Minority entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurship education at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and inner city economic development

This quantitative correlational study investigated the relationship between entrepreneurship education at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) located in the southern region of the United States and economic development in the inner city communities. The specific focus was to determine whether or not entrepreneurship education at HBCUs improve economic development in the inner cities. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were used to analyze the survey responses from the representatives of 27 four-year HBCUs. The results of the descriptive statistics and correlation analysis suggested a mixed relationship. This quantitative correlational study showed a statistically significant relationship between the entrepreneurship education alumni starting businesses and the alumni locating their businesses in the inner city. However, the findings did not indicate that entrepreneurship education at HBCUs improve economic development in the inner cities. The study showed that few HBCU entrepreneurship education alumni are starting businesses, many of the HBCU entrepreneurship education programs are new, and the HBCUs enrolled a relatively low number of entrepreneurship education students or participants. The result of this study showed that many HBCU entrepreneurship education programs have not developed to the level required to support the growth of African American entrepreneurship and inner city economic development, and that more work is required in the area of entrepreneurship education at HBCUs.