M.E. Program

The Master of Entrepreneurship Program (M.E.) is the only program of its kind in the country. In 2003, Western Carolina University offered the first Master’s Degree in Entrepreneurship in the nation. It was designed by faculty who have all been real entrepreneurs and who now serve as consultants, advisors, advocates and thought leaders, as well as award-winning educators within the field of entrepreneurship.

The M.E. has been recognized as one of the five best entrepreneurship programs in the nation by Fortune Small Business magazine. Soon after the program’s inception (2004), our program finished second in a competition (behind Harvard University) as the best master’s-level entrepreneurship program in the nation by the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (usasbe.org). In the following year (2005), Western Carolina University’s M.E. Program took first place in that same competition.  We think these accolades and others are because our M.E. Program is unique. It covers the entire entrepreneurial process from idea to harvest using an integrated approach and focusing on your specific aspirations.

The M.E. Program is not an MBA with entrepreneurship electives. All of the courses in our M.E. Program are “purely” focused on having our students learn entrepreneurial skills, which will provide you with unique advantages. If you are an entrepreneur or want to be an entrepreneur, this program is for you. Our curriculum also serves those who are seeking to become qualified as instructors to teach entrepreneurship courses, former and current members of the military, and students from a variety of other graduate-level disciplines ranging from the “arts to sciences” who are seeking elective credit. Regardless, we teach students how to build real value in an entrepreneurial venture and lead innovation from within existing organizations or through the creation of new organizations.