2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Engineering (ENG) and engineering technology (ENT) programs provide distinct educational pathways that shape how students perceive and develop professional competencies. This study utilizes situated cognition theory to investigate the entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) of senior ENG and ENT students at a rural Midwestern university. Using a sample of 144 students, the research employed Mann-Whitney U tests and group-specific exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to compare entrepreneurial self-efficacy and cognitive structures. While no statistically significant differences were found in overall ESE scores, the factor structures diverged significantly between groups. Results indicate that while ENG students view searching and planning as distinct phases, ENT students possess a more integrated, practice-based view of entrepreneurship rooted in technical implementation. These findings suggest that entrepreneurship education should be tailored to disciplinary contexts to better prepare graduates for diverse career trajectories.