ENGINEERING ENTREPRENEURSHIP MINOR
Engineering Entrepreneurship Tracks
Beginning Fall 2024
Updated 10/31/2024
Open to students from all colleges, the mission of our undergraduate program in Engineering Entrepreneurship is to cultivate a diverse community of forward-thinking individuals ready to drive transformative change. We are committed to:
- Inspiring Creativity: Encouraging imaginative thinking and exploration in all learning experiences.
- Encouraging Collaboration: Promoting interdisciplinary teamwork to solve complex challenges.
- Innovating through Design: Applying design principles to develop effective solutions that address societal needs.
- Fostering Leadership: Empowering students to become ethical leaders who inspire others and drive positive change.
- Engaging with Industry: Building partnerships with industry leaders for real-world experiences and mentorship.
Beginning Fall 2024 all students of the 16-credit hour Engineering Entrepreneurship Minor complete the following:
- 7-credit hours of Fundamentals in Engineering Innovation
- 6-credit hours in a chosen track of either Engineering Social Entrepreneurship or Technology Ventures
- one approved 3-credit hour elective from their major
For specific course requirements, electives and policy,
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Students may alternatively opt not to complete the entire minor but rather only complete courses or sections relevant to their future career interests.
The interdisciplinary minor covers a diverse set of topics including:
- creativity and ideation frameworks
- emerging disruptive technology assessment
- design thinking for new product innovation
- market research
- customer discovery
- persona development
- intellectual property management
- agile prototyping
- value proposition development
- innovative business model design
- product development planning
- social engineering
- entrepreneurial finance
- marketing for startups
Academic Framework and Program Timeline
Generally, a student declares the Engineering Entrepreneurship minor the spring of freshman year or fall of sophomore year. A student may choose to limit their involvement in the program and only complete sections of the minor.
Fundamentals in Engineering Innovation (7-credit hours)
Your focus is on a career path in innovation:
Courses in engineering innovation fundamentals are designed to equip students with the skills and mindset needed to drive innovation. The Fundamentals in Engineering Innovation sequence covers three courses essential to new product innovation: Creative Thinking for Scientist and Engineers, Customer Discovery and Design Thinking, and Advanced Business Model Design. It is recommended that these courses are taken in order.
Through Fundamentals in Engineering Innovation, students will learn processes and strategies for identifying real-world problems, generating innovative solutions, and transforming ideas into viable business opportunities. Hands-on projects provide opportunities to apply innovation principles to real world challenges. Students will gain an innovative and entrepreneurial edge, empowering them to spearhead impactful innovations throughout their careers. Those seeking careers in product development, corporate innovation, or business consulting will particularly benefit.
TRACKS
Technology Ventures (6-credit hours)
Your focus is on a career path in technology-based innovation.
The Technology Ventures track equips students with an understanding of intellectual property and business contract fundamentals, experience in evaluating disruptive innovations, and insights into the drivers of technology innovation. It provides a valued credential for a wide variety of careers including engineering product development, intellectual property management, new business development, and technology scouting.
Engineering Social Entrepreneurship (6-credit hours)
Your focus is on a career path in social impact innovation.
The Social Entrepreneurship track equips undergraduate students with the entrepreneurial skills and cross-disciplinary perspectives needed to drive positive social and environmental impact through mission-driven ventures. Through project-based learning, case studies, and potential cross-campus collaborations, students apply entrepreneurial strategies to engineer innovative and impactful solutions to the world's most pressing sustainability and humanitarian challenges. This 6-credit track includes an approved 3-credit hour course from either Humanitarian Engineering or Sustainable Engineering.
INNOVATE Partnership
The experiential minor is structured so that students work on interdisciplinary teams to develop products/services while learning educational content. The minor is aligned with INNOVATE. Students who participate in INNOVATE can continue to work on their innovation within the Engineering Entrepreneurship minor. When ready, Engineering Entrepreneurship students from INNOVATE can apply to The Launchpad, a stage gated early seed fund with a CEO Mentor network for students to launch their business ventures.
Engineering Entrepreneurship Electives
The approved Elective List complements the minor with content specific to each major in the College of Engineering. Additional electives for VSB and CLAS participants are approved through the Director of the Engineering Entrepreneurship program.
