The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo) is designed to be different. Launched in 1957 by a group of industrialists with a dream of changing the world through innovation and research, Waterloo is a unique integration of academic excellence, curiosity-driven research, co-operative education, and experiential learning. It combines a learning environment of extremely high quality – Waterloo is ranked #149 in the world by QS, and it is also a member of Canada’s prestigious U15 Grouping of Research-Intensive Universities – with a full appreciation for the kinds of knowledge, understanding, analysis, and action that are needed to contribute to a better world; Waterloo, indeed, is a global leader in the integration of work (broadly defined) and learning.
The spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship infuses every aspect of UWaterloo – from teaching and learning, to research and the workplace.
Located in a mid-sized city in the heart of Canada’s technology hub, UWaterloo has become a leading comprehensive university with more than 40,000 full- and part-time students in undergraduate and graduate programs. Consistently ranked one of Canada’s most innovative universities, UWaterloo is home to advanced research and teaching in science and engineering, mathematics and computer science, health, environment, arts, and social sciences. Waterloo is also pivotal to its local region – a sophisticated and modern community of approximately 600,000 residents, it is safe, creative, and provides easy access to abundant greenspaces as well as Canada’s largest metropolis (Toronto is just 110 km away).
UWaterloo is also deeply international. With more than one-quarter of its students from outside of Canada– as well as more than one-quarter of its faculty members holding a non-Canadian citizenship – UWaterloo is multicultural and welcoming to the world. It also reaches internationally to connect with the world: its students regularly travel abroad for study-terms, work-terms, entrepreneurship residencies, research investigations, and more; and its faculty members are active in virtually every country of the world, with more than 50% of its members’ publications having at least one international co-author. As a community, we are very excited to offer you this program.
Academic: GPA of 3 or above on their studies to date
English Language:
– IELTS: 6.5 (minimun Reading 6, Writing 6.5, Listening 6, Speaking 6.5)
– TOEFL iBT: 90 (minimum writing 25, Speaking 25)
– Duolingo English Test: 120
– TOEIC: not accepted
20 October 2024 – 30 November 2024
Activities
Lectures and Workshops
These sessions represent the Academic component of the program and they will mostly take place in the classroom at the Conrad School. Highly experienced professionals will share their knowledge and introduce students to a variety of related topics, including Entrepreneurship in the Waterloo Region, Problem Identification & Analysis, Team Building, Design Thinking, Business Model Canvas, Market Research, Sales, Marketing, the Art of Pitching and more.
Visit, Tours, and Presentations
These activities represent the experiential part of the Entrepreneurship Program and are meant to allow the students to get hands-on experience and see for themselves how some of the local companies and other organizations in the region function as part of an entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Start-Up Business Plan Creation
All of the students’ learning and experiences during their six weeks in Canada will culminate in the creation of a start-up business plan. The main objective of this task is for students to connect previous knowledge with the new ideas acquired during this summer program and create plans for a new and exciting venture.