Business and Entrepreneurship Courses

Three Conrad School graduate students writing together on a whiteboard

Enhance your graduate degree with business and entrepreneurship (BE) courses

Business and entrepreneurship courses provide Waterloo graduate students with solid skills and knowledge to help them succeed in the employment marketplace. 

Graduate students in the Faculty of Engineering who successfully complete three BE courses are eligible to receive a Certificate in Business and Entrepreneurship from the Conrad School.

Winter 2025 course offerings

  • BE 600 Management and Leadership

  • BE 601 Introduction to Financial and Managerial Accounting

  • BE 602 Data Analysis and Management 

  • BE 606 Entrepreneurship and Innovation

  • BE 620 Business Strategy

  • BE 660 Business Negotiations

  • BE 680 Consulting 

Course offerings by semester are based on current plans. Semester schedules are subject to change.

Icon of person pitching an idea

Course descriptions

 BE 600 Management and Leadership (0.50)

This course provides students with the opportunity to develop a range of soft skills and the business acumen necessary to maximize the likelihood of business success. Topics include communication and interpersonal skills, leadership, and negotiation skills. A range of applied approaches are used, including integrated cases, simulations, and interaction with the local business community. MEng and GDip students only.

Offered: F, W, S

 BE 601 Introduction to Financial and Managerial Accounting (0.50)

The course introduces students to the core elements of financial and managerial accounting. Specifically, the course objectives are to 1) assist managers to become proficient at interpreting numbers in financial statements and assessing their usefulness for business decisions, and 2) assist managers to understand the vital role that internal accounting information, or management accounting, plays in making better planning, organizing, controlling, improvement and compensation decisions. MEng and GDip students only.

Offered: F, W, S

BE 602 Data Analysis and Management (0.50)

Introduces students to the basic tools in using data to make informed management decisions. Coverage includes introductory probability, decision analysis, basic statistics, regression, simulation and linear optimization. Computer spreadsheet exercises, cases and examples will be drawn from marketing, finance, operations management and other management functions. MEng and GDip students only.

Offered: W

BE 603 Operations and Supply Chain Management (0.50)

This course introduces students to supply chain and operations management through case studies, a simulation, class discussions, exercises, and lectures. The course covers topics such as systems integration, scheduling, forecasting, inventory management, quality management, lean thinking, supply chain management, supply chain collaboration, and people and operations. MEng and GDip​ students only.
Offered: S

BE 604 Marketing Management (0.50)

This course looks at how organizations develop a market orientation and examines the development of marketing strategy in relation to target markets selected, competitive advantages created and exploited and market positioning. The marketing mix of product, price promotion and distribution and the new product development process are also covered. MEng and GDip students only.
Offered: W

BE 605 Project Management (0.50)

This course introduces students to the key areas of Project Management. Specifically, the course objectives are to: 1) assist managers in identifying and scheduling project resources; 2) assist managers to conceptualize, plan, schedule, control and execute projects; 3) assist managers to be conversant in project risk management; and 4) enable managers to gain a better understanding of the comprehensive nature of project management. Subjects include best practices, leadership skills, and operations. MEng and GDip students only.
Offered: S

BE 606 Entrepreneurship and Innovation (0.50)

This course introduces students to the theory underlying entrepreneurship, venture creation and innovation management, as well as its practical implications. Topics covered include an introduction to entrepreneurship and innovation, the dynamics of innovation, corporate entrepreneurship and commercialization, venture creation and the management of high-performance innovative teams.
Offered: F, S

BE 620 Business Strategy (0.50)

This course enhances the student's strategic thinking and analytical skills that can be applied at the organizational level. The perspective taken is that of the general manager, with responsibility for all aspects on an organization. Specific topics include strategic management practices, the nature of competitive advantage, specific strategies for different levels of the organization including functional and business levels, and implementing strategy.

Offered: F

BE 660 Business Negotiations (0.50)

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: W

BE 680 Consulting (0.50)

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

Please visit the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar for further details.