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