universities and colleges. The list is limited to course offerings, so it does not include incubators/accelerators, funding competitions, co-working space opportunities or similar programs.
| University/College | Degree Type | Location | Total School Enrollment | Program Description |
| American University | Graduate Certificate, Undergraduate Minor; MBA | Washington, D.C. | 13,347 | "Designed for students who seek to start or grow a new business or social venture, expand an existing venture, or take over a family business." |
| Georgetown University | Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Fellows program; Venture Fellows graduate certificate; Executive MBA program; Undergraduate and Graduate courses | Washington, D.C. | 18,525 | Blend of curriculum courses and extracurricular independent studies and research |
| George Mason University | Undergraduate Minor; MBA; Executive MBA | Fairfax, Va. | 34,904 | "The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) is an interdisciplinary hub in the School of Business that supports innovators and changemakers from all Mason schools and programs." |
| George Washington University | MBA concentration; Undergrad Business major concentration; Graduate Certificate; School of Medicine Concentration | Washington, D.C. | 27,159 | "All of our programs, lectures, workshops, and hands-on activities teach the process of creating value through recognizing and developing opportunities." |
| Howard University | MBA, Executive MBA, Management Concentration (Undergrad & Grad) | Washington, D.C. | 8,966 | "Besides being engaged in the Business core courses, Management majors will be immersed in a curriculum focused on developing leadership, decision making, human resource management, and entrepreneurial skills. |
| Johns Hopkins University | Entrepreneurship & Management Minor; MBA; Executive Education programs | Baltimore, Md. And Washington, D.C. | 23,992 | "Our rigorous coursework is developing a new generation of creative leaders who will solve the problems of today and prepare for the challenges of tomorrow." |
| University of Maryland, College Park | Undergraduate Minor; MBA; Executive MBA | College Park, Md. | 39,083 | "We develop and execute curricular and non-curricular programs that uniquely leverage Smith School thought leadership, experiential learning and our network of practitioners to provide maximum resources to our startup community." |
| University of Virginia | Undergraduate minor; MBA concentration; School of Law programs | Charlottesville, Va. | 23,898 | UVA's offerings span from traditional courses to campus-sponsored competitions and entrepreneurship conferences. |
| Virginia Tech | Bachelor's Degree program; Undergrad minor; MBA; Executive MBA | Blacksburg, Va., Arlington, Va., Falls Church, Va.; Richmond and Roanoke, Va. | 33,170 | Variety of class lectures, case studies and team-based projects |
Editor's Note: This list will be updated periodically. If your program is missing, please email Sam Sabin at ssabin@americaninno.com.
