Business

Master of Science in Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Management

The Master of Science in Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Management is a postgraduate programme that prepares professionals for advanced practice in entrepreneurship, enterprise development, and business management. The programme combines entrepreneurship theory with practical enterprise management, venture creation, and research application.

Core areas include entrepreneurship theory, enterprise management, venture creation, business planning, entrepreneurial finance, strategic management, enterprise development, innovation, research methods, and thesis. Students engage with both entrepreneurship and enterprise management theory and practical work through coursework and research.

The programme is offered by Chuka University as MSc in Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Management through the School of Business and Economics, and Karatina University as MSc in Entrepreneurship. Both are public universities offering programmes over two academic years through full-time, work-based, day, evening, and weekend modes of study.

Students develop competencies in entrepreneurship, enterprise management, venture creation, business planning, and strategic management. The programme includes coursework, examinations, business plan projects, and a supervised research thesis.

Chuka University charges similar fees to other public university business masters programmes. Karatina University charges similar fees for MSc in Entrepreneurship. Entry requires a Bachelor's degree with Second Class Honours Upper Division in entrepreneurship, business, or related fields, or Lower Second with at least two years of relevant work experience from a recognised university.

Graduates pursue careers as entrepreneurs, enterprise managers, business consultants, enterprise development officers, SME managers, and lecturers in entrepreneurship and enterprise management across startups, SMEs, consulting firms, government agencies, financial institutions, and universities.

Skills Required

Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice
Enterprise Management and Strategy
Venture Creation and Business Planning
Entrepreneurial Finance and Funding
Strategic Management and Competitive Analysis
Enterprise Development and Growth
Innovation and Creativity in Business
Business Plan Development and Pitching
Research Methods in Entrepreneurship
Academic Writing and Thesis Research

Key Subjects

Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice
Enterprise Management and Strategy
Venture Creation and Business Planning
Entrepreneurial Finance and Funding
Strategic Management and Competitive Analysis
Enterprise Development and Growth
Innovation and Creativity in Business
Business Plan Development and Pitching
Research Methods in Entrepreneurship
Thesis Research

Certifications

KeNIA Innovation Certification
ICSB Entrepreneurship Certification

Specializations

Enterprise Development

Focuses on enterprise development, covering SME growth, support, incubation, policy, and managing enterprise development.

Venture Creation and Startups

Examines venture creation and startups, covering ideation, validation, business modelling, launch, and managing venture creation.

Strategic Enterprise Management

Covers strategic enterprise management, covering strategy, competitive advantage, positioning, and managing enterprise strategy.

Entrepreneurial Finance

Focuses on entrepreneurial finance, covering funding, venture capital, microfinance, and managing entrepreneurial finance.

Innovation Management

Examines innovation management, covering innovation strategy, processes, R&D, and managing innovation.

SME Management

Covers SME management, covering operations, finance, HR, growth, and managing small and medium enterprises.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 180,000
Private, up to: Ksh 700,000
Job market: High

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Evening, Weekend, Work-based
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 25 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice
Enterprise Management and Strategy
Venture Creation and Business Planning
Entrepreneurial Finance and Funding
Strategic Management and Competitive Analysis
Enterprise Development and Growth
Innovation and Creativity in Business
Business Plan Development and Pitching
Research Methods in Entrepreneurship
Thesis Research

Modules

12 in the programme

Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines entrepreneurship theory, opportunity, venture creation, growth, and managing entrepreneurship.
Enterprise Management and Strategy
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers strategy, operations, HR, governance, and managing enterprises.
Venture Creation and Business Planning
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines ideation, validation, business modelling, launch, scaling, and managing venture creation.
Research Methods in Entrepreneurship
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers research design, data collection, analysis, entrepreneurship research methods, and conducting entrepreneurship research, preparing students for their thesis.
Entrepreneurial Finance and Funding
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers funding, venture capital, microfinance, bootstrapping, and managing entrepreneurial finance.
Strategic Management and Competitive Analysis
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines strategy, competitive advantage, positioning, and managing enterprise strategy.
Enterprise Development and Growth
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers SME growth, support, incubation, policy, and managing enterprise development.
Innovation and Creativity in Business
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines creativity, design thinking, product development, and managing innovation in business.
Entrepreneurial Marketing and Sales
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers strategy, digital, growth hacking, customer acquisition, and managing entrepreneurial marketing.
Family Business and Succession Planning
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines governance, succession, conflict, wealth, and managing family businesses.
Enterprise Risk Management and Compliance
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers risk, compliance, governance, regulation, and managing enterprise risk.
Research Thesis
Year 2Semester 29 creditsCore
Original supervised research thesis on an entrepreneurship and enterprise management topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and entrepreneurship knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Enterprise Development
Focuses on enterprise development, covering SME growth, support, incubation, policy, and managing enterprise development.
Venture Creation and Startups
Examines venture creation and startups, covering ideation, validation, business modelling, launch, and managing venture creation.
Strategic Enterprise Management
Covers strategic enterprise management, covering strategy, competitive advantage, positioning, and managing enterprise strategy.
Entrepreneurial Finance
Focuses on entrepreneurial finance, covering funding, venture capital, microfinance, and managing entrepreneurial finance.
Innovation Management
Examines innovation management, covering innovation strategy, processes, R&D, and managing innovation.
SME Management
Covers SME management, covering operations, finance, HR, growth, and managing small and medium enterprises.

A day as a student

A typical day during the MSc in Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Management programme combines lectures, seminars, case studies, practical workshops, business plan exercises, and independent study. Sessions cover entrepreneurship theory, enterprise management, venture creation, and entrepreneurial finance. Entrepreneurship sessions examine theory, opportunity, venture creation, growth, and managing entrepreneurship. Enterprise management sessions cover strategy, operations, HR, governance, and managing enterprises. Venture creation sessions cover ideation, validation, business modelling, launch, scaling, and managing venture creation. Business planning sessions cover planning, financials, strategy, pitching, and managing business plans. Entrepreneurial finance sessions cover funding, venture capital, microfinance, bootstrapping, and managing entrepreneurial finance. Strategic management sessions cover strategy, competitive advantage, positioning, and managing strategy. Enterprise development sessions cover SME growth, support, incubation, policy, and managing enterprise development. Innovation sessions cover creativity, design thinking, product development, and managing innovation. Research methods sessions prepare students for their thesis, covering research design, data collection, and analysis. Case studies provide opportunities for analysing real entrepreneurial ventures and enterprise scenarios. Practical workshops provide hands-on experience with business modelling, financial projections, and enterprise management tools. Business plan exercises provide hands-on experience with venture planning, financial modelling, and pitching. Seminars and discussion groups provide opportunities for debating current issues in entrepreneurship and enterprise management and presenting research findings. Guest lectures from experienced entrepreneurs, enterprise managers, and business leaders provide practical insights. The programme culminates in a supervised research thesis on an entrepreneurship and enterprise management topic.

The trade offs

In its favour

Programme offered by multiple public universities (Chuka, Karatina, CUK), providing institutional choice.
Chuka University offers flexible study modes including full-time, work-based, day, evening, and weekend options.
High demand for entrepreneurship and enterprise management skills with Kenya's SME sector growth and enterprise development needs.
Chuka accepts Lower Second with two years of relevant work experience, making the programme more accessible.

Against it

Specific tuition fees for Chuka, Karatina, and CUK not independently verified from official university websites.
No private university confirmed offering this specific combined programme.
Programme is offered by newer universities, which may have less established business networks and industry links.
Programme may be more theoretical than practical at some institutions, with limited hands-on venture creation experience.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 331 business courses

Public130k to 180k

130k at Chuka University180k at Karatina University

Private119k to 700k

119k at Mount Kenya University700k at Strathmore University

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

Chuka 130K/yr (Chuka PDF). Karatina unverified. MKU 119.1K/yr (eafinder). Strathmore unverified.

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. Chuka University and Karatina University may offer postgraduate bursaries. KeNIA may offer innovation grants for entrepreneurship research. Some business organisations may sponsor staff for postgraduate study.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
Chuka University Bursary
KeNIA Innovation Grant

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
Chuka University Bursary
ScholarshipKsh 100,000Kenyan
Chuka University offers bursaries for eligible postgraduate students.
KeNIA Innovation Grant
ScholarshipKsh 500,000Kenyan
KeNIA provides innovation grants for entrepreneurship research.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: Chuka University requires Bachelor's degree with Second Class Honours Upper Division, or Lower Second with at least two years of related work experience or research. Karatina University requires Upper Second in Entrepreneurship, or Lower Second with two years of relevant experience or one research publication, or a relevant Postgraduate Diploma. Contact respective universities for specific admission requirements.

How you are assessed

4 components

Coursework and Continuous Assessment
Coursework30% of the mark
Continuous assessment through coursework assignments, case study analyses, business plan reports, seminar presentations, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination70% of the mark
Written examinations covering entrepreneurship theory, enterprise management, venture creation, and entrepreneurial finance.
Business Plan and Project Assessment
Project30% of the mark
Practical assessment through business plan development, enterprise analysis projects, and demonstrating entrepreneurship and enterprise management skills.
Research Thesis
Research100% of the mark
Original supervised research thesis on an entrepreneurship and enterprise management topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and entrepreneurship knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). Chuka University, Karatina University, and Cooperative University of Kenya (all public) offer MSc programmes in entrepreneurship and enterprise management. All programmes meet CUE standards for postgraduate training in entrepreneurship and enterprise management. Graduates are eligible for KeNIA innovation certification and ICSB entrepreneurship certification.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. Chuka University, Karatina University, and Cooperative University of Kenya (all public) offer MSc programmes in entrepreneurship and enterprise management. All programmes meet CUE standards for postgraduate training in entrepreneurship and enterprise management. Graduates are eligible for KeNIA innovation certification and ICSB entrepreneurship certification.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Entrepreneur
High demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 1,000,000
Creates and manages ventures, overseeing ideation, launch, growth, and managing entrepreneurial ventures.
Enterprise Manager
Moderate demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 550,000
Manages enterprises, overseeing strategy, operations, growth, and managing enterprise operations.
Business Consultant
Moderate demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 600,000
Provides business consulting, overseeing advisory, strategy, growth, and managing consulting.
Enterprise Development Officer
Moderate demandKsh 110,000 to Ksh 500,000
Manages enterprise development, overseeing support, training, incubation, and managing enterprise development.
SME Manager
Moderate demandKsh 110,000 to Ksh 500,000
Manages small and medium enterprises, overseeing operations, finance, growth, and managing SMEs.
Entrepreneurship Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 500,000
Teaches entrepreneurship and enterprise management at university or college level, overseeing instruction, research, and academic supervision.

Graduate outcomes

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

Business Model Canvas
ToolPrimary
Business Model Canvas for venture planning, covering business modelling, value proposition, revenue, and managing business models.
Lean Startup Methodology
Tool
Lean Startup for venture creation, covering MVP, validation, pivoting, and managing lean venture development.
QuickBooks
Software
QuickBooks for enterprise accounting, covering bookkeeping, invoicing, financials, and managing enterprise finances.
Microsoft Excel
Software
Excel for financial modelling, covering business plans, projections, budgets, and managing financial analysis.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Entrepreneurship and enterprise management is just about starting businesses.
The programme covers comprehensive entrepreneurship, enterprise management, strategy, finance, and innovation beyond just starting businesses.
This programme is only for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurship and enterprise management skills are valuable for corporate managers, consultants, and policy makers beyond just aspiring entrepreneurs.
Enterprise management is just about running businesses.
Enterprise management covers comprehensive strategy, operations, governance, growth, and competitive analysis.
Venture creation is just about having ideas.
Venture creation covers comprehensive ideation, validation, business modelling, launch, and scaling.
Enterprise development is just about helping small businesses.
Enterprise development covers comprehensive SME growth, support, incubation, policy, and ecosystem management.
Entrepreneurial finance is just about getting loans.
Entrepreneurial finance covers comprehensive funding, venture capital, microfinance, and bootstrapping.