Courses and Options in Entrepreneurship and Innovation

SC200: Entrepreneurship in Science

This course is offered by the Faculty of Science and open to all students.

The focus in this course is to introduce science minded students to the world of entrepreneurship. During the term, students will do real-world market research and feasibility testing of their own business idea, culminating in a presentation that simulates a pitch competition.

SE200: How to change the World: Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship

SE200 explores the current practice and potential of social enterprises around the world and how social entrepreneurship is used to create lasting social change. Models of social entrepreneurship are compared and distinguished from other modes of generating social change. This course is open to all students and may be counted toward the Social Entrepreneurship Option.

SE300: Developing a Social Venture

This course provides a hands-on introduction on how to design and launch social enterprises as a form of innovation and fostering positive change in society. You will be introduced to the full process from idea generation/opportunity recognition through to prototyping and implementation. You will work closely and in collaboration with other students and stakeholders both on- and off-campus. This course may be counted toward the Social Entrepreneurship Option.

CMEG300: Introduction to Community Engagement

This foundational course for the Community Engagement Option introduces the key concepts of social inclusion, local democracy, distributive economics, and community development. You will be taken off-campus to participate in a series of on-the-ground learning experiences that take place in downtown Kitchener.

Note: This course is a requirement of the Social Entrepreneurship Option and runs as an intensive six-week 0.5 credit course during the first half of the fall term.

BU301: The Entrepreneurial Method

This is an excellent introductory course to start your entrepreneurial journey. Emphasis will be on developing entrepreneurial practices, and understanding the methodology entrepreneurs employ to make decisions while building successful ventures, so that you can develop the logic and ways of thinking of a successful entrepreneur. You will also learn how to build an innovator's mindset and learn techniques for enhancing creative thought to develop ideas for future ventures. You'll learn how to do effective primary customer research with real potential customers, and develop and evolve your ideas based on the insights gained.

ENTR301: Business Model Design and Execution

In this course you will ratchet your innovative and entrepreneurial skills up a notch as you prepare to launch your own enterprise.  You will be mentored through the process of validating your idea with real customers, creating a sustainable business model to execute on your idea, and building an effective team to turn your vision into reality.

Note: the knowledge and experience gained in this course will help you build a venture to a level that would put you in a position to apply to Laurier’s LaunchPad incubator if you choose to do so.

CMEG301: Social Inclusion, Local Democracy and Community Enterprise

This core course in the Community Engagement Option studies the processes of understanding and addressing structural barriers that affect individuals at the community level, and explores the collaborative infrastructures and concepts of fair distribution of resources and knowledge. Relevant themes, concepts, and models of local democracy, community development, distributive economics and inclusion are investigated through engaged learning experiences at The Working Centre in downtown Kitchener.

Note: This course runs as an intensive six-week 0.5 credit course during the second half of the fall term (following CMEG300).

CMEG305: Semester in Community Engagement 

Through this 1.0 credit capstone course in the Community Engagement Option, you will learn to apply community engagement theories and principles working toward a project or enterprise with your colleagues that will make a positive contribution in the community.

BU321: Social Entrepreneurship

This course provides an understanding of the process of starting a new business dedicated to tackling social or environmental issues and making an impact on society. The characteristics of social entrepreneurs, the identification and evaluation of opportunities, the assembly of resources and the development of a sustainable social business model will be covered. Students will work on building their own social enterprise based on social problems they are passionate about solving.

BU331: Ideation and Customer Development

In ENTR 300 you will be exposed to and work with real innovators and entrepreneurs on their own startup ventures, applying the disciplined entrepreneurship model used in MIT’s incubator.  This course will challenge you in lots of ways as you grow into an entrepreneur yourself, and give you practice in applying the methodology in preparation for building your own ventures. 

GS/SE364: Social Innovation in the City

At the heart of the Laurier-City Hub initiative, this course offers students a unique opportunity to learn the latest approaches and tools that are being used to problem solve social and community challenges all over the world; develop their secondary and primary research and consultation skills; and design innovative solutions to address real social, economic or environmental challenges.

Working closely with the City of Waterloo, and a multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder groups of social innovation advisors, you will present your findings, and proposed social innovations and policy recommendations at City Hall at the end of the course. The most promising ideas that emerge from this course are then developed further through Laurier-City Hub student summer internships awarded to the best performing students in the course. The results of the internship assist the City in the process of creating and implementing actual social innovations and policy. This course may be counted towards the Social Entrepreneurship Option.

SE350: Social Innovation and Culture

Learn how cultural contexts influence the practices and aims of social innovation. Using case studies students will explore how novel approaches to collaboration and entrepreneurship can draw on culture as a key resource for positive change. In this course, you will experience hands-on learning and collaborative inquiry in partnership with organizations on- and off-campus. This course may be counted towards the Social Entrepreneurship Option.

SE400: Capstone in Social Entrepreneurship

In this 1.0 credit course, you will become a social entrepreneur! Social Entrepreneurship faculty members, who are also seasoned social entrepreneurs, will be your coaches as you design, create, and launch your own social enterprise, an enterprise that will generate social impact and may even become your future career.

The Social Entrepreneurship Option can take you wherever you wish to go.

BU403: Entrepreneurial Finance

The primary focus of this course is on the financial challenges confronting small and medium-sized businesses that are growing rapidly or aspire to rapid growth. In particular, you will concentrate on understanding the financing problems firms confront at different stages, and become familiar with the different sources of funds, and the tax and regulatory environment within with the funds are obtained. Students will also learn the key elements of structuring financing deals.

BU421: Managing the Family Enterprise

This course is designed to enhance awareness of the significance, diversity and complexity of family business. You will develop an understanding of the distinctive advantages and challenges of family firms, enhancing your ability to develop strategic solutions to improve the performance of family firms. Topics include but are not limited to: duality of business and family roles, intergenerational relations, sibling relations, conflict resolution, mate selection, governance structures for family firms, non-family executives, next generation commitment and consulting to family firms.

BU460: Laurier Startup Fund

The Laurier Startup Fund course is an experiential learning opportunity for senior business students to evaluate and ultimately invest in budding businesses. By working with a strong community of established investors, students gain valuable hands-on experience in being angel investors. BU460 is essentially a practicum that gives senior undergraduate and graduate students a hands-on education in early stage investing with companies that are growing rapidly or aspire to rapid growth.

Note: You must complete the Startup Fund Course Application Form to be considered for acceptance into this course.

GESC465: Capstone Urban Sustainability Project

In this capstone course, you will work on a project within a problem-based learning context that deals with aspects of urban planning and development. You will research, analyze and resolve a local issue identified by a community partner and propose solutions grounded in principles of sustainability.

BU611: Entrepreneurship for MBAs

An understanding of the process of starting a new business, including the study of the characteristics of the entrepreneur, the identification and evaluation of opportunities, the assembly of resources and the development of the business plan. Franchising and starting a new venture by an established company are also examined.

SK632b: Entrepreneurship for Social Workers

This course is a focused introduction to social entrepreneurship designed with the assumption that you have little or no business or enterprise experience. Students are exposed to the full process from idea generation/opportunity (as social change agents) recognition through to venture creation; all in the context of social change.

BU660: Laurier Startup Fund

The Laurier Startup Fund is an experiential learning opportunity for senior business students to evaluate and ultimately invest in budding businesses. By working with a strong community of established investors, students gain valuable hands-on experience in being angel investors.

Complete the Startup Fund Course Application Form to be considered for acceptance into the course.

Entrepreneurship Concentration

For undergraduates, there are plenty of entrepreneurship-oriented courses that can lead to an Entrepreneurship Concentration for BBA students an Option in Social Entrepreneurship for all students in an undergraduate honours program.

Here's what the Entrepreneurship Concentration consists of:

• ENTR200: The Entrepreneurial Method

And any three (3) of:

• BU321: Social Entrepreneurship
• BU403: Entrepreneurial Finance
• BU421: Managing the Family Enterprise
• BU451: Law and Entrepreneurship
• BU479: High-Tech Marketing
• ENTR300: Business Model Creation
• ENTR301: Business Model Execution

Social Entrepreneurship Option

The Social Entrepreneurship Option is for students who want to create sustainable solutions to the world’s most urgent issues. The first Canadian undergraduate social entrepreneurship program grounded in the liberal arts, it consists of 4.0 mandatory credits (8 courses). The Social Entrepreneurship Option also facilitates international placements and local engagement with civic institutions and community organizations. In the Social Entrepreneurship Option, students will launch their own social venture as their capstone project. It's open to any Laurier student in an undergraduate honours program.