Best Online Associate in Entrepreneurship

Badge for BEST ONLINE ASSOCIATE'S IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Published: Jun 23, 2021
Updated: Nov 22, 2023

Find top-ranked online associate in entrepreneurship degree programs to prepare students to run their own business, take on a managerial role in an organization, or transition into a four-year degree program.

Top 10 Online Associate in Entrepreneurship Degrees

University of Alaska Fairbanks
Schoolcraft College
SUNY Adirondack
Seminole State College of Florida
Granite State College
Harper College
St. Petersburg College
College of Southern Idaho
Jackson College
Central Wyoming College

University of Alaska Fairbanks
St. Petersburg College
Saddleback College
Schoolcraft College
Seminole State College of Florida
Rockland Community College
Granite State College
Jackson College
SUNY Adirondack
Coastline Community College

State College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota 38 to 1
Coastline Community College 30 to 1
Seminole State College of Florida 26 to 1
Saddleback College 24 to 1
St. Petersburg College 22 to 1
College of Southern Idaho 22 to 1
Schoolcraft College 21 to 1
Tidewater Community College 20 to 1
Rockland Community College 19 to 1
Des Moines Area Community College 19 to 1

Harper College $9,372
Bucks County Community College $7,920
University of Alaska Fairbanks $7,659
Granite State College $7,536
Jackson College $5,970
Gogebic Community College $5,921
Des Moines Area Community College $5,340
Rockland Community College $5,212
SUNY Adirondack $5,088
Schoolcraft College $4,888

University of Alaska Fairbanks $11,535
Granite State College $9,810

Southwestern Community College
Isothermal Community College
Forsyth Technical Community College
Craven Community College
Tidewater Community College
Des Moines Area Community College
Great Basin College
Bucks County Community College
State College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota
Rockland Community College

Craven Community College
Isothermal Community College
Gogebic Community College
Forsyth Technical Community College
Central Wyoming College
Des Moines Area Community College
Pitt Community College
Southwestern Community College
State College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota
Truckee Meadows Community College

Southwestern Community College 10 to 1
University of Alaska Fairbanks 11 to 1
Isothermal Community College 11 to 1
Forsyth Technical Community College 11 to 1
Craven Community College 12 to 1
Gogebic Community College 12 to 1
Bucks County Community College 13 to 1
Jackson College 13 to 1
Central Wyoming College 14 to 1
Granite State College 14 to 1

Coastline Community College $1,104
Saddleback College $1,288
Craven Community College $1,824
Pitt Community College $1,824
Isothermal Community College $1,824
St. Petersburg College $1,943
Southwestern Community College $1,976
Forsyth Technical Community College $1,992
State College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota $2,365
Seminole State College of Florida $2,393

Granite State College $9,810
University of Alaska Fairbanks $11,535

Key Takeaways

The associate degree in entrepreneurship is an affordable way to get started on your college education. The typical associate degree will take about two years to complete.

Many community colleges and two-year schools offer both traditional and online degree programs for students pursuing their associate degree in entrepreneurship.

Earning an online associate degree in entrepreneurship can prepare you for a variety of entry level jobs in your field. Many students also continue into a bachelor’s degree program in entrepreneurship or a related area.

Table of Contents

Featured Programs

Frequently Asked Questions About Entrepreneurship Degrees

With an associate degree in entrepreneurship, you’ll learn leadership, business principles, and organizational management skills. Many community colleges offer both in-person and online associate degree programs in entrepreneurship.

The online associate degree in entrepreneurship is an excellent starting point both for prospective students with an interest in gaining essential business skills and for small business owners interested in improving their leadership and administrative skills. Online entrepreneurship degree programs are particularly well suited for students looking to balance the pursuit of an associate program with existing workplace responsibilities.

This 60-credit degree can be pursued both online and in person, and can typically be completed over the course of two years.

Students completing the online entrepreneurship associate degree will typically take both general education courses and core courses in entrepreneurship such as business law, financial accounting, and managerial accounting. The typical online associates program in Entrepreneurship will also include exploration of leadership topics like supply chain management, financial management, and small business entrepreneurship as well as insights into business world topics like consumer behavior, labor statistics, and more.

This balance of topics makes the online entrepreneurship associate degree a great fit for those who own their own businesses but wish to sharpen their essential business skills. The online associate degree is also a great path for those in business and financial occupations who wish to become small business owners.

Prospective students who plan to transition into a bachelor’s degree program in entrepreneurship, business administration or a related area should pay close attention to the accreditation status of their their online associate degree. Getting an entrepreneurship associate degree online is a great option as long as it has received accreditation from the colleges and schools commission in your region. Your online associates program must have this stamp of approval in order to be recognized by an accredited four-year college.

Learn more about how to major in business.

How do we determine the best online entrepreneurship associate degree programs?

Methodology

Pursuing your degree online doesn’t mean you need to settle for an inferior school. Today, most universities and colleges offer online degrees, and many respected schools are seeing significant growth in their numbers of online students.

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why influence — i.e., the academic impact of faculty and alumni associated with a school — gets at the heart of what is truly best in education. The combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers is the best indicator of academic excellence. For our online degree rankings, we focus on the academic influence of faculty and alumni in the specific disciplines we’re ranking.

If you are serious about finding the best online colleges, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching, and whether their graduates themselves are advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence. Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Influence, as measured by our InfluenceRanking engine, provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

An associate degree is a great way for many to start their educational journey, but you may want to also consider an online bachelor’s in business administration.

Best Online Associate in Entrepreneurship Degree Programs

Career Outlook for Students with Entrepreneurship Degree

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Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies

Degree Level: Associate's

Location: The U.S. (Private Schools)
Avg. Cost of Degree*: $5,264
Avg. Expenses*: $13,414
Avg. Starting Salary*: $32,209
Avg. Cost Recoup Time**: 6 years
Job Growth: 3.37%
Number of Jobs: 5,116,000
* denotes ‘annually’
** denotes ‘at 15% of annual salary’

Career Salaries

Career	Job Growth	Avg. Salary
Chief Executives	-8.21%	$161,191
Managers, All Other	3.35%	$106,040
General and Operations Managers	4.20%	$94,699
Business Teachers, Postsecondary	7.01%	$86,765
Personal Service Managers, All Other	4.33%	$62,392

Average Career Salaries

Bottom 10%	Median	Top 10%
$59,114	$110,068	$176,146

Promising Job Markets

State	Cost of Living	Avg. Salary
#2 Virginia	5% higher than average	$136,836
#3 Ohio	14% higher than average	$117,352
#4 New York	5% higher than average	$139,390
#5 Illinois	7% higher than average	$123,034
#6 New Jersey	13% higher than average	$148,933
#7 Delaware	2% higher than average	$132,043
#8 West Virginia	11% higher than average	$111,694
#9 Texas	10% higher than average	$111,478
#10 Colorado	3% higher than average	$126,487
#11 Wisconsin	7% higher than average	$113,655
#12 Minnesota	4% higher than average	$115,107
#13 Rhode Island	20% higher than average	$143,966
#14 South Carolina	8% higher than average	$109,870
#15 Alabama	13% higher than average	$102,086
#16 Connecticut	18% higher than average	$138,610
#17 Michigan	15% higher than average	$99,703
#18 Utah	4% higher than average	$112,503
#19 Louisiana	9% higher than average	$105,810
#20 California	26% higher than average	$145,698
#21 Missouri	16% higher than average	$97,463
#22 Florida	6% higher than average	$108,687
#23 Georgia	13% higher than average	$99,460
#24 Kentucky	14% higher than average	$98,195
#25 Tennessee	14% higher than average	$98,043
#26 Kansas	9% higher than average	$103,892
#27 Pennsylvania	5% higher than average	$107,358
#28 Nebraska	6% higher than average	$104,752
#29 North Carolina	11% higher than average	$98,606
#30 Arizona	5% higher than average	$104,771
#31 Maryland	18% higher than average	$129,303
#32 Massachusetts	24% higher than average	$134,233
#33 Oregon	11% higher than average	$119,802
#34 New Hampshire	13% higher than average	$120,760
#35 Iowa	9% higher than average	$97,281
#36 South Dakota	7% higher than average	$98,178
#37 Indiana	11% higher than average	$93,730
#38 New Mexico	7% higher than average	$97,915
#39 Washington	7% higher than average	$111,981
#40 Vermont	13% higher than average	$115,982
#41 District of Columbia	49% higher than average	$152,555
#42 Oklahoma	13% higher than average	$87,325
#43 Arkansas	16% higher than average	$84,518
#44 Mississippi	18% higher than average	$81,426
#45 North Dakota	average	$93,250
#46 Alaska	23% higher than average	$109,620
#47 Montana	3% higher than average	$82,960
#48 Wyoming	2% higher than average	$83,623
#49 Nevada	5% higher than average	$89,169
#50 Maine	9% higher than average	$91,537
#51 Idaho	7% higher than average	$76,355
#52 Hawaii	40% higher than average	$99,333

Top Industries

Industry	Avg. Salary
Chief Executives	$161,191
Managers, All Other	$106,040
General and Operations Managers	$94,699
Business Teachers, Postsecondary	$86,765
Personal Service Managers, All Other	$62,392

Data from The Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Department of Education College Scorecard, The Department of Education NCES, and The Council for Community and Economic Research.

Online Business Schools Looking for You

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require a time of adjustment. Although you’ll typically learn the same material and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, going online will require greater independence and responsibility than going in person. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, for harnessing the online educational technology that you’ll need to use, and for completing the course requirements, such as listening to lectures, learning lessons, reading texts, and handing in assignments. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take the initiative in building relationships with your instructors and classmates. With online college, your goal is to find a balance between independence and engagement.

No. The only part of online education that’s easier than campus-based education is ease of access: all you need is a computer and an internet connection for online education. But even this seeming advantage of online education can be misleading: what’s easier, studying online with your computer and internet connection from your home where you need to cook, clean, pay rent, and maintain a job? Or studying on campus in a dorm where all your living needs are handled by the school, and college staff are there to help you every step of the way?

If you take the commute to campus out of the equation, campus-based education is easier. All the support structures available on campus for students, especially with real people to help you in person, are not there online. The demands on you as an online student will largely be the same as for your campus-based counterpart, but without the same helps.

In general, your online courses will present the same material and test you in the same way as traditional in-person courses. In many cases, you’ll even have the same instructors as your on-campus counterparts. In fact, if you are adjusting to the experience of independent learning with remote educational technology for the first time, online college may be considerably more challenging than campus-based college. For a few insights on how to manage this new online experience, check out our 10 Tips for Adjusting to School Online.

Accreditation is especially important when it comes to online college. This is because the online education landscape is a mix of highly-reputable non-profit institutions on the one end and less-than-reputable for-profit institutions on the other end. Accreditation gives you the power to identify the more reputable actors in online education. Accreditation is a stamp of approval from an independent accrediting agency indicating that a college or university is meeting standards of quality and credibility. School-wide accreditation falls into two major categories: regional and national accreditation. Regional accreditors generally hold jurisdiction only over schools in the states comprising their region, whereas national accreditors hold jurisdiction over schools in all states. Regional accreditation is widely regarded as a more rigorous standard of quality and credibility than national accreditation.

Attending a college or university that is not regionally accredited could limit your opportunities. For students seeking an online education, we strongly recommend that they opt for regionally accredited schools. Regional accreditation ensures eligibility for federal loans and grants, ensures your college credits can be transferred between schools, and ensures that your degree credits can be accepted if you wish to earn an advanced degree. For more on this important topic, check out our What is Accreditation and Why Does It Matter? College & University Accreditation Guide.

As long as your online college degree is regionally accredited (see the previous point), you should have little difficulty transferring most of your credits or credentials to another regionally accredited undergraduate school. Every school carries its own standards and procedures for granting a transfer of credits. In many cases, you will encounter some bureaucratic haggling in which some of your credits will be transferred and others may be refused. However, provided that you have attended an online school with recognized regional accreditation, you should be in good shape in transferring your credits earned online.

In most cases, as long you graduate from a well-regarded, regionally-accredited online college, prospective employers won’t look sideways at your degree. In fact, unless you attend an exclusively online college or university, there will likely be no specific indicator on your degree, transcript, or resumé differentiating your school from its brick-and-mortar counterpart. This means that your employer will likely only differentiate between an online and in-person degree if you mention this distinction.

Some employers may express the concern that because you did your degree online, you may need to transition from an online education experience to in-person workplace experience. But in an age of Covid, that concern seems much diminished. The fact is that much employment these days is remote. And collaboration increasingly happens online over Zoom. Many employers will therefore view your online degree as evidence of valuable 21st century professional skills such as independence, self-motivation, time management, and tech savvy.

If you are a student who thrives on the dynamic energy of in-person discussion, who requires the physical surroundings of a classroom to feel engaged, or who considers the social aspects of education to be of equal importance to the actual content of your courses, online education will be less than ideal for you (though depending on your circumstances, it may also be the only viable option).

While there is much in traditional campus-based education that can be substituted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing that can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual in-person classroom setting. As you transition to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face in getting the most out of your online classes is overcoming this difference between “real reality” and “virtual reality.” Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.

The advantages of online classes are many. Above all, online courses give you the freedom and flexibility to attend class from anywhere that works for you, whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or in a quiet conference room at work. In many cases, you’ll also enjoy the convenience of asynchronous learning opportunities-educational experiences that you can complete at your own pace and on your own schedule. This may include pre-taped lectures, ongoing chat-board discussions, and 24/7 access to digital materials. And of course, just as there are some learners who prefer the energy of a live classroom, there are those who learn best when working in their own personal space, free from distractions. If this sounds like you, you might find the solitude of online learning to be a major advantage.

Whether you’re just getting started on your college search, you’re looking for survival tips on your way to a bachelor’s degree, or you’re preparing for the transition into grad school, we’ve got guides, how to’s and tons of other valuable resources to keep you moving forward in your educational journey.

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Best Online Associate in Entrepreneurship

Top 10 Online Associate in Entrepreneurship Degrees

Key Takeaways

Featured Programs

Frequently Asked Questions About Entrepreneurship Degrees

Why get an associate in entrepreneurship?

How long does it take to get an associate in entrepreneurship?

What will I learn with an associate degree in entrepreneurship?

What can I do with an associate in entrepreneurship?

Best Online Associate in Entrepreneurship Degree Programs

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at University of Alaska Fairbanks

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at Schoolcraft College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at SUNY Adirondack

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at Seminole State College of Florida

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at Granite State College

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at Harper College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at St. Petersburg College

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at College of Southern Idaho

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at Jackson College

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at Central Wyoming College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at Truckee Meadows Community College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at Coastline Community College

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at Gogebic Community College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at Saddleback College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at Pitt Community College

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at Rockland Community College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at State College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at Bucks County Community College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at Great Basin College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at Des Moines Area Community College

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at Tidewater Community College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at Craven Community College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at Forsyth Technical Community College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at Isothermal Community College

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Entrepreneurship degree at Southwestern Community College

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Students with Entrepreneurship Degree

Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies

Degree Level: Associate's

Career Salaries

Average Career Salaries

Promising Job Markets

Top Industries

Online Business Schools Looking for You

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

What can I expect from an online college course?+

Is online college easier than campus-based college?+