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The topic of engineering identity is neither new nor complete in its coverage within current literature. In fact, although this body of work predates the last ten years, researchers have argued that some of the most significant burgeoning in this area has occurred in the last decade. By applying both quantitative and qualitative lenses to this inquiry, researchers have concluded that, much like a STEM identity, an engineering identity describes how students see themselves, their competence and potential for success in the academic and career context of the field. To further examine the latter component i.e. potential for academic and career success, we attend to an emerging concept of an entrepreneurial engineering identity. This preliminary work unfolded organically; the authors’ primary goal involved a larger Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study that investigated persistence and advanced degree aspirations among 20 Black male engineering undergraduate students from a variety of institutional settings. While we did not intentionally seek to examine this emerging component of engineering identity, our preliminary analysis of participants’ interview data led us down this path. What we observed was a latent phenomenon of interest among participants: these Black male engineering undergraduates recurringly articulated clear intentions for academic and career opportunities that integrated business components into their engineering realities. Kegan’s (1984, 1994) Theory of Meaning-Making provided a framework for understanding how participants perceived the development of business acumen as a strategy for ascending existing corporate/organizational structures, creating new business pathways, and promoting corporate social responsibility. Based on these findings, the authors were inspired to explore the conceptual development of an entrepreneurial engineering identity and its practical application to engineering degree (re)design, student academic advisory and career planning.