The Enterprise Program At Michigan Technological University Results And Assessment To Date

In 2000, Michigan Technological University restructured its entire curricular offering in association with an academic calendar change from quarters to semesters. As part of this restructuring the university developed the Enterprise Program (www.enterprise.mtu.edu), a new and innovative experience that provides all students on campus, but especially engineering majors, an opportunity to start-up and operate their own business. Within engineering programs the philosophy behind the Enterprise Program is to provide a flexible curricular structure that leads to a traditional engineering degree while at the same time enabling students to participate in the operation of a real enterprise over multiple years. Now in its third year of operation, the program has grown to seventeen enterprises comprised of approximately 400 students from 19 disciplines. This paper presents an overview of the curricular structure of the program (recently approved as a Minor) and the results of assessment performed to date. Successes and challenges associated with this innovative entrepreneurial curriculum will also be discussed.