ABSTRACT

                  Abstract

                      The persisting rise in unemployment, high population growth and low entrepreneurial intention especially among Nigerian graduates has become a major concern to government and other stakeholders. These prompted the government to introduce entrepreneurship education into the curriculum of higher education across the country. Therefore, this study examined the moderating effect of individual entrepreneurial orientation on the relationship between entrepreneurship education and student’s entrepreneurial intention among FUD final year students. The study used cross-sectional research design with quantitative questionnaire approach to collect the data. To validate the model, data from 282 final year students were analysed using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). Overall, the study revealed that both entrepreneurship education and individual entrepreneurial orientation are significantly and positively related to entrepreneurial intention. It was also discovered that individual entrepreneurial orientation as a unidimensional construct moderates the relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intention. The study used Human Capital Theory HCT as a theoretical basis of the study. This study served as one of the pioneering studies with regard to using individual entrepreneurial in moderating the relationship between entrepreneurship education and student entrepreneurial intention. This study recommended that other researchers should use the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation to text their separate moderating effects for further validation. As implication to policy, the government should ensure not only enriching students with entrepreneurship education but also well-built entrepreneurial orientation among youths as it has a direct effect as well as strong interaction with other factors in explaining entrepreneurial intention.

                      Keywords: Entrepreneurship Education; Entrepreneurial Orientation; Human Capital Theory; Entrepreneurial intention