Engineering entrepreneurship: does entrepreneurship have a role in engineering education?

Many engineering programs have recently added courses and material on "engineering entrepreneurship". These programs represent a diverse understanding of what engineering students should receive in the way of instruction in the area of entrepreneurship. This paper examines various definitions of engineering entrepreneurship, and also examines the pedagogical justification for including entrepreneurship in engineering education. The authors use as a context the engineering programs at The University of Texas at Austin, particularly the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The paper examines educational objectives and criteria discussed in documents produced by the National Science Foundation, the American Society of Mechanical Engineering International, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, and other sources, to develop one approach for entrepreneurship education.