Becoming an entrepreneur is no easy feat. Not only do you have to possess a good business idea, you need to be able acquire the resources to actualize it. So it’s little surprise that, according to a recent GMAC survey, 39% of prospective Gen Z students are interested in studying entrepreneurship at b-school.
From networking, to negotiation skills, to the ability to be your own critic, a degree in launching your own products and businesses could transform a concept into reality.
The only issue? A master’s degree can be a significant time and financial investment—especially if your dream school means having to leave your hometown, or even your current career.
The good news is that studying online provides a great compromise. Not only can you access the benefits of a school’s reputation and program, you can also balance it with your existing lifestyle. 
For example, the new hybrid Master of Science in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Oklahoma Price College of Business gives students the chance to gain a degree in the center of Oklahoma’s up-and-coming startup scene in just 12 months for a competitive fee of $30,000.
We spoke to Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship Todd Moss (pictured right), a professor of entrepreneurship at OU’s Price College, to find out exactly what benefits there are to learning how to be an entrepreneur mostly online.
1. You can still network with top companies
While the internet has managed to replicate—and in many cases, improve on—in-person tasks, networking is something that generally remains best done in real life.
That’s why, at OU, students in the MS in Entrepreneurship and Innovation are invited for a one-week residency at the beginning of the semester to connect with top surrounding companies in both Oklahoma City and Tulsa, a thriving startup hub.
Professor Moss says, “It’s important to students because if they’re starting a business when they're done, they might want to go and be a part of this incubator that they visited.”
Activities include company visits, panel discussions, and roundtable talks to share business ideas.
Professor Moss reveals that some of the most exciting emergent industries in Oklahoma include cybersecurity, telehealth, and drone manufacturing.
2. You can customize your program
Another standout benefit to pursuing a hybrid degree is its flexibility.
For example, at OU, core courses on the entrepreneurship master’s consist of a combination of asynchronous recordings alongside classes taught via live Zoom calls, so that students can reap the benefits of real-time collaboration as well as cater lessons to their own schedules.
On top of this, students are also able to further customize their learning experience by selecting one of two tracks: New Venture Development, which caters to those who have already started (or who plan to start) a business, and Corporate Innovation, which suits students who wish to advance within a company or switch roles.
“Venture Development allows students to customize their coursework to do a lot of independent study classes with mentors, to help them get their business going, whereas Corporate Innovation looks more at how entrepreneurship is applied in a corporate setting,” Professor Moss explains.
3. You can develop entrepreneurial thinking
The idea that creativity is something that is innate and cannot be taught is a common misconception—and one that OU plans to actively disprove.
In the program, students can deep dive into the innovative side of entrepreneurship, which includes studying product design and development.
These are skills which Professor Moss argues are important regardless of whether a student wants to start their own business or progress within a company.
“Companies want people who are creative, who are going to be thinking outside the box, who are going to find ways to create new value for the business,” he says.
Of course, creativity isn’t the only important component of thinking like an entrepreneur. The course also offers students a grounding in more technical skills such as finance, accounting, and product management.
4. You can access exciting job opportunities
Although Oklahoma’s MS in Entrepreneurship and Innovation is new, graduates of the MBA program have built a strong legacy in terms of landing top roles.
Graduates of the school’s entrepreneurial specialization have gone on to careers at many global firms, including companies such as EY, PwC, and Goldman Sachs.
Plus, for those planning to launch their next new venture, there are many advantages to making connections in Oklahoma.
“There are many opportunities for growth as well as government incentives to keep businesses in Oklahoma,” Professor Moss says. “If you start in Oklahoma, they want you to stay in Oklahoma to grow the economy there.”
These initiatives include workspaces set up for entrepreneurs such as Starspace 46 and 36 Degrees North, as well as startup hubs like i2E.
In many ways, studying a hybrid entrepreneurship master’s allows students to access the best of both worlds: they can combine the flexibility and personalization of online learning with the opportunities and connections of a top U.S. school.