Kaplan University Teams up with Kauffman FastTrac® to Offer Two Graduate Certificates in Entrepreneurship

With individuals pursuing business ownership in record numbers, entrepreneurship training is in demand

DAVENPORT, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kaplan University, a leader in higher education innovation, has teamed up with Kauffman FastTrac^®, a premier provider of learning curricula for entrepreneurs, to offer two new online graduate certificates specifically designed to prepare students for careers as business people.

“Teaming up with a market leader like Kaplan University enables us to equip even more entrepreneurs with the skills they need to start and grow firms—thus creating the innovations, jobs and wealth this country needs to recover and prosper.”

“This partnership provides a unique opportunity to combine the innovation of Kaplan University’s online platform with the stellar curriculum that the Kauffman Foundation has developed over the years,” said Wade Dyke, D.Phil., president of Kaplan University. “These certificate programs are a great complement to the University’s online business curriculum. Promoting entrepreneurship through education is central to both of our missions.”

According to the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, a leading indicator of new business creation in the United States, the number of new businesses created during the current recession increased. In 2009, business startups reached their highest level in 14 years – even exceeding the number of startups during the peak 1999-2000 technology boom.

The Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship for New Ventures uses the FastTrac^® NewVenture™ framework to help students learn the process of starting and building a successful business. The certificate provides instruction in key business areas, including creating business plans, developing financial and operation plans, and creating feasibility studies.

The Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship for Growth Ventures uses the FastTrac^® GrowthVenture™ framework to help students learn how to manage an expanding business and to strategically align all aspects of the business for growth. The certificate provides instruction in key business areas, including creating marketing plans, identifying leadership strategies, creating growth business plans, and conducting internal assessments.

”Nearly all net job growth in our country comes from companies less than five years old. So, today more than ever, we need more people starting companies, and we need current business owners to be more successful in growing their firms,” said Carl Schramm, president and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation, which created the FastTrac program. “Teaming up with a market leader like Kaplan University enables us to equip even more entrepreneurs with the skills they need to start and grow firms—thus creating the innovations, jobs and wealth this country needs to recover and prosper.”

For more information on the new graduate certificates in entrepreneurship, click here.

About Kauffman FastTrac

Kauffman FastTrac is the leading provider of learning curricula that equip aspiring and existing entrepreneurs with the business skills and insights, tools, resources, and network to start and grow successful businesses. Kauffman FastTrac was created by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the largest foundation in the United States devoted to entrepreneurship. To learn more about Kauffman FastTrac, visit www.fasttrac.org.

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private nonpartisan foundation that works to harness the power of entrepreneurship and innovation to grow economies and improve human welfare. Through its research and other initiatives, the Kauffman Foundation aims to open young people's eyes to the possibility of entrepreneurship, promote entrepreneurship training and education, raise awareness of entrepreneurship-friendly policies, and find alternative pathways for the commercialization of new knowledge and technologies. Founded by late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman, the Foundation is based in Kansas City, Mo., and has approximately $2 billion in assets. For more information, visit www.kauffman.org, and follow the Foundation on www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn.

About Kaplan University

Kaplan University offers a different school of thought for higher education. It strives to help adult students unlock their talent by providing a practical, student-centered education that prepares them for careers in some of the fastest-growing industries. The University, which has its main campus in Davenport, Iowa, and its headquarters in Chicago, is regionally accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (www.ncahlc.org) and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA). Kaplan University has more than 125 academic programs and offerings, and serves more than 78,000 online and campus-based students. The University has 12 campuses in Iowa, Nebraska, Maryland and Maine, and Kaplan University Learning Centers in Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri and Florida.

Kaplan University is part of Kaplan Higher Education, which serves more than 119,000 students online and through more than 70 campus-based schools across the United States and abroad. Kaplan Higher Education schools offer a spectrum of academic opportunities, from certificates and diplomas to graduate and professional degrees, including a juris doctor degree. Kaplan Higher Education is part of Kaplan, Inc., a leading international provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Kaplan, Inc. is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO), and its largest and fastest-growing division. For more information about Kaplan University, visit www.kaplanuniversity.edu.