🐯 Princeton Keller Center unofficial reading list, fall 2026
← Back to Fields of Study
Freshman level
Engineering in the Modern World EGR 102
- The Innovators, Trade: The Engineering Pioneers Who Transformed America by David P. Billington
- From Insight to Innovation: Engineering Ideas That Transformed America in the 20th Century by Billington & Littman
- Power, Speed & Form: Engineers & the Making of the 20th Century by Billington & Billington
Foundations of Engineering: The Mathematics of Shape & Motion EGR 152
- Thomas’ Calculus: Early Transcendentals by Hass et al.
Sophomore level
Creativity, Innovation & Design EGR / ENT 200
- A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative by Roger von Oech
- Experiencing Design: The Innovator’s Journey by Liedtka et al.
Designing Sustainable Systems: Experiential Learning on Campus Energy EGR 208
- Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by McDonough & Braungart
- Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature by Janine M. Benyus
- Thinking in Systems by Donella H. Meadows
Fundamentals of Statistics EGR 245
- Probability & Statistics for Engineering & the Sciences by Jay Devore
People-Centered: Doing Anthropology EGR / ENT 299
- The Ethnographer’s Way: A Handbook for Multidimensional Research Design by Peterson & Olson
- Making Livable Worlds: Afro-Puerto Rican Women Building Environmental Justice by Hilda Llorens
Junior level
Optimization EGR 307
- Intro. to Linear Optimization by Bertsimas & Tsitsiklis
- Linear Programming: Foundations and Extensions by Robert J. Vanderbei
Probability & Stochastic Systems EGR 309
- Fundamentals of Probability: With Stochastic Processes by Saeed Ghahramani
- Intro. To Probability by Bertsekas & Tsitsiklis
- Intro. to Probability Models by Sheldon M. Ross
Senior level
High-Tech Entrepreneurship EGR / ENT 491
- Built for Growth: How Builder Personality Shapes Your Business, Your Team & Your Ability to Win by Kuenne & Danner
Entrepreneurship: Ventures of Impact EGR / ENT 495
- Effectual Entrepreneurship by Sarasvathy & Wheatley
Entrepreneurial Leadership EGR / ENT 497
- How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen
- Startup Leadership: How Savvy Entrepreneurs Turn Their Ideas Into Successful Enterprises by Derek Lidow
Graduate level
Technical Leadership in Engineering EGR 531
- The 8 Dimensions of Leadership: DiSC Strategies for Becoming a Better Leader by Sugerman et al.
- Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
- ✔️ Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Burnett & Evans (my highlights)
- Managing Scientists: Leadership Strategies in Scientific Research by Alice M. Sapienza
- Leadership by Engineers & Scientists: Professional Skills Needed to Succeed in a Changing World by Dennis W. Hess