Undergraduate courses

Learn how to make things happen. Study entrepreneurship.

Richard Yim working on a robot in engineering

BET courses teach you how to turn ideas into opportunities. Study entrepreneurship and business with undergraduate courses from the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business.

Not sure where to start? Check out BET 100 - Foundations of Entrepreneurial Practice - an online course that offers an academic overview of the fundamentals of entrepreneurship.

Course delivery - important notice

In alignment with Waterloo's COVID-19 pandemic response, all BET courses for the fall 2020 term will be delivered virtually. Please note that BET 100 and 210 are originally-designed for online delivery, all other BET courses are in-person classes that are being redesigned for online delivery.

For important updates and more information about how COVID-19 is impacting Waterloo operations, please visit the main Coronavirus Information page.

Courses offered in fall 2020

BET 100 Foundations of Entrepreneurial Practice
BET 210 Business Technology and Infrastructure
BET 300 Foundations of Venture Creation
BET 320 Entrepreneurial Strategy
BET 340 Essentials of Entrepreneurial Planning and Execution
BET 350 Customer Experience Design
BET 420 Entrepreneurship for Social Impact
BET 430 Sales Fundamentals
BET 450 Leadership
BET 460 Business Negotiations
BET 580 Consulting

BET 100 (online) Foundations of Entrepreneurial Practice

Successful entrepreneurs combine intellectual rigour with innovation to create solutions that have an impact. It is a process that starts with a search for “big ideas” using tools such as research, observation, and appreciative inquiry. Next, entrepreneurs analyze situations and apply creativity techniques to develop solutions. Finally, solutions are tested against business drivers including customer value propositions, customer identification, channel selection, and resource needs. This course covers the three steps that form the foundation of all entrepreneurial success: big ideas, solutions, and testing. Because of its broad scope, the course is valuable to students from different academic backgrounds, entrepreneurship interests, and program level.

Offered: F, W, S

Note: List C for engineering complementary studies

BET 210 (online) Business Technologies and Infrastructure

Modern organizations increasingly rely on a technological infrastructure that informs what can be accomplished, the prospects for long-term growth, and its overall competitiveness. In this course, students will learn about underlying technologies, gain insights into planning for new technologies, evaluate existing systems and understand the various roles and issues related to corporate Information Systems management.

Offered: F, W, S

BET 300 Foundations of Venture Creation

This course is available to students who are committed to starting a venture through E Co-op, Velocity or on their own. The course is an introduction to the processes involved in moving an idea from conception to launch. Topics covered include:

definition and evaluation of entrepreneurial opportunities
crafting clear value propositions
business models and startup processes
business plan framework

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

To apply, complete the Application Form (.doc) and e-mail it to Nina Ripley.

Offered: F, W, S

Note: List C for engineering complementary studies

BET 320 Entrepreneurial Strategy

Once your “big idea” has been formulated, what is the best way to realize its potential? With whom should you partner? How do you protect your intellectual property? What is the optimal business model?

The objective of this course is to provide an understanding of the commercialization process, with a specific focus on the assessment of opportunities and development of an entrepreneurial business plan. Course content includes the importance of strategic partnerships, understanding the bases of competition, conducting industry and market-level analyses, evaluating innovative ideas for commercial potential, business planning in a corporate context, intellectual property strategy, and strategic tools needed for launching new ideas.

Offered: F, W, S

Note: List C for engineering complementary studies

BET 340 Essentials of Entrepreneurial Planning and Execution

Formerly BET 310

Success starts with finding a solution to a “big idea” and then creating the right strategy to bring it to market. The final step in the process is explored in this course, the disciplined execution of strategy. A broad range of skills are required for this including understanding founder and team dynamics, hiring and firing, cash flow management, project management, developing suitable equity structures and compensation, pitching, fund-raising, internal and external communications, and people skills. This course explores the business skills and knowledge needed to take a new venture – whether it is a start-up or part of an existing organization – from strategy to market.

Offered: F, W, S

Note: BET 340 is a List C course for engineering complementary studies

BET 350 Customer Experience Design

In this hands-on course, entrepreneurial students will learn the principles and tools of customer experience (CX) design and how developing an exceptional experience for the customers fits into an overall business strategy. Not only will students develop a conceptual understanding of user experience and user-centered design, they will also learn how to deeply understand the needs of the customer and develop engaging and innovative products and services. Topics include:

visual design principles
design thinking
user experience research
experience mapping
sketching and storyboards
interactive prototypes
usability testing

Offered: F

Note: List C for engineering complementary studies

BET 400 Early-Stage Venture Marketing

This course develops the theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed to develop a marketing strategy for early stage ventures. The purpose of this course is to help sustain and grow a venture that has already launched. Topics include:

managing product development
marketing and brand development
segmentation and targeting
competitor analysis
positioning

Offered: W

Note: List C for engineering complementary studies

BET 420 Entrepreneurship for Social Impact

This course explores how innovative approaches can address social problems, create organizations that make positive change, have significant social impact, and are sustainable and economically viable. Topics include the principles of social entrepreneurship, design thinking applied to identifying significant problems, innovative solutions for social impact, and identifying opportunities for social change. Students will develop skills and tools for refining and implementing their ideas as well as measuring the success and value of mission-driven organizations. Through case studies, lectures, and workshops, students will also develop skills in strategic thinking with a socially-conscious business mindset to create high-impact ventures.

Offered: F, S

Note: List A for engineering complementary studies

BET 430 Sales Fundamentals

The one thing every new venture needs whether small or large, not-for-profit or for-profit, startup or part of an already mature business, is sales. This course is designed to help you create and grow a successful business venture through your personal marketing and sales efforts. Coursework examines key sales technologies, networking techniques, the use of marketing in sales, the sales process, and assessing the value of a particular sale from both the perspective of customer impact and the financial/strategic impact on the organization.

Offered: F, W

Note: List C for engineering complementary studies

BET 450 Leadership

Leaders make things happen. Leaders make things possible. This course explores the relevant concepts, theories and skills needed to lead successfully in any environment, from new ventures to change management in large corporations, government, and not-for-profits. Topics include:

leadership and followership
group and team dynamics
change management
interpersonal dynamics
supporting leadership skills such as self-awareness, conflict management, and communications.

Course topics will be enriched through a critical study of leadership exemplars in popular media.

Offered: F, W

Antireq: MSCI 411, SPCOM 204, 227

Note: List C for engineering complementary studies

BET 460 Business Negotiations

We negotiate every day with potential employers, coworkers, merchants, service providers, customers, and suppliers. Negotiation is the art and science of securing agreements between two or more independent parties. It is a craft that must hold co-operation and competition in creative tension, and even the most experienced negotiators often fall prey to common biases and errors in judgment. This course is highly experiential; therefore, students will practice, reflect, analyze, and practice again.

Offered: F, W

Note: List C for engineering complementary studies

BET 470 Family Business

This course explores the business practices needed to manage, run, and work for family-owned ventures. The focus will be on those issues unique to family-businesses such as the interaction between family, management, and ownership. Family-controlled businesses are also characterized by challenges that put their continuity in serious jeopardy; leadership and succession crises are the norm as 75% do not make it to the second generation and, of those that do, 90% do not make it to a third generation. Topics include:

strengths and weaknesses of family businesses
managing family-business conflict
succession planning
professionalization
communication
new opportunity development
strategic planning

Offered: Course offered when resources permit

BET 580 Consulting

This course is useful for anyone considering working as a consultant, either for a consulting firm or as an internal consultant. Some of the competencies of an experienced consultant include understanding business needs from a holistic perspective, developing innovative ideas, expert people skills, influence, and change management.

This is a practical and in-depth course that addresses the overall profession of  management consulting, including

how  consulting firms are organized and managed,
consulting firm economics and professional rate setting,
how consultants compete and  secure clients, the types of services consultants provide,
service delivery methods and  practices,
engagement management and progress reporting,
deliverable development and content, value-added consulting services, 
managing client relations and expectations, 
and specialized consulting situations such as  strategy, operational improvement,  acquisitions and turnarounds.

This course  also addresses ethical and professional responsibility  in consulting, key stages in the consulting process, issue diagnosis, difficult clients, consulting frameworks, analytical approaches to solving complex problems, building a consulting toolset, change management processes, and advanced presentation techniques.

In addition, there will be guest speakers who work/ have worked with major consultancy companies such as McKinsey or Deloitte. They will provide you with industry insights and a chance to find out more about the day-to-day reality of being a consultant.

Offered: F, W

Prereq: Level at least 3A