Innovation, Leadership & Engineering Entrepreneurship (ILEE) BS Dual Degree

The  Innovation, Leadership, and Engineering Entrepreneurship (ILEE) BS dual degree in The Grainger College of Engineering isn’t just for students who want to create a startup—it helps create entrepreneurial-minded leaders who are in demand by companies of all sizes.

ILEE adds impact to your primary degree by accelerating your understanding of the innovation ecosystem and the processes involved in identifying complex technical problems, and then leading efforts to develop value-creating solutions.

ILEE Student Teams Win Big!

Learn about how ILEE students Cara Bognar and Alec Thompson won a total of $45,000 in funding with their startup teams at UChicago's College New Venture Challenge, part of Grainger Engineering's Startup City Scholars Program.

Read Story

ILEE Dual Degree Eligibility & Requirements

Eligibility

  • Have a desire to develop or build upon your existing innovation, leadership, and/or entrepreneurial skills.
  • Have completed at least one year as an Illinois student if you are a first-year student, or one semester as an Illinois student if you are a transfer student. (Includes ABE in ACES & ChBE in LAS)
  • Be in good standing and have a minimum cumulative UIUC GPA of 2.25 when applying for the ILEE degree. 
  • Be confident that graduation certification by Grainger Engineering will occur within 10 semesters of the primary degree starting date.
  • You must have taken (or be taking) at least one TE course and have worked out a plan in collaboration with advisors to obtain both your primary engineering degree and the ILEE degree in a timely fashion.

Requirements

  • Complete all requirements specified for the primary engineering degree, and 31 hours for the second (ILEE) degree, for a minimum of 158 credit hours. 
  • Additional hours for the ILEE degree must be completed on the Urbana-Champaign campus, as noted in University policies, and must be completed within two additional semesters (10 semesters to complete both degrees).
  • Students must remain in good standing in both the primary degree and the ILEE degree.

ILEE Dual Degree Course Requirements

ILEE ORIENTATION CORE COURSE - TOTAL CREDITS: 1

Course # Course Title Credits
TE 100 (FALL & SPRING) or
TE 200 Innovation LLC (Might only be available in the FALL)
Introduction to Innovation, Leadership & Engineering Entrepreneurship 1

ILEE CORE COURSES - TOTAL CREDITS: 30

Course # Course Title Credits
TE 230 (FALL) Design Thinking/Need-Finding 3
TE 250 High-Tech Ventures: From Idea to Enterprise 2
TE 333 Creativity, Innovation, Vision 4
TE 360 Lectures in Engineering Entrepreneurship 1
SE 361 (FALL) Emotional Intelligence Skills 3
TE 390 (SPRING)
Innovation & Engineering Design (Previously, this course was listed as TE 398 IED) 2
TE 401 Developing Breakthrough Projects - Learn more about TE 401 4
TE 450 Startups: Incorporation, Funding, Contracts, & Intellectual Property 3
TE 461 Technology Entrepreneurship 3
TE 462 (SPRING) Leading Sustainable Change (Previously, this course was listed as TE 498-GS) 3
TE 466 High Tech Venture Marketing 2

ILEE Dual Degree Application

Learn More & Apply

 

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