Entrepreneurial Skills in Academia: A Curriculum for Teaching Proposal Writing to Female Graduate Students

Abstract

This article addresses the development of entrepreneurial skills in academic and human service settings byreporting on a curriculum for teaching proposal writing for funded research and program developmentgrants. The article includes a review of current challenges in preparing primarily female graduate studentswith skills needed for grant seeking in their careers in human services. A description of the proposal writingcurriculum, teaching methodologies used, and outcomes obtained during the past six offerings of the courseare described. In addition, preliminary evaluation data from a survey of a nonrandom sample of participantsin the course (N=30) about their perceptions of the course and its utility are included. Lessons learned andimplications for using the curriculum with other populations, such as female faculty and agency-basedhuman service professionals, are also explored.