Nashville students interested in becoming an entrepreneur, may want to first think about becoming a Bruin.
Belmont University’s Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Program has been ranked No. 30 on Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine’s 16th annual Top 50 Undergraduate Schools for Entrepreneurship list.
The Nashville school’s entrepreneurship program checked in at No. 6 in the Southeast and is the only Tennessee school to make the list.
The rankings were compiled through surveys of nearly 300 schools, which provided data about their entrepreneurship programs, according to the report.
“Entrepreneurship at Belmont University has an incredibly strong history and only continues to get better,” Dean of Belmont’s Massey College of Business Dr. Sarah Gardial said in the release. “The Massey College of Business and the Thomas F. Cone Center for Entrepreneurship have established a stellar record for success in Nashville and across the country, and our program’s graduates are a perfect illustration of that success. With Dr. Greg Jones’ leadership and his emphasis on encouraging an entrepreneurship mindset within all disciplines across campus, I am eager to see how our programs continue to flourish moving forward.”
Belmont in one of the five largest universities in Middle Tennessee, according to Nashville Business Journal research, with an enrollment of 8,696 students.
Belmont alums represent 724 businesses in 87 cities and six countries, according to the release, and have raised more than $325 million in funding, according to the release.
“Our program continues growing each year as our unique model aims to support students’ entire entrepreneurial journey – from ideation to business development. It is an honor to be ranked this year for our success, despite the challenges of the past year,” Elizabeth Gortmaker, director of the Cone Center for Entrepreneurship, said in the release. “We are excited about the future of our program alongside the energy of our growing alumni network. It’s amazing to watch our alumni become successful and want to pour back into their Belmont community, such as the three alumni serving as Entrepreneurs-in-Residence this year. I know that mindset will continue to grow as our alumni go out and find their own success.”
For more on current and former Belmont and Vanderbilt University entrepreneurs, check out our Five Under 25 feature from September.
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