The Centre for Entrepreneurship offers a series of 'core' entrepreneurship courses. Other courses related to innovation and entrepreneurship are offered to students at the undergraduate level by specific Arts & Science departments as listed below.
Undergrad - Core Courses
Courses for academic credit offered by the Centre for Entrepreneurship are listed below. They are specifically designed to be open to students from across the breadth of the Faculty of Arts & Science creating the opportunity for students from diverse disciplinary backgrounds to engage in robust learning from both the scholarly and experiential lenses.
How do innovations become useful in society? What is needed for a company to use such innovations successfully? Why and how do individuals and companies commercialize new ideas or technologies? This course provides a broad introduction to entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial skills and the methodology used by entrepreneurs to start a new venture.
This experiential learning course allows students to explore the inner working of new ventures or other innovative organizations. The majority of the course consists of activities applying entrepreneurial concepts within a local organization or the student’s own venture, with oversight from the Centre for Entrepreneurship. In-class activities facilitate the application of entrepreneurial tools to develop the students’ entrepreneurial skills.
Check back for Fall 2023 applications.
This experiential learning course allows students to explore the inner working of new ventures or other innovative organizations. The majority of the course consists of activities applying entrepreneurial concepts within a local organization or the student’s own venture, with oversight from the Centre for Entrepreneurship. In-class activities facilitate the application of entrepreneurial tools to develop the students’ entrepreneurial skills.
Not offered in 2022-2023
Credit course for supervised participation in faculty research project.
Not offered in 2022-2023
Credit course for supervised participation in faculty research project.
Not offered in 2022-2023
Undergrad - Specialized Courses
Students are encouraged to explore the wide variety of innovation and entrepreneurship courses offered by units and programs across the Faculty of Arts & Science. Details can be found in the Academic Calendar and the Course Timetable.
A&S Unit/Program: Rotman Commerce
This breadth course introduces uses of and key ideas behind biosensor technology. Sensors will be familiar to all, playing key roles in our everyday lives, for example in touch screens or in automotive technology. Biosensor devices are fabricated from an electrical transducer which is intimately connected to a biochemical probe such as an enzyme or antibody. The idea is that a detectable electrical signal can be obtained when a target molecule or ion binds to the probe. Such a device offers many applications. These range from the detection of biological markers in blood and serum to test for genetic and infectious disease, to the selective monitoring of biomolecules for public safety, or in biotechnology or other industrial processes. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.
A&S Unit/Program: Chemistry
In the framework of a dry lab, students will analyze and interpret characterization data, extending their existing knowledge of chemical fundamentals and experimental techniques to polymeric systems. Through a combination of lectures, dynamic group collaborations, and self-paced assignments, students will actively engage with peers to understand course materials (including published literature), explore how polymer innovations are commercialized, and develop a toolkit for leveraging instrumentation to investigate hypotheses in research.
Concepts and techniques for the design and development of electronic games. History, social issues, and story elements. The business of game development and game promotion. Software engineering, artificial intelligence, and graphics elements. Level and model design. Audio elements. Practical assignments leading to team implementation of a complete game.
A&S Unit/Program: Computer Science
The course teaches techniques and methodologies that will give you a distinct career advantage after graduation. It is designed to give you a true-to-life experience of the thought processes and execution strategies behind successful tech business ventures, which apply whether you are planning on creating your own startup, joining a startup or working for an established employer.
This course is designed to be taken by people in any faculty or discipline as we will focus on helping you understand and develop modern business sense, introduce modern customer development and product development skills, financial skills, marketing skills, and more while building your own startup.
Students will work in teams to define and develop their own commercializable startups in a selected theme, develop a plan to tackle problems and introduce solutions, develop a working implementation, and present their work. Themes change every semester as we partner with new leaders in the industry. The class will be small, highly interactive, and work closely with teammates in CSC491/2600 who will build the actual product (informed and directed by work in this course).
A&S Unit/Program: Computer Science
This course is designed and delivered by industry experts from the Software and Tech fields. This course will span your knowledge from various Computer Science topics including data science, softwaredevelopment, professional experience, web development, project management, and more.
While no existing knowledge of these areas is expected, you are expected to be able to write software and learn on the go! Please refer to the recommended course skills for more detail.
Students will work in teams to define and develop their own marketable startups in a selected theme, develop a plan to tackle problems and introduce solutions, develop a working implementation, and present their work. Class time will focus on the project but will include some lectures. Themes change every term as we partner with new leaders in the industry. The class will be small, highly interactive, and work closely with teammates in CSC454/2527.
A&S Unit/Program: Economics
A research-oriented course that explores the impact of technological developments on the industrial organization of financial markets. Topics include: the impact of the automated financial products and procedures (e.g., algorithmic trading and robo-advising) on the price formation process, the economic impact of new tools and technologies (e.g., blockchain, digital currencies, and predictive analytics such as machine learning), the emergence of alternative financing methods such as crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending.
A&S Unit/Program: Geography & Planning
Explores how new technologies and industries are generated and sustained, or failed to be. Focuses on the dynamics of leading technological sectors such as electronics, automobiles and biotechnology in their geographical and historical contexts. We critically scrutinise the iconic Silicon Valley along with other major innovative regions/nations, and investigate the key role of universities and finance in driving innovation and entrepreneurship.
A&S Unit/Program: Geography & Planning
The course focuses on a broad range of topics related to innovation and governance, such as (i) technological change and its social and economic consequences, (ii) the spatial effects which result from this, and (iii) the necessities for economic policies at different territorial levels. Since international competitiveness of industrialized economies cannot be based on cost advantages alone, future growth in the knowledge-based economy will be increasingly associated with capabilities related to creativity, knowledge generation and innovation. As a consequence, questions regarding the performance in innovation and effectiveness of policy support become decisive at the firm level, regional level and national level. The first part of the course deals with conceptual foundations of innovation processes, such as evolutionary and institutional views of innovation. In the second part, national configurations of innovation processes are investigated. The third part deals with innovation at the subnational level, focusing on regional clustering, institution building, multilevel governance, and regionalized innovation systems.
A&S Unit/Program: Human Biology
This course introduces life science students to biomedical advances and technologies in medicine, including drug patents, medical device implants, diagnostic and medical device software. Limitations of patent protection in commercializing medical products, and limitations to scalability may also be discussed. Specific topics vary from year to year and will be based on the course instructor's area(s) of expertise.
Discover what it is like to be part of a biomedical innovation team. Develop and engage in biomedical research in a simulated small business/incubator setting under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Bring your proposed JPM300H1 project to life, while acquiring budget management, research, business and communication workplace skills for future careers. Enrolment is application-based. Proposals will be reviewed by committee and successful proposals will be matched to a mentor.
Application required, contact department (undergrad.pharmtox@utoronto.ca) for more information.
A&S Unit/Program: Rotman Commerce
What are the principles and practices that drive innovation in organizations? Create breakthrough solutions and businesses? This course teaches students how to identify customer needs, prototype new solutions and design business strategies to create competitive advantage. Students will apply the learning in real time and on real world challenges.
A&S Unit/Program: Rotman Commerce
Introduces essentials of starting a new business: how to evaluate new opportunities, craft strategy, obtain resources, manage growth, and distribute ownership. Applies concepts from strategic management to challenges facing new/small businesses. Examines the role of entrepreneurs in spurring technological innovation and economic growth, and the effect of government policy on entrepreneurial activity. Not eligible for CR/NCR option. Contact Rotman Commerce for details.
A&S Unit/Program: Rotman Commerce
Teaches about technological evolution and how evolutionary stages impact firms’ strategic choices. Important issues in technological evolution are technological discontinuities, standards wars, dominant designs and patenting. Important strategic decisions concern innovation management, product versus process focus and intellectual property strategies. Project oriented coursework based on patent and business data bases. Not eligible for CR/NCR option. Contact Rotman Commerce for details.