Business Education and Entrepreneurial Competence Drivers of Entrepreneurial Intention in University Students

Through business creation, technological progress, and innovation led by entrepreneurs, the country's wealth production and the well-being of citizens can be improved. The study analyzes business education and entrepreneurial competence as predictors of entrepreneurial intention in university students. This research is framed from a quantitative, causal correlational methodological perspective through a structural equation model, the sample of which is comprised of 377 university students. The results show that the model's fit was adequate, with a Chi-square value of 1149.09, 521 degrees of freedom (p=0.000<0.001), and a Chi-square/df ratio of 2.21. The goodness-of-fit indicators, incremental fit, and parsimony measures obtained values within the acceptable range. In conclusion, there is a significant influence (?=0.77) between business education and entrepreneurial competence (p=0.000<0.001) and between entrepreneurial competence and the intention to start a business (? = 0.87). However, the influence (p=0.135<0.05) between business education and entrepreneurial intention was insignificant. The university curriculum must have practical entrepreneurship courses with experienced teachers to transfer entrepreneurship knowledge and incubators, allowing students to inspire and strengthen their entrepreneurship abilities. Received: 8 February 2024 / Accepted: 26 May 2024 / Published: 02 July 2024