2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This work-in-progress (WIP) paper explores how engineering students perceive entrepreneurship and develop their entrepreneurial identity within the engineering discipline. As engineering education increasingly integrates entrepreneurial competencies through curricular and co-curricular programs, understanding how students construct entrepreneurial identities is essential for fostering an innovative and adaptable engineering workforce. Despite growing research on entrepreneurship in engineering context, limited attention has been given to the intersection of engineering and entrepreneurial identity, particularly how students internalize and navigate these roles in academic and professional settings.
Grounded in Godwin’s (2016) engineering Identity framework and the future possible-selves theory, we explored the lived experiences of engineering students through semi-structured interviews and analyzed preliminary results of 3 students in this paper using the interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Themes emerging from the data included early exposure to entrepreneurship, perceived competence and ability, recognition by others and aspirations for future entrepreneurial careers.
Preliminary findings suggest that students’ entrepreneurial identities develop through a combination of hands-on problem-solving experiences, personal interest, and recognition from family, peers, and faculty. However, tensions between technical expertise and entrepreneurial skill development present challenges, as students struggle to integrate both identities. Additionally, students' hoped-for entrepreneurial selves (e.g., leading a business, innovating products) are counterbalanced by feared selves (e.g., lack of resources, work-life balance concerns).
This study contributes towards engineering education and vocational identity development by providing insights into how engineering students construct entrepreneurial identities. Findings inform curriculum design, mentorship programs, and experiential learning strategies that better support the development of entrepreneurial engineers.