SSRG International Journal of Humanities and Social Science (SSRG-IJHSS) Volume 2 Issue3 May to June 2015 ISSN: 2394 - 2703 www.internationaljournalssrg.org Page 60 Relevant Educational Qualifications for Entrepreneurship Lecturers in Higher Learning Institutions (HLIs): A study of HLIs in Malaysia and Nigeria Suleiman Mohammed Lame Wan Fauziah Wan Yusoff Faculty of Technology Management and Business Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia Abstract - Entrepreneurship education has gained an important role in the eyes of both policy makers, as well as researchers across the globe. The effects of the sudden growth can be felt through the increasing support provided by governments especially in the higher learning institutions. This recent rapid growth and development in entrepreneurship courses and programs may be due to the belief that the entrepreneurial competencies required for successful venturing can be taught, or at the very least enhanced by entrepreneurial education and learning. Despite the monumental international growth of the discipline over the last three decades, no significant empirical work has been conducted on the lecturers‟ relevant educational qualifications necessary for effective teaching of entrepreneurship courses. This study is therefore, aimed at identifying the most relevant educational qualifications needed by lecturers teaching entrepreneurship courses in Higher Learning Institutions (HLIs) for both Malaysia and Nigeria. The data was collected through quantitative research approach using a structured questionnaire developed from extensive literature, involving five (5) point Likert Scale. As the study focus on lectures teaching entrepreneurship courses, the purposive sampling technique was used to determine the sample of the study. A total of 237 and 383 entrepreneurship lecturers in Malaysian and Nigerian higher learning institutions participated in the survey respectively. The results obtained from this study indicated that three most relevant educational qualifications needed for lecturers who teaching entrepreneurship courses, for both countries were identified. These include Higher Degree in Management, Higher Degree in Management Related Courses and Higher Professional Degree in Entrepreneurship. It is hoped that the result will provide some basis for HLIs in designing the relevant policies that can enhance the quality and effectiveness of the teaching of entrepreneurship courses for Malaysia and Nigeria. Key Words: Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship Education, Educational Qualifications, Higher Learning Institutions. 1 Introduction The entrepreneurship education as a field of study has been spreading over the last few decades at a considerable pace. Courses are being implemented in universities and virtually at all levels of educational institutions across the globe. At HLIs programs are being developed specifically to take care of the needs of their entrepreneurial students. When these wide spreads development of entrepreneurship education are taken into account, one may likely concludes that the theoretical bases of entrepreneurship education may be solidly established. Nevertheless, this is not the true situation on the ground. Authors such as Ardalan (2008) have claimed that entrepreneurship education has to be considered as an extension of entrepreneurship itself. Therefore, any attempt to define the former has to be based on a view of the latter. Based on the above, it is now evident that entrepreneurship education can mean many different things to different people. Despite the importance of entrepreneurship education, the effectiveness of the teaching techniques for entrepreneurship as well the lecturers‟ disposition and skills are still