We believe our society is in need of creative people who can actually implement their ideas.
The new Design, Technology and Entrepreneurship (DTE) program at Illinois Wesleyan provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to conceive, develop, and deliver products and services for industry, society, and the planet.
This uniquely interdisciplinary program incorporates creative and technical skills, material science, and finance and management.
Students will make product prototypes, create business plans, and develop electronic portfolios of their finished products.
They will gain familiarity with basic scientific concepts useful for product design, the creative ideation process, gain experience rendering their product concepts using technical drawing skills and computer aided design (CAD) software, learn how to fabricate prototypes using the University’s 3D printers and CNC machines, and become knowledgeable in business processes, accounting for entrepreneurs, and how to write grants and raise funds for new ventures.
Choose Your Focus
Students will select from one of the three following areas of concentration:
- Product Design focuses on the aesthetics and interactions humans have with products.
- Engineering Design gives students experience with the technical – mechanical, electrical, and/or programming – aspects of products.
- Entrepreneurship provides understanding of how ideas are brought to market and society through business and other organizational means.
In addition to a major in Design, Technology and Entrepreneurship, two minors are available: in Entrepreneurship or Product Design.