Eric Sprott's $10M gift funds Carleton entrepreneurship degree with no math prerequisites

Students who missed the two Grade 12 math courses that Carleton's commerce and accounting programs require can apply to a new three-year Bachelor of Entrepreneurship, funded by a $10 million gift from Eric Sprott to the Sprott School of Business. The program is to start in fall 2027, according to the Ottawa Business Journal.

Dean Howard Nemiroff described it as the first university degree of its kind in Canada, and said the school designed it for students with "drive" and "spark" who have been shut out of business school by the math requirement.

The format is applied rather than academic. Students take boot camps on business plans, pitching to venture capitalists and angel investors, team building, and spotting talent and good ideas. Nemiroff tied the program to a changing labour market, with automation, partly driven by artificial intelligence, displacing some traditional careers. He also said more students want to build their own paths in business, and that the school wants to keep that talent in Canada and in Ottawa rather than sending founders to Silicon Valley for capital.

Sprott said he wanted to give money to people "who may not have had the opportunity, for whatever reason." He called the gift "not a big deal" for him, given his investing success. His gifts to Carleton total $25 million over 25 years, including $20 million to the business school and $5 million to student bursaries. The business school has carried his name since 2001.

Carleton has not said how many students the program will admit, what tuition will be, or whether the $10 million covers the full cost. Its own release, published in October, describes the degree as already part of its programs, which conflicts with the fall 2027 start date. The university has not said which is correct, and the next step is for Carleton to confirm the start date and publish admissions and tuition details.