Teaching the Entrepreneurial Mindset to Engineers

This book provides engineering faculty members and instructors with a base understanding of why the entrepreneurial mindset is important to engineering students and how it can be taught. It helps advance entrepreneurship education for all engineering students, and equips educators with tools and strategies that allow them to teach the entrepreneurial mindset. Divided into four parts, this book explores what the entrepreneurial mindset is, and why it is important; shows how to get started and integrate the mindset into existing coursework so that curricula can focus on both technical/functional concepts and entrepreneurial ones as well; guides readers through the growing multitude of conferences, journals, networks, and online resources that are available; and provides solid examples to get the reader started. This book is an important resource for engineering educators as they learn how to remain competitive and cutting-edge in a field as fast-moving and dynamic as engineering.

Lisa Bosman, Ph.D. develops and facilitates faculty professional development experiences to incorporate the entrepreneurial mindset into the engineering classroom within the Opus College of Engineering at Marquette University. In addition, Lisa teaches a variety of engineering courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, provides consulting related to the entrepreneurial mindset and best teaching practices, has received numerous grant awards to improve STEM curriculum, and is active within the Milwaukee start-up community. Prior to joining higher education, she worked with Harley-Davidson Motor Company, John Deere, and Oshkosh Corporation (formerly, Oshkosh Truck). Lisa received her Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.

Stephanie Fernhaber, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship within the Lacy School of Business at Butler University. She teaches a variety of entrepreneurial courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels including The Entrepreneurial Mindset, First-Year Business Experience, Real Business Experience, and Social Entrepreneurship.  In addition to teaching, Stephanie conducts research in the areas of international entrepreneurship, networks and new venture strategy. Her background includes a combination of consulting, corporate finance and entrepreneurial initiatives. Stephanie received her Ph.D. in Entrepreneurship from Indiana University.

​“The pace of technical innovation and demand for economic competitiveness require a shift in how we educate engineers. Engineering solutions must be developed not just to solve problems but more broadly to create value. This ‘entrepreneurial mindset’ applies not only to high growth commercial startups but also to large corporations, social enterprises, and civic organizations. This book is a great ‘startup manual’ for educators interested in understanding the entrepreneurial mindset and introducing its elements into an engineering program.” – Christopher A. Kitts, PHD, Director, Robotic Systems Laboratory; Associate Dean, School of Engineering; Associate Professor, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Santa Clara University, California, USA