You may think street smarts are enough to be a successful entrepreneur, but these top entrepreneurship programs are giving students the practical and theoretical knowledge they need to succeed in any venture. The Princeton Review surveyed more than 2,000 undergraduate and graduate business schools in the 2011-2012 academic year about their offerings in entrepreneurship.

The survey included questions covering three main areas. Schools that ranked high demonstrated a commitment to entrepreneurship both inside and outside the classroom and had faculty, students and alumni actively involved and successful in entrepreneurial endeavors. Here are the fields used to determine our rankings of the best entrepreneurship programs.

Academics and requirements

Schools were asked if they offer an entrepreneurship program, major or minor and to specify the total number of courses offered, as well as the type, such as entrepreneurial law, management, marketing, family business, franchising, international, social entrepreneurship, new-product development and venture capital. Other academic requirements that affect the ranking include the availability of internships, externships, experiential, cooperative learning and consulting opportunities for small-business owners.

Students and faculty

For the 2011-12 academic year, the institutions were asked what percentage of the total student body was formally enrolled in their entrepreneurship program and what percentage of the total student body was enrolled in an entrepreneurship-related course. They were also asked what percentage of formally enrolled entrepreneurship students in the most recent graduating class had launched a business since graduating, what percentage of those students are still in business and what percentage of the entrepreneurship faculty had started, bought or run a successful business. Schools were also asked for the number of faculty teaching exclusively entrepreneurship courses and the number of faculty teaching at least one course in entrepreneurship.

Outside the classroom

Schools were asked whether they have partnerships with other schools that allow access to their entrepreneurship program, how many officially recognized clubs and organizations they offer for entrepreneurship students and their budgets for such clubs and organizations. Other questions included how many non-curriculum-based activities and competitions are offered in the area of entrepreneurship, how many officially sponsored mentorship programs are available to entrepreneurship students and what entrepreneurial scholarships are offered. Schools were also asked if the school hosts an annual business plan competition and how much in cash prizes is awarded. Schools also provided the total dollar amount of prize money won at any competition that their students participated in.