The contributions of entrepreneurs have been a major source of growth for the US economy throughout the country’s history. Many of these entrepreneurs have been engineers. Until recently, however, the training of those who were formally educated focused almost exclusively on technical courses. Entrepreneurial skills were acquired outside the classroom.
Educators began to realize that engineering students would benefit from developing the entrepreneurial and leadership skills needed to succeed in today’s dynamic marketplace. To address this need, Villanova University launched a unique Entrepreneurship for Engineers minor. This initiative receives support from the Kern Family Foundation whose objective it is to equip engineers with an entrepreneurial mindset that will enable them to contribute to business success.
Villanova’s Engineering Entrepreneurship program is open to students in all engineering disciplines beginning in their sophomore year. The minor consists of 16 credits and begins with an exciting course in Creativity and Innovation. Other topics in the minor include:
- Opportunity analysis
- New product ideation and development
- Intellectual property
- Project management
- Prototyping
- Basic accounting and finance concepts
- Project funding
- Product launching
- New product marketing
- Risk management
- Team development
By the end of their sophomore year, students start working in teams under the guidance of faculty members and experienced entrepreneurs to develop marketable products and services.
