Innovation, Leadership & Engineering Entrepreneurship (ILEE), BS

for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Innovation, Leadership & Engineering Entrepreneurship


The Technology Entrepreneur Center offers studies leading to the Bachelor of Science in Innovation, Leadership, and Engineering Entrepreneurship (ILEE). The BS in ILEE degree is intended for Grainger Engineering students to better understand the innovative processes involved in identifying problems and creating, developing, and leading efforts to provide engineering solutions. The curriculum is based on a sound disciplinary engineering technical core with additional aspects of problem identification and innovation, and complex multidisciplinary engineering project management and leadership.

Currently, the BS in ILEE degree is only offered as a dual degree (double major) for current Grainger Engineering, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, and Chemical Engineering students.

for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Innovation, Leadership & Engineering Entrepreneurship


Students should follow their Grainger Engineering primary degree curriculum and take the additional required Orientation and Technical Core courses to earn a second bachelor's degree in ILEE.

Overview of Curricular Requirements

Students must complete all requirements specified for the primary engineering degree, and 31 hours for the second (ILEE) degree, for a minimum of 158 credit hours. 

Innovation, Leadership and Engineering Entrepreneurship Orientation

TE 100Introduction to Innovation, Leadership and Engineering Entrepreneurship1
or TE 200 Introduction to Innovation
Total Hours1

Innovation, Leadership and Engineering Entrepreneurship Technical Core

TE 230Design Thinking/Need-Finding3
TE 250From Idea to Enterprise2
TE 333Creativity, Innovation, Vision4
TE 360Lectures in Engineering Entrepreneurship1
SE 361Emotional Intelligence Skills3
TE 390Innovation and Engineering Design2
TE 401Developing Breakthrough Projects4
TE 450Startups: Incorporation, Funding, Contracts, & Intellectual Property3
TE 461Technology Entrepreneurship3
TE 462Leading Sustainable Change3
TE 466High-Tech Venture Marketing2
Total Hours30
Total Hours of ILEE Curriculum to Graduate31

for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Innovation, Leadership & Engineering Entrepreneurship


Sample Sequence

Students should follow their Grainger Engineering primary degree curriculum and take the additional 31 hours of ILEE courses. A sample sequence of courses is shown below.  

First Year
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
TE 100 or 2001TE 2502
 1 2
Total Hours 3
Second Year
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
TE 2303TE 3334
TE 3601 
 4 4
Total Hours 8
Third Year
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
SE 3613TE 3902
TE 4662TE 4623
 5 5
Total Hours 10
Fourth Year
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
TE 4503TE 4014
TE 4613 
 6 4
Total Hours 10

Total Hours: 31 

for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Innovation, Leadership & Engineering Entrepreneurship


Learning objectives for the Innovation, Leadership, and Engineering Entrepreneurship Dual Degree BS Program are designed to allow Grainger Engineering students the opportunity to gain, sharpen, and refine their innovative, leadership, and entrepreneurship skill set through academic courses and hands-on experiential learning.

In conjunction with the student’s primary/first department’s curriculum, the Innovation, Leadership, and Engineering Entrepreneurship Program prepares students to achieve the following ABET outcomes by the time of graduation:

  1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
  2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
  3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
  4. An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
  5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
  6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
  7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Innovation, Leadership & Engineering Entrepreneurship


Innovation, Leadership, and Engineering Entrepreneurship Program

Program Director: Ranjitha Kumar
Program Faculty Advisor: Keilin Jahnke
Program Academic Advisor: Laura Miller
351 Coordinated Science Lab, 1308 W Main St, Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 244-3124
tec-ilee@illinois.edu
Technology Entrepreneur Center website

The Grainger College of Engineering

The Grainger College of Engineering Admissions