Educating Engineering Entrepreneurs: A Multi-Institution Analysis

Engineering entrepreneurship demands a broad range of skills and knowledge, extending far beyond technical expertise in an engineering domain. Motivation and proactive behavior, professional skills (e.g., communication, leadership, business), and creativity in problem solving are among the attributes linked with successful entrepreneurship. An extension of the Center for the Advancement of Engineering Education's Academic Pathways Study, this survey- and interview-based study of engineering undergraduates examines the potential of extracurricular activities to help students develop these entrepreneurial attributes. Quantitative analyses show positive relationships between entrepreneurial attributes and involvement in engineering and non-engineering extracurricular activities. Preliminary interview analyses illustrate how these activities foster entrepreneurial attributes and contribute to students' engineering education experiences, in general.