Introduction
Overview
The option in entrepreneurship gives University of Waterloo engineering students an opportunity to pursue an innovative curriculum focused on two themes of entrepreneurship; venture creation and corporate entrepreneurship. While it is common to associate entrepreneurship with venture creation, increasingly there is growing demand for students who can act as "entrepreneurs within organizations", sometimes referred to as corporate entrepreneurs, or intrapreneurs. Both forms of entrepreneurship are critical to Canada's competitiveness in global markets and its economic vitality.
The option in entrepreneurship is designed for students with a passion for entrepreneurship, who wish to leverage their technical background with the business skills required to move ideas from concept to commercial success. It is built upon a uniquely Waterloo approach to entrepreneurship education that recognizes the need to couple academic and experiential learning to develop an individual's entrepreneurial capabilities. This is achieved through a combination of co-operative or capstone project educational experiences and academic content tailored to the entrepreneur's stage of development.
Option Objectives
Successful students in the Option in Entrepreneurship will:
- be able to create and grow new entrepreneurial businesses
- understand the process of commercializing new technologies
- be able to manage the introduction and growth of new business opportunities within existing organizations
Specific Requirements
Two Tracks: Venture Creation or Corporate Entrepreneurship
Students can pursue one of two tracks in the Entrepreneurship Option. Each track consists of required academic courses and an entrepreneurial experience component.
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Venture Creation Track
Academic Requirements
All of the following courses:
Plus one technical course in an area related to your entrepreneurial experience, approved by the Option Co-ordinator.
Entrepreneurial Experience
In this track, students demonstrate entrepreneurial experience by earning credit for an Enterprise Co-op (E Co-op) Milestone. The BET 310 course is to be taken concurrently with the E Co-op term.
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Corporate Entrepreneurship Track
Academic Requirements
All of the following courses:
Plus one technical course in an area related to your entrepreneurial experience, approved by the Option Co-ordinator.
Entrepreneurial Experience
In this track, students demonstrate entrepreneurial experience through their capstone design project. Students must take the BET 410A and BET 410B courses concurrently with their capstone project courses.
Capstone project courses include: CHE 482/CHE 483 or CIVE 400/CIVE 401 or ECE 498A/ECE 498B or ENVE 400/ENVE 401 or GENE 403/GENE 404 or GEOE 400/GEOE 401 or MSCI 401/MSCI 402 or ME 481/ME 482 or MTE 481/MTE 482 or NE 408/NE 409 or SE 490/SE 491 or SYDE 461/SYDE 462.