BSc Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation

Follow your passion

Why study just business if you could instead join a rigorous academic degree program to study how business is started and scaled-up? Learn all aspects of the entrepreneurial process, including the role of business innovation in creating and capturing value. Prepare for international business by studying how entrepreneurs start businesses to serve global markets. Entrepreneurship and business innovation tends to be much more dynamic than managing established business operations. Through this academically rigorous and practically relevant program you prepare for a career as an entrepreneur or an entrepreneurial employee (intrapreneur) whom drives new value creation through business innovation. It equips you to start your first business, or to join a company as a change maker upon graduation. Obviously, you can also continue your education with a Master's program, both in Tilburg or elsewhere.

Mindset, Knowledge & Skills

To us, entrepreneurship and business innovation revolves about mindset, knowledge and skills. The program is designed to develop your competences. It requires you to be curious, critical and ready to be pushed outside your comfort zone. For example when reaching out to entrepreneurs and investors. This ensures you will also learn a lot while engaging with the  entrepreneurship and business innovation in action.

For you?

This program caters to those that really want to get ready for entrepreneurship and business innovation. You may fit the program if your friends and family confirm that you have a genuine proclivity for enterprising behavior. You are different. You are a rebel, but also a team player. You are not afraid to be heard. You want to make a difference.

Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation for whom - video (06:17 min)

More on the program and courses

A clear focus on new value creation

The program blends courses that facilitate entrepreneurship and innovation with courses that help you explore, understand, and master the entrepreneurship and innovation. You will develop your academic skills (navigating the literature, writing and reporting) together with your professional skills (teamwork, pitching, creative problem solving).

International learning experience

Our Bachelor's program in Entrepreneurship & Business Innovation offers a unique international learning experience: fellow students from all over the world, an international teaching staff, a semester abroad, and courses with a global outlook.

Solid academic foundation

To provide you with a solid academic foundation, the program is designed to develop your ability to critically evaluate and use theories, and to conduct scientific research. This entrepreneurship program will sharpen your analytical skills, also when working on practical assignments. We have learned that this is essential preparation for making a successful start in your career. The curriculum is designed to complement an educational philosophy based on the stages: Awake, Develop and Accelerate. 

Program structure

Year One: Awaken

In the first year you will follow courses introducing Entrepreneurship and Business innovation, Marketing, Finance, Quantitative methods, Micro economics, Business modelling and Creative problem solving. You will also follow to two projects-based Entrepreneurship in Action courses; one that focuses on finding unmet needs, the other focuses on developing solutions that address unmet needs.

Year Two: Develop

In the second year you cover Law, Accounting, Leadership & Ethics, Innovation Management, and specific contexts for entrepreneurship: start- & scale-ups, existing businesses, and ventures with an aim to create social or environmental value.

Year Three: Accelerate

In the first semester you can study abroad at one of our many International partner universities. You could instead opt for a Minor program offered at Tilburg University. In the second semester you choose one of three specialization courses, an elective course and you conclude the program with a graduation project.

What is Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation about - video (13:15 min)

Typical courses are:

• Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship 
  Get acquainted with the basis principles of entrepreneurship 
• Fundamentals of  Business Innovation
  Learn the basics of business innovation 
• Business Models: Innovation & Experimentation
  Develop your entrepreneurial spirit: learn how companies experiment and innovate

More on the program and courses

The Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation program is the only bachelor focusing on entrepreneurship and business innovation offered by a reputed research university in the Netherlands, and one of a few in Europe. Tilburg University is consistently ranked by THE and others as one of the best Dutch universities for business and management studies. 

• You will acquire a strong academic foundation: in entrepreneurship, business innovation, mathematics, accounting, statistics, law, economics, ethics, finance, and marketing.
• You will develop into an change maker: get ready to start your own business or become the driving force of business innovation within an existing company.
• You will learn through reflection: how to best apply scientific insights and skills to play your role in doing good. Tilburg Alumni contribute to society and are (pro) active and ethical global citizens.

Why Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation - video (06:22 min)

More on the program and courses

What to expect when coming to Tilburg

• Why Tilburg University?
• International student support
• Study in Holland

Develop yourself outside of curricular work by:

• Participating in international case competitions.
• Participating in events hosted by study and  student organizations.
• Building a network of scale-up entrepreneurs & investors.
• Accepting a part-time job or a project assignments from a scale-up.
• Shaping the entrepreneurship culture at Tilburg University:
  • Start-up your own business
  • Organize workshops and master classes for other students.
• Joining a study association or student organization.
  A great way to meet like-minded students and make friends.
• Participating in one of the University’s programs of excellence.

More on the extracurricular activities

Pursue a Master's degree

After finishing your Bachelor’s degree in Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation, the world is your oyster. Some of you will have started a business or seek employment, while most will opt to pursue a Master's degree.  For example, you could continue your personal and professional development through any of these Tilburg University programs:

Career prospects

A part of our graduates will start their own business as an entrepreneur. Others will become a driving force of change in an existing company or corporation, for example as innovation manager, business development manager, product developer or consultant.

Admission requirements

• You are eligible for Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation, if you hold a secondary school diploma which is equivalent to the Dutch VWO diploma. Most European Secondary school diplomas which give access to university in your own country are equivalent, such as the IB, EB, Abitur or Swiss Maturité, but there are many others. You can find out whether your non-Dutch diploma meets our admission requirements on our page about foreign diplomas. 
• You must have sufficient knowledge of mathematics, equal to the Dutch VWO mathematics A or B level, or IB Standard Level maths.  More detailed information about the required level of mathematics is mentioned on our mathematics requirements page.
• Finally, you need to prove your English language proficiency. Tilburg University accepts
  • Academic IELTS (6.0 overall, minimum of 5.5 on individual parts),
  • TOEFL (minimum score of 80 internet based), and
  • Cambridge English test results: C1 advanced (formerly CAE) or C2 proficiency (formerly CPE). For both C1 and C2, we accept a score of A, B or C.

• Are you applying with a Dutch educational background?
  The following VWO - profiles are accepted:

  • Economics & Society
  • Nature & Technology 
  •  Culture & Society (with Mathematics A or B)
  •  Nature & Health

Go to application and admission

Tuition fees for international students

Information about the tuition fees

Monthly cost of living

Living in Tilburg is relatively inexpensive compared to other student cities in the Netherlands, such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam or Utrecht. An indication for your monthly cost of living (including rent, food and drink, books, and insurance), of course depending on your budget and lifestyle: