Introducing engineering and science students to entrepreneurship: Models and influential factors at six American universities

Journal of Engineering Education, Jan 2002 by Standish-Kuon, Terri, Rice, Mark P

ABSTRACT

This paper reports on how traditional science and engineering students are being taught entrepreneurship at six American universities. Each participating institution follows one of three models, which differ with respect to location within the university, organizational structure and approach to attracting students. Teaching, new venture creation and, to a lesser degree, research are the most common goals driving the technological entrepreneurship initiatives at these universities. The most universal assets are internal champions and interest on the part of alumni and current students, while the lack of elective credits in the engineering curriculum is a common barrier.

I. INTRODUCTION

Since general entrepreneurship education first appeared at colleges and universities in the United States nearly forty years ago [1], the number of entrepreneurship courses available at American colleges and universities has risen steadily [2-4]. By 1995, more than 400 colleges and universities offered entrepreneurship courses, up from 16 in 1970 [5]. Yet the majority of these courses are targeted at business students. The specific case of introducing engineering and science students to entrepreneurship principles and practices is poorly understood.

This paper reports on how entrepreneurship education is offered to science and engineering students at six American universities: Carnegie Mellon University; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Stanford University; the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of Colorado at Boulder; and the University of Iowa. In particular, we consider whether factors found to support the infusion of entrepreneurship into the core business curriculum also play a role in extending entrepreneurship to non-business students such as engineers and scientists. These factors are:

* "Championing by a dean;

* Championing by a director of the entrepreneurship program;

* Championing by a product/program champion who may or may not be a dean or program director;

*Promoting collaborative activities between entrepreneurship and non-entrepreneurship faculty;

* Engaging core faculty in teaching entrepreneurship;

* Engaging core faculty in entrepreneurship research;

* Providing financial support through the entrepreneurship network/center for teaching development and research, particularly to stimulate the interest of non-entrepreneurship faculty; * Catalyzing and managing access to the network of the entrepreneurship program as a source of both research data and guest speakers in classes;

* Initiative of entrepreneurship faculty in serving as guest presenters and judges for non-entrepreneurship classes;

* The development of a set of outreach programs that promote experiential learning; and

* Recognition nationally and internationally" [6].

II. METHODOLOGY

As American universities have embraced entrepreneurship education for their students in engineering and the sciences, how are these schools offering entrepreneurship to these students? What models of introducing engineering and science students to the principles and practice of entrepreneurship are currently in use? What role have key factors played in the development of these initiatives? These are the questions that we sought to answer in undertaking the current study.

The relative lack of information available about our research question led us to choose a qualitative, descriptive method. Multiple case studies using within-case and cross-case analysis are an appropriate method to provide description; this methodology usually employs a number of data-gathering techniques [7]. To elicit the models and influential factors, we used a multiple case-study methodology. We collected our data with a combination of techniques such as site visits, review of internal documents, in-person and telephone interviews, and a follow-up survey.

The sample for this study was one of convenience, constructed in the following way: First, we evaluated the ten founding members of the National Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers. Of the ten, we omitted five institutions-two non-university programs and three campuses without significant engineering and science programs. The five remaining universities (Baylor University; Carnegie Mellon University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; the University of California, Los Angeles; and the University of Texas at Austin) composed the initial sample. However, changes in personnel at Baylor and UT Austin prevented their participation and they dropped from the study. Meanwhile, the director of the entrepreneurship center at St. Thomas University, one of the founding members originally excluded, was recruited to the University of Iowa specifically to launch an entrepreneurship program that would involve both business and technical students. For this reason, we included the University of Iowa. We then added the University of Colorado and Stanford University, both of which were starting to be recognized for their work in introducing engineering students to entrepreneurship. The final sample included six institutions. They are geographically diverse, each has a reputation for engineering and the sciences and each has a formalized center or program for entrepreneurship.