Bachelor of Entrepreneurship Development (BED)

Bachelor of Entrepreneurship Development (BED)

The Bachelor of Entrepreneurship Development (BED) is a four-year undergraduate program offered by the School of Development and Social Engineering (SDSE), Pokhara University under the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. SDSE is a constituent school of Pokhara University at Dhungepatan, Pokhara.

BED is built around the process of developing and managing enterprises. Students study business fundamentals alongside entrepreneurship, innovation, enterprise development, market analysis, finance, value chains, business growth, social entrepreneurship, and practical venture development. The program also covers community-based and private-sector approaches to entrepreneurship rather than limiting the curriculum to conventional business management.

Course at a Glance

The program has one intake section with a total capacity of 48 students.

What Students Study in BED

The curriculum begins with business, mathematics, accounting, economics, statistics, language, and computer applications. As students move through the program, the emphasis shifts toward entrepreneurship methods, enterprise management, innovation, marketing, finance, research, venture development, and specialized entrepreneurship subjects.

Major areas include:

• Fundamentals of Business Studies

• Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship

• Business Mathematics

• Financial Accounting

• Sociology of Entrepreneurship

• Economics and Business Statistics

• Finance and Marketing

• Geographies of Entrepreneurship

• Methods and Models of Entrepreneurship Development

• Value Chain Management

• Production and Operations Management

• Research Methods for Entrepreneurship Studies

• Leadership Development

• Entrepreneurship Skills for Start-ups

• Communication Skills for Entrepreneurs

• Management of Innovation and Technology Adoption

• New Product Development and Management

• Resources and Enterprise Development

• Micro, Cottage and Small Enterprise Management

• Management Information System

• Venture Ideas and Models

• Entrepreneurship Environment in Nepal

• Global Entrepreneurship

• Social and Environmental Impact Assessment

• Fundraising for Start-ups

• Practicum

Course Progression

The eight-semester structure moves from foundational business knowledge to enterprise development and, later, concentrated study and practicum.

BED carries 125 credit hours across eight semesters, with two semesters in each academic year.

Entrepreneurship Skills Development

Entrepreneurial Skills Development courses form a separate practical strand within the curriculum. These courses are non-credit, but students are required to complete them.

The sequence is designed to support the development of practical entrepreneurship abilities alongside regular academic courses. It continues through different stages of the program as students move from introductory business study toward enterprise planning and implementation.

Concentration Areas

Students specialize in one concentration theme rather than combining subjects from different specialization groups.

The available concentration areas are:

Community-based Entrepreneurship

This concentration includes subjects concerned with enterprise development in community settings. Courses include Social Entrepreneurship, Business Growth Management, Social Mobilization for Enterprise Development, and Community-based Enterprise Development and Management.

Private Sector Entrepreneurship

This area focuses more directly on enterprise management and growth. Subjects include Strategic Enterprise Management, Business Growth Management, E-Business Management, and Indigenous Enterprise Management.

Enterprise Development Facilitation

This concentration addresses the support and facilitation side of entrepreneurship. Subjects include Sustainable Enterprise Development, Facilitation Skills, Business Counseling Skills, and Community-based Enterprise Development and Management.

Practicum and Venture Development

Practicum is a substantial part of the later stage of BED. Rather than ending with academic study alone, students work on developing a realistic business plan around a business model and gain direct experience with a venture during the practicum period.

The curriculum includes Practicum I and Practicum II. Practicum work is structured to expose students to the process of establishing and operating a venture, connecting subjects such as planning, finance, marketing, operations, and enterprise management with practical work.

Fundraising for Start-ups

Fundraising for Start-ups introduces students to different ways new enterprises may seek finance. The course covers areas such as business angels, venture capital financing, crowdfunding, and public-agency financing.

Students also work with the presentation of business ideas in a fundraising setting, linking financing concepts with the venture-development work undertaken elsewhere in the program.

Who May Consider BED?

BED may suit students whose interests extend beyond studying established businesses and toward understanding how enterprises are identified, planned, created, developed, and managed.

The course is particularly relevant to students interested in areas such as:

• starting an enterprise;

• developing or expanding a family-owned business;

• social entrepreneurship;

• community-based enterprise;

• private-sector entrepreneurship;

• small and micro-enterprise development;

• enterprise facilitation and business counselling;

• innovation and new product development; and

• business growth and venture planning.

Because the curriculum combines business subjects with research, community enterprise, specialization, and practicum, students encounter both commercial and social dimensions of entrepreneurship.

Eligibility

Applicants who have completed 10+2, Intermediate level, or an equivalent qualification in any discipline from a recognized board are eligible to apply for BED.

For the humanities and social sciences undergraduate programs that include BED, the grade requirement is:

• minimum D grade in each subject of Grade 12; or

• minimum D+ grade in each subject of Grades 11 and 12.

Admission Process

Applicants are selected from the merit list of an entrance examination conducted by the School of Development and Social Engineering.

The admission route therefore has two main academic stages:

• meet the required 10+2, Intermediate, or equivalent academic qualification; and

• take the entrance examination used to prepare the admission merit list.

Seats and Scholarships

BED has 48 seats. Twenty percent of the seats are allocated for scholarships under Pokhara University rules.

A separate application is required under the University Scholarship Procedure for students seeking consideration for the scholarship allocation.

Skills Developed Through the Program

The curriculum provides opportunities to work on skills that are directly connected with entrepreneurship and enterprise development. Through coursework, concentration subjects, Entrepreneurship Skills Development, and practicum, students may develop abilities in:

• identifying and assessing enterprise opportunities;

• preparing business plans;

• market research;

• financial and business planning;

• product development;

• enterprise and operations management;

• entrepreneurship research;

• business communication;

• leadership;

• value-chain analysis;

• venture development;

• enterprise facilitation;

• business counselling; and

• presenting business ideas.

These abilities develop through the student’s coursework, practical participation, concentration area, and practicum experience.

Career Direction

BED is structured for more than one entrepreneurship pathway. Graduates may explore starting their own enterprises or becoming involved in the development and expansion of family-owned businesses.

The program also identifies possible work connected with:

• professional and extension services for aspiring entrepreneurs;

• social entrepreneurship;

• private enterprises;

• community and enterprise-development activities;

• government organizations;

• non-governmental organizations;

• international non-governmental organizations;

• civil society organizations; and

• research institutions.

The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies is among the government settings identified in relation to the professional areas relevant to BED graduates.

Career direction depends on the graduate’s skills, experience, type of enterprise or organization, area of specialization, and available opportunities. The degree itself does not determine a particular job or business outcome.

What Distinguishes the BED Curriculum

BED combines conventional business foundations with subjects that deal specifically with how enterprises emerge and grow. Business mathematics, accounting, finance, economics, marketing, operations, and information systems provide one part of the curriculum. Entrepreneurship sociology, enterprise geography, innovation, value chains, social entrepreneurship, indigenous enterprise management, facilitation, business counselling, and community-based enterprise development provide another.

The concentration system then allows students to focus on community-based entrepreneurship, private-sector entrepreneurship, or enterprise development facilitation, while practicum brings venture development into the later stage of the degree.

For students comparing BED with a broader business degree, this concentration on enterprise creation, entrepreneurship development, specialization, and practicum is central to understanding the course.