Investigation of the entrepreneurial intention of Payame Noor University students and its determinants

Entrepreneurship is considered as an appropriate approach to accelerate economic development and provide employment opportunities. With this regard، entrepreneurial intention is the main determinant factor in deciding to be an entrepreneur. In order to obtain sufficient knowledge about entrepreneurship and its determinants، entrepreneurial intention of Payame Noor University students was studied. An integration of theory of planned behavior، entrepreneurial event، and Davidson’s models were adapted to clarify the most crucial elements of entrepreneurial intention. A stratified random sampling technique was used to collect a representative sample of university students. In this survey، a total of 161 students were interviewed using a questionnaire. The results indicated that the entrepreneurial intention of engineering، management and business students (EMB) is significantly higher than the other majors. In addition، the study identified general attitudes، attitudes toward entrepreneurship، self-efficacy and vicarious experience are the most relevant factors explaining entrepreneurial intentions of EMB students. While for the Non-EMB students، general attitudes، self-efficacy and subjective norms are the main determinants of entrepreneurial intentions. Accordingly، a number of considerations about developing intentions towards entrepreneurship are recommended.