Currently-Offered Graduate Courses

No electives are available to students outside of the program. Visit the Architecture Graduate website for more information about the program.

* Italicized courses require  (PDF file) course substitution form and are limited in spac

No current info was available.

Winter I: Advanced Engineering Courses Including:

EI8003 – Sustainable Entrepreneurship

Elective (Engineering Tracks)

Sustainability concepts and fundamental principles in the context of changing climate and its economic, social and environmental impacts on start-ups. Introduction to entrepreneurial processes and behaviour. Present innovation as a social event, and a multi-dimensional value creation process through the Triple-Bottom Line concept, as well as a holistic, practical and stakeholder-centric process including Design Thinking. Introduce the closed-loop economy and the cradle-to-cradle framework of eco-effectiveness. Introduce the unifying governance corporate structure of the Benefit Corporation (B-Corp). Introduce within a unified framework of a sustainable enterprise, the basic tools of successful project management, new “business” development, e.g. market research, stakeholder analysis, business model, etc. to formulate a concept initiation proposal and solution development plan.

EI8005 – New Venture Market Development & Financial Planning

Core MEIE Course (Mandatory)

Introduction to the 5 steps market development and testing and the 7 market research tools for the student to apply on their business idea. Estimating the price elasticity of demand and market sizing. Understanding the financial dimension of the new venture; understanding the nature of capital investment and role of banks and VC industry; understanding business and managerial accounting; appreciating operational and resource issues; understanding project management and how the innovation process may be managed; understanding how manufacturing units may be set up and managed; and developing financial plan and exit strategy.

EI8007 – Lean Start Up Customer Discovery Practicum

Practicum (Mandatory)

Practicum courses designed to build student capacity to manage projects with critical time demands, regulatory issues and large growth potential.

Facilitates students refining their value proposition for the business idea they want to pursue. Assist in developing customer’s interview script to conduct detailed testing of customer problems and product solution assumptions. Through primary market research the students will validate the product market fit for their new venture. Through market research with real customers the students will iteratively refine their business model canvas. Determine the source of their sustained competitive advantage and end up with repeatable and sustainable business model.

EI8010B – Startup Feasibility Project

Project (Mandatory)

The supervised project is a major component of the MEIE program and work on the project commences at the start of the academic program and continues throughout the remaining duration of the program. In teams, students are expected to apply the tools and skills from the related to finding and evaluating technology-based business ideas, building a team that can seize the opportunity and deciding the technical and business feasibility of the business opportunity. This course is a continuation of EI8010A.

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No current info was available.

EI8006 – New Venture Business Strategy & Plan

Core MEIE Course (Mandatory)

This course covers the fundamentals of “taking the opportunity to the next level” which depend on the entrepreneur’s ability to communicate the opportunity concisely, in a way that will convince investors that the risk of investment is worth it. The lectures in this course will follow a process-based approach, in which students develop their ideas into business plans. The importance of writing an effective and concise business plan, as a foundation for the start-up cannot be underestimated. The business plan is not the foundation of a business idea. It is the outcome of a process of finding, screening, critically analyzing, recording and effectively presenting a business idea, and it utilizes many skills learned in other areas of this program. Business communication does not end with the business plan. This course will introduce students to the art of the elevator pitch and investor presentation. As in any presentation setting, the substance of the entrepreneur’s message shapes the perception of their audience. Both the elevator pitch and the investor presentation must demonstrate executive vision, by telling a convincing story that leaves an investor with a limited number of messages wanting to dig deeper. Students will prepare a supporting “investor deck” – to be used in conjunction with the investor presentation. Students will deliver their investor presentations to a panel of venture capitalists and technology entrepreneurs, who will provide immediate feedback.

EI8008 – Lean Start Up Customer Validation Practicum Course

Practicum (Mandatory)

Practicum courses designed to build student capacity to manage projects with critical time demands, regulatory issues and large growth potential.

This practicum will enable the students to shape the technology solution to be disruptive or sustainable market innovation. Facilitate the creation of technology proof-of-concept plan and the technology development processes to identify and assemble the key technical components. Facilitate testing of a proof-of-concept with lead customers to validate market product fit.

EI8011A – Go-To Market Project

Project (Mandatory)

The 8 months supervised project is a major component of the program and work on the project commences at the start of term 3 of the academic program and continues throughout the remaining duration of the program. It compromises approx. 270 hours of technology/design and development work to complete the proof-of-concept that meet customer’s requirements during the 3rd and 4th terms. The students will commence go-to-market activities in the 4th term. These activities will continue until the students sign up the first client.

The student will be assigned a project supervisor (PS), a technical mentor (TM) and a business mentor (BM), if appropriate, the business mentor will enable the students to make contact with the business and commercial community. The students will spend a substantial amount of their time working on their project in the Innovation Boost Zone (IBZ) or any other Zones within the Toronto Metropolitan University and with customers in the market place.

As the project has commercial exploitation potential, it is important that the original idea (background Intellectual Property (IP)) is documented clearly at the start of the project. It is also important that all students maintain an up-to-date record of the work they undertake both in the department or company lab and at the Zone. This will ensure that if the project becomes a business it will be possible to allocate a share of ownership to those who have contributed to the original idea. Issues of copyright, confidentiality and non-disclosure will be discussed and suitable arrangements agreed upon for your project.

There are two key deliverables from project:

• A technical proof-of-concept: this represents a working prototype that incorporates all the key technology elements to demonstrate that a solution to the customer problem is available.
• A go-to-market demonstration: this represents market collaterals, channel development and customer engagement execution plan. It is highly desirable that the students sign up their first paying customer.

Looking Ahead

EI8009 – Lean Start Up Customer Acquisition Practicum - Course

Practicum (Mandatory)

This practicum covers the fundamentals of “taking the technology solution” to market which depend on the entrepreneur’s ability to communicate the value proposition concisely, in a way that will convince customers (client) to want to acquire it. The lectures in this course will follow sales process-based approach, in which students develop their client sales proposal. The importance of writing an effective and concise sales plan, as a foundation for the go-to-market cannot be underestimated. The sales plan is the outcome of a process of prospecting, screening, critically analyzing, recording and effectively prioritizing lead customers. It utilizes many skills learned in other areas of this program. This course will introduce students to the art of selling to acquire your first client. Students will deliver a tactical operating plan for their new venture that describe their go-to-market and customer acquisition strategy. The students will make presentations to a panel of lead customers and technology entrepreneurs, who will provide immediate feedback.

EI8011B – Go-To Market Project

Project (Mandatory)

The 8 months supervised project is a major component of the program and work on the project commences at the start of term 3 of the academic program and continues throughout the remaining duration of the program. It compromises approx. 270 hours of technology/design and development work to complete the proof-of-concept that meet customer’s requirements during the 3rd and 4th terms. The students will commence go-to-market activities in the 4th term. These activities will continue until the students sign up the first client.

The student will be assigned a project supervisor (PS), a technical mentor (TM) and a business mentor (BM), if appropriate, the business mentor will enable the students to make contact with the business and commercial community. The students will spend a substantial amount of their time working on their project in the Innovation Boost Zone (IBZ) or any other Zones within the Toronto Metropolitan University and with customers in the market place.

As the project has commercial exploitation potential, it is important that the original idea (background Intellectual Property (IP)) is documented clearly at the start of the project. It is also important that all students maintain an up-to-date record of the work they undertake both in the department or company lab and at the Zone. This will ensure that if the project becomes a business it will be possible to allocate a share of ownership to those who have contributed to the original idea. Issues of copyright, confidentiality and non-disclosure will be discussed and suitable arrangements agreed upon for your project.

There are two key deliverables from project:

• A technical proof-of-concept: this represents a working prototype that incorporates all the key technology elements to demonstrate that a solution to the customer problem is available.
• A go-to-market demonstration: this represents market collaterals, channel development and customer engagement execution plan. It is highly desirable that the students sign up their first paying customer.

TBC

TBC