Entrepreneurship education at Södertörn University: “Strong anchoring in our own research”

Södertörn University has a long tradition of entrepreneurship and innovation research. And it is a natural part of the education offered at the university. How is this reflected in the students?

Every year, around 60 students are admitted to the Bachelor’s program Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Market (EIM ) at Södertörn University. The program is characterized by its close connection to working life and its interdisciplinary structure. Students choose a major of their choice from the range of courses at the university, which they study for three semesters.

– This could be business administration, psychology, sociology, media and communication studies or media technology. For the remaining three semesters, they take program-specific courses. The diversity of majors creates a good dynamic in the group and gives students different perspectives on entrepreneurship and innovation, says Tommy Larsson Segerlind, associate professor of business administration and program coordinator for the bachelor’s program.

Much more than starting a business

“Acquire the prerequisites to lead and drive innovative and entrepreneurial processes in different types of organizations and companies.”

That’s what it says in the description of the bachelor’s program. According to Tommy Larsson Segerlind, it is precisely this perspective on entrepreneurship and innovation that distinguishes the program at Södertörn University from many other entrepreneurship programs.

– Previously, we called the program the Entrepreneurship Program. But this meant that students’ expectations clashed with the content of the program. Innovation and entrepreneurship are not just about starting and running businesses, but are central to society and the wider economy.

The aim of the program is to give students a good insight into how the factors interact in different types of contexts, says Marcus Box, senior lecturer in business administration and responsible for the master’s program in business administration.

– Students gain practical skills in leading and driving entrepreneurial processes beyond traditional business – for example, how to drive innovation within established organizations.

– This approach continues at the master’s level, where we also study social entrepreneurship and management innovations. So even though the programs at the higher levels have quite traditional business elements in the form of management, the slant is somewhat towards innovation all the way, continues Marcus Box.

Deeply rooted in research

Södertörn University has been conducting entrepreneurship and innovation research since 1997, and the research has a strong link to the programs. In parallel, the ENTER Forum center was established to ensure that education is based on science.

– It is a center at the university that conducts research, education and collaboration, and ensures that the programs are constantly updated according to new research findings, explains Tommy Larsson Segerlind, who has conducted research on team-based entrepreneurship.

One of Marcus Box’s areas of expertise is bankruptcy and economic crime. And right now, together with other colleagues, they are studying entrepreneurship and business in an archipelago context.

– Sweden is one of the countries with the most islands in the world. Yet there has hardly been any Swedish island research before. We are trying to understand the role of entrepreneurship in these societies, and the collaboration that takes place with civil society and public actors,” says Tommy Larsson Segerlind.

Student built database

Students are encouraged to write essays on the topics being researched at the university. This allows them to have tutors who are experts in the fields.

– It creates a direct link between the research and the students’ work, continues Marcus Box.

He tells of a student who, in connection with his master’s thesis, developed a database containing various parameters that affect entrepreneurship and business in the archipelago. Based on open sources, the student mapped, among other things, the frequency of archipelago boats to the various islands, and on which islands there are schools and grocery stores, linked to the number of companies.

– If there are no schools on the island where you live, it is difficult for a family to stay and run a business there. So this type of data is important for entrepreneurship research. Not least when studying entrepreneurial ecosystems, says Tommy Larsson Segerlind.

Marcus Box adds:

– We helped the student to rewrite the master’s thesis into an article that was presented at a research conference in Turku a few years ago. And it ended up being published in an Edward Elgar anthology (an internationally renowned publisher).

Sponsoring companies with real challenges

Entrepreneurship education at Södertörn University also largely emphasizes practical skills. When students, who are mainly social scientists and humanists, return to the bachelor’s program after completing their main subjects, teachers group them in groups of five – with different types of skills. For a whole year, the student groups then work with real companies, known as ‘sponsor companies’.

– We want to get the students to reflect early and quickly on what the theory means in practice. With the sponsor companies, they get to analyze and solve real challenges linked to innovation and leadership, says Tommy Larsson Segerlind.

Even individual courses are largely practically oriented.

– During the Marketing in Small and New Enterprises course, students develop a solid marketing plan. They will become experts in analyzing and managing market uncertainty and successfully taking an idea to market. This will be their core competence whether they work in a company as entrepreneurs or as employees in an organization, says Marcus Box.

The article is produced in collaboration with Södertörn University.

Contact
marcus.box@sh.se
tommy.larsson.segerlind@sh.se

Read about the entrepreneurship program at Södertörn University
Bachelor’s program “Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Markets”
Master’s program in Business Administration
Master’s program in Business Administration
Read about the ENTER Forum research center