Program Overview

Entrepreneurship Option in Engineering

The Entrepreneurship Option in Engineering is designed for Waterloo Engineering students who want to explore entrepreneurship by taking courses to enhance their technical background with business skills. The option consists of six academic courses in business and entrepreneurship and an entrepreneurial experience.

What is the Entrepreneurship Option?

The Entrepreneurship Option is designed for undergraduate students currently enrolled in an engineering discipline in the Faculty of Engineering. Students in other faculties are eligible to pursue the Minor in Entrepreneurship.

Requirements

The Entrepreneurship Option requires the successful completion of six courses and an experiential milestone.

• Three core courses are recommended in the following order:
  • BET 100 Foundations of Entrepreneurial Practice
  • BET 320 Entrepreneurial Strategy
  • BET 340 Essentials of Entrepreneurial Planning and Execution
• Electives (choose courses from this list):
  • Any other BET courses
  • Up to two technical courses in an area related to the milestone requirement, as approved by the Conrad School Associate Director, Undergraduate Programs.
• Experiential Milestone:
  • Students must participate in a milestone related to entrepreneurship. One possible milestone is an Enterprise Co-op (E Co-op) credit or 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 Conrad School Associate Director Undergraduate Programs.

For the option to appear as a designation on the transcript, students must achieve an average of 60% in their Option courses and a grade of at least 50% in each of the courses for their option.

How to Declare the Entrepreneurship Option

Students may register and take courses for the option right away, as they pursue their engineering degree. The BET option courses must be taken as electives. Students must declare the option by contacting their academic advisor before they begin their experiential milestone.

Students are encouraged to meet with the Conrad School Associate Director Undergraduate Programs to ensure that they meet the requirements of the option and for the approval of their technical electives and experiential milestone.