IMI and its programs offer a diverse range of interdisciplinary electives. Some are offered every year, and others, in alternating years. Electives available in upcoming semesters are listed below; you may also jump to a list of all program-specific electives.
Graduate students from ALL University of Toronto campuses are welcome to enroll in our IMI electives.
NOTE: Priority enrolment is given to graduate students within the Institute for Management & Innovation (IMI).
Enrolment for winter electives are now open for IMI students on ACORN. Enrolment is on a first-come first-served basis.
Students external to IMI can begin enrolling in IMI Winter Term electives beginning December 4th at 9:30 am via ACORN. If your home department requires an Add/Drop form or if you have any questions regarding IMI electives, please contact imi@utoronto.ca.
Jump to course electives offered by:
| Institute for Management & Innovation (IMI) | Master of Biotechnology (BTC) | Master of Management of Innovation (MMI) | Master of Urban Innovation (MUI) | Master of Science in Sustainability Management (SSM) |
Offered Winter 2026
![IMI 2003H Project Management: Practice and Tools [students talking while seated with laptop]](/imi/sites/files/imi/styles/full_width_m/public/2025-11/IMI%202003H%20-%20Winter%202026.png.webp?itok=izR06DYQ)
| Course | Instructor | Day | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMI2003H Project Management: Practice and Tools | Duncan Jones | Thursday | 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm | TBA |
| IMI3002H Change Management | Ann Armstrong | Section 0101: Tuesday Section 0102: Wednesday | 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm | Online |
| MMI2000H Product Management by Design | Jeremy Fish and Blake van Delft | Fridays; January 16, 23, 30 February 6, 13, 27 March 6 | 10:00 am - 4:00 pm | TBA |
| MUI2000H Special Topics in Urban Innovation: Unlocking AI for Cities - A Workshop on AI Data, & Governance | TBA | Monday | 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm | Hybrid |
| MUI2090H Public Finance in Canadian Cities | Yinnon Geva | Wednesday | 10:00 am - 1:00 pm | In-person; TBA |
| SSM2030H Advanced Sustainability Management | Industry Instructions | Monday | 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm | KN L1215 |
| SSM2050H (Section 0102) Special Topics: Current Environmental Science Issues in Northern and Arctic Regions | Igor Lehnherr | Wednesday | 9:30 am - 12:30 pm | KN L1220 |
Electives Offered in Previous Semesters
Fall 2025
| Course | Instructor | Day | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMI1002H Social Entrepreneurship: Global Alternatives to Neo-Liberal Economics | Ann Armstrong | Monday | 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm | Online |
| IMI2001H Special Topics in Management and Innovation: Housing Crisis Solutions | Yinnon Geva | Thursday | 10:00 am - 1:00 pm | In-person; KN 132 |
| IMI2002H Leadership for a Sustainable Future | Ann Armstrong | Monday | 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm | Online |
| IMI2003H Project Management: Practice and Tools | Duncan Jones | Tuesday | 4:30 pm - 7:00 pm | In-person; KN 130 |
| BTC1896H Technology & Cognitive Performance *NEW OFFERING* | Jayson Parker | Thursday | 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm | In-person; KN 130 |
| MUI2080H Intelligent Communities/Smart Cities | Kristina Verner | Wednesday | 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm | In-person; KN 112 |
Summer 2025
| Course | Instructor | Day | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMI2990H Management Consulting and Communication Skills | Rafael Chiuzi | Various | 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm | Online, Synchronous Final Presentations: In-person, UTM campus |
| SSM2050H Special Topics in Sustainability Management: Finance for Impact: Investment, Innovation, and Sustainable Value | Industry Partner | Various | 7 pm - 10 pm | Online, Synchronous |
Winter 2025
| Course | Instructor | Day | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMI3002H Change Management | Ann Armstrong | Wednesday | 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm | Online |
| MMI2000H Product Management by Design | Jeremy Fish and Blake van Delft |
| See day column | Hybrid |
| MUI2090H Public Finance in Canadian Cities | Stephanie Ortynsky | Tuesday | 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm | Online |
| SSM2030H Advanced Sustainability Management | Brett Caraway and Industry Partners | Monday | 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm | In-person; KN L1220 |
Fall 2024
| Course | Instructor | Day | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMI2001H Special Topics in Management and Innovation: Housing Crisis Solutions | Yinnon Geva | Monday | 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm | In-person; KN 112 |
| IMI2002H Leadership for a Sustainable Future | Ann Armstrong | Monday | 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm | Online |
| IMI2003H Project Management: Practice and Tools | Duncan Jones | Wednesday | 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm | In-person; KN 132 |
| MUI2080H Intelligent Communities/Smart Cities | Kristina Verner | Wednesday | 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm | In-person; KN L1215 |
| SSM2040H Applied Sustainability Management | Industry Lecturers | Monday | 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm | In-person; KN 130 |
Summer 2024
| Course | Instructor | Day | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMI1002H Social Entrepreneurship: Global Alternatives to Neo-Liberal Economics | Ann Armstrong | Monday | 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm | Online |
| IMI2003H Project Management: Practice and Tools | Duncan Jones | Wednesday | 6:30 pm - 8:45 pm | Online |
How to Enrol
Complete the School of Graduate Studies Add/Drop Course(s) form
NOTE: Priority enrolment is given to graduate students within the Institute for Management & Innovation (IMI).
NOTE: Priority enrolment is given to graduate students within the Institute for Management & Innovation (IMI).
Enrolment for the winter electives for IMI students will open on Tuesday October 14th at 9:30AM via ACORN. Enrolment is on a first-come first-served basis.
Students external to IMI can begin enrolling in IMI Winter Term electives beginning December 15th at 9:30 am via ACORN. If your home department requires an Add/Drop form or if you have any questions regarding IMI electives, please contact imi@utoronto.ca.
IMI1001H Innovation and Entrepreneurship
In this course, we will begin by looking at the concept of innovation, particularly those that arise from deep knowledge, such as what could arise from university research. By examining the movement from research results to products and services that benefit society, students will get an appreciation of the potential impact of knowledge, be it from their own results or from others.
Through workshops and office hours, students will examine ideas and refine them with consideration of the needs of society, and organize into teams of their choice to tackle a project that has been identified and refined. Ideally, students from research will work with those from business, but this is not required.
Lectures and workshops will introduce entrepreneurial topics in a practical way, with students applying the concepts to specifically examine the feasibility of creating a startup or an organization, for profit or not-for-profit.
IMI1002H Social Entrepreneurship: Global Alternatives to Neo-Liberal Economics
In this course, students will learn how entrepreneurs create organizations that address social problems using innovative, sustainable approaches. Students will examine a variety of social venture forms and consider how such ventures can be evaluated, managed, and financed. Social Entrepreneurship has three primary components. First, students will discuss and debate the principles of social entrepreneurship and apply them to cases of for-profit, not-for-profit, and hybrid organizations. Second, students will analyse how the goals, structures, and practices of those ventures contribute to their success—or failure. Third, students will put their knowledge into action by contributing to a consulting project for a social venture. The course is hands-on and project-based. Those who enjoy critically discussing ideas—and then acting on those ideas—will enjoy this course. The course content has a broad international reach as many of the innovations in the field come from the Global South.
IMI1003H Independent Study
This course provides an opportunity for students to pursue a specific topic of interest relevant to their professional graduate program at the Institute for Management & Innovation. Under the supervision of an IMI-appointed faculty member, students explore an interdisciplinary issue, question, or challenge within management and innovation. A comprehensive final submission at the end of the course is expected to make up the majority assessment. The nature of the assessment will vary by project and can include (but is not limited to) a research paper, presentation, or manuscript. Students are responsible for finding a supervisor before enrolling in the course. Supervisors and projects must be approved by the IMI Director before the start of the course.
IMI2001H Special Topics in Management and Innovation: Housing Crisis Solutions
The housing crisis in Canada is a classic case of a ‘wicked problem’: a complex challenge whose solution requires multiple, contradictory, and sometimes unattainable measures. Housing markets and policies are notoriously inflexible and often evolve a slow pace even in the face of an urgent need for change. Still, there have been several moments of ‘critical conjuncture’ in history, when policy interventions have drastically changed the housing sector over a short period of time. What, then, does it take to solve a crisis? Why is innovation so difficult in the realm of housing? What can lessons can be learned from ‘critical conjunctures’ for our present crisis? And how can we become housing innovators?
In this course, we will examine innovation in housing through two lenses. First, we will examine major changes in the history of housing, their causes, and their legacies. Second, for each topic we will examine recent reform and innovation efforts. Guest lecturers from the public, private, and non-profit sectors will present their work in this field and answer your questions about innovation as a personal, professional, and political effort.
The course will provide a basic introduction to the world of housing and does not require prior knowledge.
IMI2002H Leadership for a Sustainable Future
The current state of the world demands exploring new models of leadership. The prevalent dominant models of leadership are driven by mechanistic worldview, short-term gains, outer-self and extrinsic motivations. Leadership for a sustainable future has to be rooted in the paradigm of living systems, living in harmony with the planet earth, long-term vision, inner-self, and intrinsic motivations. The planet earth and its living systems have many properties, such as adaptivity, equity, inter-dependence, evolution, renewal, relations, and resiliency, which should be integral part of the models of future leadership.
The course critically examines the current leadership models and theories, develops the foundations of the models for sustainable future, examines emerging and potential models for sustainable future, guides students to develop their related capabilities and competencies in leadership for a sustainable future. The personal, interpersonal, organizational, social, and planetary dimensions of leadership for sustainable future are addressed.
The course uses journal articles and cases for discussion. Students gain experiential knowledge of leadership for sustainable future through a project involving a real-life leadership project for a sustainable future of their choice.
IMI2003H Project Management: Practice and Tools
The Project Management Institute (PMI) defines project management as “the use of specific knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to deliver something of value to people.” Through a series of lectures, case discussions and a final project, students will learn about the practice of project management and the complementary tools. They will also gain experience participating in designing, executing and tracking a real project on or off campus.
IMI2990H Management Consulting and Communication Skills
The ability to analyze complex problems, develop strategic solutions, and communicate recommendations persuasively is critical for success. This course equips students with the core methodologies of management consulting, including structured problem-solving, data-driven decision-making, and client engagement strategies.
Through interactive case studies, hands-on workshops, and in-class discussions, students will also refine their communication skills, learning how to influence stakeholders, manage resistance, and deliver compelling presentations.
IMI3001H Biocommercialisation I: Analysis of Technology Driven Innovation
In this course through a series of lectures and case discussions, students learn about the formation, financing, and management of early-stage ventures especially as it relates to the (bio)technology and associated medical device space. Topics include opportunity identification and assessment, preclinical and clinical phases, regulatory procedures and pathways, legal issues including patents and venture finance. Students will each be required to select a young, publicly-traded company in which to complete an in-depth analysis, presentation and report.
IMI3002H Change Management
Managing change well has long been considered a key leadership skill. Many organizations are experiencing significant rates of change now! Knowing about change management will provide you with a significant competitive advantage in your careers.
In this course, you will learn about some current models of change management as well as examples of change management done well and not. The course is interactive. Central to the course and your learning is participation in a sophisticated change simulation, used by universities, corporates, and non-profits, to let you experience change. You will create—and implement—a change plan that will help you develop not only your understanding of change models but will provide you with tactics that you can use in any future change management work.
IMI3003H Biocommercialisation II
This course is a compliment to IMI3001, in which student teams are given the opportunity to learn more about the issues and opportunities facing early-stage (bio)technology ventures through direct experiences working on real projects for select early-stage firms within the community. This experiential learning involves working in teams on select, negotiated work packages in conjunction with the company founders in addition to mentoring by the instructors or TAs. This project work is supplemented with lectures covering practical and applied topics such as project management, client communications, research methods, patent searching and analysis, market research, competitive intelligence and financial modelling. The final assessment involves a presentation and client report.
BTC1889H Deep Learning in Health
This is an advanced course in machine learning that is focused on the application of neural networks in a health context. The course assumes a strong foundation to create machine learning models in the coding language R. Basic foundations of neural networks are reviewed. Students will learn about the limitations and the appropriate use of neural networks by working on health and biological related data sets.
BTC1896H Technology & Cognitive Performance
This new elective course looks at modern developments in neuroscience and cognitive psychology, that point to new uses of technology to enhance brain function. The course builds its foundation with a neuroanatomy primer, as well as an introduction to the cognitive neuroscience of daydreaming. How can technology be used to aid attention to avoid critical errors? How can better sleep and acts of creativity be supported from emerging technologies? In what way can video games be an aid and a burden to brain function? The major project for the course will explore digital biomarkers for cognitive performance.
BTC2120H Topics in Biotechnology: Decision Analytics in Business, Healthcare & Management
Data analysis and decision making are two core components in many industries. In this course, we will walk through major techniques in both components, including descriptive and exploratory data analysis, predictive analytics, causal inference, optimization and simulation. The students are expected to conformably answer the following questions upon the completion of the course: how to visualize and present data to your clients or managers, how to predict patterns in the future from the historical data, how to measure the effectiveness of a policy, how to make best decisions under uncertainty based on the available information.
MMI2000H Product Management by Design
Innovation is equal parts idea generation and execution. A successful innovation manager needs to be able to nurture both their team’s ability to come up with breakthrough ideas grounded in insight and human need, as well as build, sustain, and evolve a new concept within an organization. This all requires deep empathy for others, agile collaboration, and management skills which are all better learned through practice than theory.
Innovation Management by Design will immerse students in a case study that is relevant to current real-world challenges so that they will need to rapidly apply and adapt their learnings and develop new business concepts. In the first half of the course, students will learn about Business Design, a human-centered approach to product, service, and experience innovation and strategy through an intensive bootcamp lasting two days. At the end of those two days, students will have discovered rich insights about human needs, prototyped a new idea and tested it to improve it for their identified user group.
For the second half of the course, students will apply Product Management concepts to build and evolve their idea by learning how to go from concept to commercialization in a way that minimizes risk of failure while balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders - customers, team members, and the broader organization.
MUI2000H Special Topics in Urban Innovation
Please note: topics vary from year to year.
Bringing Back Main Street
Main streets, or principal retail corridors, serve as anchors of economic activity, social gathering, and cultural expression in Canada’s cities and towns. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, some main streets have struggled to maintain their vitality. Why do some streets thrive while others falter? What is the role of the sectoral composition of businesses, local built form, transportation infrastructure, characteristics of the surrounding residential community, the capacity of local businesses to organize, and/or specific federal, provincial, and local policy interventions?
Unlocking AI for Cities: A Workshop on AI Data, & Governance
This workshop will introduce the use of emerging AI applications in urban contexts. Students will develop the skills to interact with Gen AI tools and think critically about how urban stakeholders can most effectively and ethically engage with AI. The workshop consists of five modules: (1) AI mechanics (2) Urban applications (3) Governance and society (4) AI bias (5) Participatory AI. The workshop is structured with weekly lectures, guest lectures, and interactive sessions. Students will have opportunities to develop their own projects. Knowledge of a programming language and experience with AI or GenAI tools are recommended but not required.
MUI2080H Intelligent Communities/Smart Cities
This course provides an overview of strategies that make up a ‘smart city” and ‘intelligent community’ – approaches to local development that integrate digital infrastructure and information and communication technologies with urban planning processes. Students will study the importance of governance forms, human capital, and equity considerations that are integral to their success.
Additional key aspects include analyzing real-time data to better manage resources and congestion, forming partnerships between government, industry and universities to promote digital innovation and economic growth, and strengthening access to broadband technologies to improve the quality of life and public engagement of citizens.
MUI2090H Public Finance in Canadian Cities
This course examines Canadian local public finance in comparative perspective – where revenue comes from and how it is spent – and discusses the implications of municipal finance of urban public policy, planning, and the provision of municipal services. The first half of the course provides a comprehensive introduction to major concepts in local public finance for students interested in urban politics, public policy, and urban development, as well as the politics of municipal budgeting and intergovernmental fiscal relations. The second half of the course builds on the first by focusing on how public finance influences the shape of urban and suburban development.
SSM2010H Marketing in Sustainability
The course is designed to develop an understanding of: (i) relationship between sustainability and marketing; (ii) linkages between sustainability concerns and people’s behavior including their behavior in markets; (iii) differences between the principles of conventional marketing and sustainability marketing; (iv) sustainability marketing values and strategies; and (v) applications of sustainability marketing concepts and tools to a range of profit and non-profit organizations. The course will include a range of topics such as evolution of marketing, sustainability, and sustainability marketing; elements of sustainability marketing and corporate social responsibility; challenges and opportunities for sustainability marketing; sustainability and people’s (consumer’s) behavior; harnessing people’s behavior for sustainability; sustainability marketing values and objectives; sustainability marketing strategies; sustainability marketing mix including customer solutions, communication, cost, and convenience; innovations and sustainability marketing; future directions of sustainability marketing; and applications of sustainability marketing.
SSM2020H Sustainability Ethics
Ethics and ethical behavior are the critical elements of sustainability management. From a management perspective, ethical behaviour is an integral part of manager’s success while an understanding and respect for environmental, social, and business ethics are critical for designing and implementing sustainability strategies and practices. This course is designed to provide a critical understanding of the underlying ethical principles in sustainability management.
In this course, students will develop an understanding of: (1) the ethics of sustainability and innovation, (2) business governance and ethics. (3) how business views sustainability, (4) how to influence corporate strategy and decision-making through business ethics, and (5) important current and future topics and issues in sustainability and innovative ethics. The focus of the course will be practical and will build upon a historical understanding of ethical developments to offer students a perspective on current practices as well as future prospects.
SSM2030H Advanced Sustainability Management
This is a science-based course is designed to provide knowledge and applications of advanced aspects/tools related to sustainability management. The course covers advanced aspects focused on carbon (GHG) measurement and accounting; life cycle assessments; and water efficiency and conservation is different sectors. Accordingly, the course is divided into three modules. In each module, the emphasis will be on application of advanced aspects/tools to sustainability management.
This course will equip students with the industry knowledge and essential skills to manage the risks and opportunities of transitioning an organization to the low carbon economy and prepare them for a sustainable future. Module I of this course will introduce the concept of GHG emissions sources as well as how organizations are setting emission reduction targets and baselines to meet stakeholder expectations. Module II will address the specifications of the assessment of the life cycle GHG emissions of goods and services and life cycle impact assessment. Module III will provide a holistic approach to water footprint as well as inform students about the water use regulations in large buildings in Canada.
SSM2040H Applied Sustainability Management
This course is designed to provide knowledge and application of applied aspects/tools related to sustainability management. The course covers applied aspects on sustainability engagement, materiality, and reporting, impact investing, and circular economy in the fashion industry. The course is divided into three modules, each taught by industry experts.
The course is taught through lectures, classroom discussions, case discussions, group discussions and presentations, simulations and guest lectures by experts.
SSM2050H Special Topics in Sustainability Management
Please note: topics vary from year to year.
Current Environmental Science Issues in Northern and Artic Regions
The circumpolar Arctic it is the cultural homeland for many Indigenous Peoples, and is important for regulating global climate and weather patterns. It is also a region that is rich in natural resources and strategically important for geopolitical reasons, including shipping routes and national security. Canada has stewardship over large areas of the Arctic, including tundra underlain by permafrost and ice-covered marine ecosystems that are home to unique biodiversity. At the same time, Northern Canadian and Arctic regions are experiencing rapid environmental change, including warming 3 to 4 times as fast as the global average.
This course will explore current environmental issues in the Arctic and Northern Canada pertaining to climate change and climate adaptation, natural resources (mining, energy, water), and environmental pollutants from a scientific perspective. Northern Indigenous Peoples and communities are often the most impacted by these issues, and this course will also discuss different knowledge frameworks, including Indigenous Knowledge, used to learn about and find solutions to these problems, as well as how natural scientists can enable reconciliation.
Finance for Impact: Investment, Innovation, and Sustainable Value
This course applies core corporate finance principles to real-world challenges at the intersection of sustainability, investment, and innovation. Anchored in the fundamental decisions of investment, financing, and payout, it equips students to evaluate how capital is allocated in firms responding to climate risk, ESG priorities, and long-term value considerations.
Students will apply essential tools—time value of money, NPV, IRR, risk and return, cost of capital, and valuation—and extend them to settings where traditional assumptions no longer hold. Topics include capital budgeting under uncertainty, sustainability-adjusted hurdle rates, ESG-integrated WACC, capital structure in mission-driven firms, and the use of green bonds, blended finance, and real options in strategic planning. Cash flow estimation and project evaluation redeveloped with attention to carbon pricing, co-benefits, subsidies, and long-horizon externalities.
With an emphasis on applied analysis and financial decision-making, the course bridges technical rigor and sustainability strategy—preparing students to lead in a rapidly evolving economic and environmental landscape. It is particularly well suited for those pursuing careers incorporate finance, consulting, infrastructure, sustainable business, or impact-focused investment roles.
Science, Policy and Communication in Sustainability
Science, policy-making, and communication are key components of sustainability which are regularly reliant upon one another and yet intertwined in a complex and oftentimes challenging manner. This course sets out to help students understand the relationships between these different fields and to bridge disciplinary gaps and approaches so they emerge better able to understand and communicate sustainability science and policy to those they interact with in their jobs and everyday experiences.
Students will learn theories and approaches used in science-policy research as well as ways in which scientists and policymakers are able to communicate effectively with a wide range of audiences. This class will run as a seminar, so students should be prepared to engage weekly in discussions of readings and other assigned materials.
Contact
Questions? Please email us: imi@utoronto.ca