ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION BETWEEN PERCEPTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS. CASE STUDY: UNIVERSITY POLITEHNICA OF BUCHAREST

In the current highly competitive and turbulent global economic environment, new ventures creation is one of the most viable and therefore important solutions. Numerous analyses have been carried on to discover means of increasing the entrepreneurial activity. In this context, entrepreneurship education could be one way to increase the rate of entrepreneurs and, consequently, stimulate economic growth. The present study aims to identify the perceptions and expectations of university students having technical background regarding academic entrepreneurship education. The study was performed in the framework of a larger research project on a significant group of undergraduate and master degree students of three different faculties from Politehnica University of Bucharest. The collected data was analyzed using a statistical software program. Based on students' perceptions, the study explores the most important modalities universities can use to develop the entrepreneurial spirit of students and support the start-ups initiated by students. The case study of Politehnica University of Bucharest, Romania, the largest technical university in the country is discussed, and best practices regarding entrepreneurship education are advanced for further testing and investigation.