Integrating Entrepreneurship Concepts and Entrepreneurial Service Learning Components into Undergraduate Civil and Mechanical Engineering Courses

University Of Missouri-Kansas City, Columbia MO

Investigators

Abstract

The Civil and Mechanical Engineering departments of the School of Computing and Engineering (SCE) at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) propose to become national leaders in the integration of entrepreneurship concepts and entrepreneurship service learning components throughout their undergraduate curricula. This grant will assist with planning for : (1) fundamentally changing the way certain undergraduate courses are taught in the Civil and Mechanical Engineering curricula, and (2) establishing entrepreneurship and service learning as a key feature for developing competitive and productive Civil and Mechanical Engineering graduates. Significant collaboration is being obtained from team members belonging to the Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration, and the Department of Psychology. The proposal seeks to increase the relevance of undergraduate education to an ever increasing need for technical competence in the business world. This project could influence other disciplines (medicine, law, etc.) into adopting some of the deliverables provided by this research. The proposed project effort could have broad impact on those programs interested in emulating the UMKC model. This integration plan has the potential for increasing the retention of students in the engineering degree programs.