Still growing: Rowan’s entrepreneurship program again named a “Top 50” by The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review, which annually scores the top entrepreneurship programs in the country, has once again included Rowan University’s popular, dynamic and results-oriented entrepreneurship program among the Top 50 in the U.S.

Centered in the School of Innovation & Entrepreneurship in the Rohrer College of Business, Rowan offers two undergraduate entrepreneurship majors – a Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship that’s based in the RCB and a B.S. in Engineering Entrepreneurship through the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering – along with an entrepreneurship minor and several interdisciplinary Certificates of Undergraduate Study. Additionally, inter-college partnerships with the College of the Arts, the Ric Edelman College of Communication, Humanities & Social Sciences, the College of Education, the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine, and the School of Earth & Environment expand opportunities for students to think and act entrepreneurially.

For 2024-25, there were 524 students enrolled in SIE’s entrepreneurship academic offerings - up from 459 the previous year. Additionally, nearly ten percent of all Rowan’s undergraduate student body took at least one entrepreneurship course in the last year.

Rowan President Ali Houshmand has led a university-wide embrace of entrepreneurship that extends to all schools, colleges and campuses.

RCB Dean Matthew Sarkees said Rowan’s continued inclusion on The Princeton Review Top 50 list reflects that university-wide commitment to creating not just businesses but opportunities. On Nov. 4, the first annual Rowan Roots Market, held in Business Hall, showcased dozens of student and alumni business startups, all of them driven by ingenuity, passion and drive.

“I am incredibly proud that The Princeton Review has once again recognized the Rohrer College of Business among the nation’s top entrepreneurship programs,” Sarkees said. “Earning a Top 50 ranking for the fourth consecutive year speaks to the dedication of our faculty, students and partners who bring entrepreneurial thinking to life every day, driving innovation that impacts our region and beyond.”

Free credits; money to launch

In addition to its undergraduate curricula, Rowan’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (RCIE) hosts nearly 150 annual programs that support aspiring entrepreneurs. They include Think Like an Entrepreneur, a summer academy for high school students that has awarded more than 1,800 free college credits; a robust lineup of mentorship opportunities, topical workshops, and speaker sessions that connect students with experienced founders and industry professionals; the Idea Challenge competition each fall in partnership with the Rowan Innovation Venture Fund, the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering and the College of Science & Mathematics; and the New Venture Expo and Rohrer New Venture Competition each spring, the latter of which awards $30,000 to the most promising new business venture. In April, senior engineering major Aiden Tahmazian received the top prize to support his production management start-up, Circlez.

Over the past year, RCIE engaged with more than 580 students who developed actionable plans to launch a business and awarded more than $80,000 in cash and in-kind prizes to student startups.

“We equip Rowan students with the tools, experiences and confidence to think and act entrepreneurially,” said RCIE Director Jessica Vattima. “Entrepreneurship at Rowan isn’t confined to one discipline – our students learn to innovate, collaborate, and lead across fields, graduating ready to make a meaningful impact wherever they go.”

In compiling their list of the top programs, editors for The Princeton Review surveyed hundreds of colleges and universities that offer entrepreneurship studies.