The Minor in Entrepreneurship

Undergraduate Conrad School students working on a whiteboard

Enhance your academic degree with the business skills required to move ideas from concept to commercial, organizational, or social success. 

What is the minor in entrepreneurship? 

The minor is designed for students with a passion for entrepreneurship who wish to leverage their academic and technical background with the business skills required to move ideas from concept to commercial, organizational, or social success. It is built upon a uniquely Waterloo approach to entrepreneurship education that integrates academic and experiential learning to develop an individual’s capabilities. This is achieved through a combination of co-operative or capstone project educational experiences and academic content.

The eight courses in the minor are designed to equip students with the skills and domain-specific knowledge they need to pursue their entrepreneurial ambitions, while the entrepreneurial experience presents an opportunity to apply classroom learning in real-time.

Requirements 

The minor in entrepreneurship requires the successful completion of eight courses and one experiential milestone. 

Three core courses, recommended in the following order:  

  • BET 100 Foundations of Entrepreneurial Practice 
  • BET 320 Entrepreneurial Strategy 
  • BET 340 Essentials of Entrepreneurial Planning and Execution (formerly BET 310)

Five electives:

  • Three of the following BET courses: 
    • BET 210 Business Technologies and Infrastructure
    • BET 300 Foundations of Venture Creation
    • BET 350 Customer Experience Design
    • BET 360 Design for Social Ventures
    • BET 400 Growing Early Stage Ventures
    • BET 411 Capstone Entrepreneurship Planning and Execution
    • BET 412 Advanced Topics in Entrepreneurship
    • BET 420 Entrepreneurship for Social Impact
    • BET 430 Sales Fundamentals 
    • BET 450 Leadership
    • BET 460 Business Negotiations
    • BET 580 Consulting
  • ​Two electives from the student's home faculty which relate to the experiential milestone (subject to approval of the Minor Coordinator), OR two additional BET courses from the list above. 

Experiential Milestone: 

Students must participate in a milestone related to entrepreneurship. One possible milestone is an Enterprise Co-op (E Co-op) credit or Entrepreneurial Experience Term for non co-op students, pursuing opportunities that lead to the formation of commercial or social ventures. Other milestones include a capstone-style project, thesis, major project course, or senior course containing a major assignment that could lead to a corporate enhancement or social contribution. Approval of experiential milestones as an appropriate entrepreneurial experience will rest with the Minor Coordinator.

To be successfully awarded the minor in entrepreneurship, students must complete all courses and approved electives with an overall average of 65% and no course less than 60%. The experiential milestone is graded on a credit/non-credit basis.

How to declare the minor 

Contact your academic advisor to declare the minor. When it comes to determining your entrepreneurial milestone or elective courses, consult the Minor Coordinator. 

You actually get credits and work on your company - that's something that's not encouraged or even adopted anywhere else. There's this pay-it-forward mentality that allows students or young founders to get in front of these big mentors who built and sold companies.

Harry Gandhi, Enterprise Co-op and BET 300 student

Minor in Entrepreneurship requirements  - Fall 2017 and earlier

Students who began the minor in entrepreneurship prior to the Winter 2018 term may choose to follow either the current minor requirements or the pre-Winter 2018 requirements noted below. 

Venture creation track

Core courses. These courses are common to both tracks.

  • BET 100 Essentials of Entrepreneurial Behaviour
  • BET 320 Introduction to Commercialization Management
  • BET 400 Growing Early Stage Ventures
  • BET 420 Social Entrepreneurship and Corporate Social Responsibility

Track-specific courses. These courses provide the necessary knowledge to move a venture idea from conception to launch, applied in real-time along with the experiential component.

  • BET 300 Foundations of Venture Creation
  • BET 310 Enterprise Co-op Entrepreneurship Planning and Execution

Electives. These courses must be approved by the Minor Coordinator based on their relevance to the experiential component. 

  • two electives relevant to the experiential component (can be double-counted with other degree courses)

Experiential component. Students in a co-op program will satisfy the experiential component through the completion of an Enterprise Co-op (E Co-op) term. Students who are not in a co-op program will satisfy the experiential component by building their venture during a non-academic term or a school term, completing the same requirements expected of an E Co-op term.

Corporate Entrepreneurship track 

Core courses. These courses are common to both tracks.

  • BET 100 Essentials of Entrepreneurial Behaviour
  • BET 320 Introduction to Commercialization Management
  • BET 400 Growing Early Stage Ventures
  • BET 420 Social Entrepreneurship and Corporate Social Responsibility

Track-specific courses. Taken concurrently with the experiential component, these courses support students' efforts at developing their entrepreneurial project.

  • BET 411 Capstone Entrepreneurship Planning and Execution
  • BET 412 Advanced Topics in Entrepreneurship (or equivalent)

Electives. These courses must be approved by the Minor Coordinator based on their relevance to the experiential component. 

  • two electives relevant to the experiential component (these can be double-counted with other courses taken for your degree)

Experiential component. Students will explore and develop the commercial potential or viability of their major end-of-program project. This should be a capstone project, a research-based thesis, or an independent project approved by the Minor Coordinator. 

Questions? 

Questions can be directed to Marc Hurwitz, Minor Coordinator and Associate Director, Undergraduate Studies at the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business.