Students are challenged to pursue development of their own business ideas and opportunities or seek careers with emerging ventures as a form of apprenticeship prior to starting their own venture.

The University of North Carolina Wilmington Business Administration - Entrepreneurship and Business Development Concentration is designed to prepare students for several different careers paths. 

These include:

• Employment in an existing young, growing venture – not as the primary entrepreneur but either as a project manager, or in financial, business, or sales positions. In many cases, this might result in an early equity participation. This could be with a high growth, high technology venture, or a smaller, stable venture. This is a great career path for EBD students with a minor, or double major.

• Actually starting their own business – A few EBD students actually start their own enterprises after graduation. However, many EBD students will wait 4 to 6 years before starting a business, allowing them to gain valuable experience in an industry or profession prior to starting their own business.

• Employment with a larger corporation, possibly high technology, in an internal venture, corporate entrepreneurship division or effort, often times in technology commercialization, sales, or finance positions.

• Returning to a family business - many entrepreneurship and business development students will return to their family business with the skills to expand and grow the business.

• Position as a professional service provider that services small business, such insurance, real estate, accounting, or PR, import/export management firm or Customs brokers. This would also include commercial real estate, insurance, bookkeeping, and business brokerage services are natural areas for UNCW entrepreneurship graduates to seek employment in.

• Working as a financial service advisor for small growing businesses, such as bank (business loan officer), institutional bank, financial mediation function (with broker-dealer license), investment advisor to small business, or working for investment bank/VC. etc.

• Hospitality entrepreneurship - essentially, employment in small to mid size "hospitality" activities, such as restaurants, small hotels, travel agencies, sport fishing, etc. Coastal North Carolina has a large hospitality and tourism sector, so students may find excellent career paths in this area.Employment in "social entrepreneurship" such as not-for-profits, economic development agencies, government and planning departments, etc. This is becoming even more popular for students.

• Students that plan to go for a further degree that will service small business, such as law, or the UNCW M.S. Accounting master's degree.

• Further graduate degree in entrepreneurship, such as Ph.D. (there are a growing number of Ph.D. programs in entrepreneurship nationwide) or MBA (most MBA programs now have an entrepreneurship emphasis).

• Entrepreneurship in the Arts, Music, or Film - this is a great opportunity at UNCW. UNCW has a diverse, and excellent degree offering in the create sectors, such as film, music, and art. By its very nature, these field are very entrepreneurial. EBD students with a strong background in the creative fields can pursue entrepreneurial activities in these areas.