Doctoral education in entrepreneurship: a European case study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse a European doctoral programme in entrepreneurship. The specific objectives are the following: to illustrate the process to design and launch the doctoral programme; to describe its main characteristics; and to explore the conditioning factors to its success. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology is based upon a systematic application of a longitudinal case‐study approach. Multiple sources of evidence were gathered. These included interviews with key informants and documentary data. Additionally, a participant observation approach was adopted. Concerning the theoretical approach, the related literature in entrepreneurship education was reviewed. Findings – The analysis supports the notions that the launching of a doctoral programme is similar to the process of creating a new business. The results emphasise the importance of the founder's personality, the network ties among universities and the strategic vision in order to achieve success in an entrepreneurship doctoral programme. Research limitations/implications – The interpretation of findings represents the authors' perceptions about a single case study. In terms of theory building, as a future research line, a multi‐case study approach would allow for the developmental history of several doctoral programmes to be studied and compared. Originality/value – This paper provides a very useful source of information for universities that are planning to offer a doctoral programme in entrepreneurship.