Regulations effective September 1, 2020 to January 4, 2021.
This program is designed for students seeking a rigorous, technically based business degree comparable in content to most Bachelor of Commerce degrees in Canada. Courses in all core business areas are required, including marketing, statistics, financial accounting, management accounting, finance, economics, information systems, strategic management, organization behaviour, and commercial law.
All students in the Bachelor of Commerce program will complete a common set of core courses in Years 1, 2, 3, and 4. The core courses are the same for the general Bachelor of Commerce degree and the following three majors.
The Bachelor of Commerce degree is offered by Athabasca University’s Faculty of Business. For more information, phone 1.800.468.6531 or email.
The Accounting Major is designed for students wishing to pursue an accounting career, and offers flexibility and generous transfer arrangements to meet professional accounting association requirements. Students will focus on financial, management and taxation accounting, along with auditing and accounting information systems.
The Business Technology Management Major is intended for students with a career focus in the areas of business technology management and management information systems, and is delivered using online systems.
The Finance Major is a contemporary major, integrating finance and economics courses to provide graduates with a broad exposure to this growing services sector. The field of financial services involves the study of financial markets, financial instruments and investment decision making, and analyzes alternative methods to obtain, manage, and use capital by institutions and individuals.
The Marketing Major will prepare you to tackle the marketing challenges of any organization, as well as to take on associated management responsibilities in finance, operations and human resources for your unit or department.
The Human Resources Management Major will give you the broad-based business knowledge you need to become not only a successful HR professional, but a respected management professional who knows how to contribute to departmental and organizational goals.
Our online program plans can assist you in selecting the courses needed to fulfill your program requirements.
Counselling Services offers an assessment website, Mapping Your Future. Athabasca University has also developed program learning outcomes that describe the career options that may be available to you upon graduating.
The degree conversion provision is available to Athabasca University students who have been awarded a three-year AU degree and wish to convert to a four-year degree. Students with a three-year AU degree may convert that degree into the four-year Bachelor of Commerce program. For more information about this regulation, please review the Undergraduate Degree Conversion from Three- to Four-Year Program Policy.
Students who hold a recognized first degree in a field outside of business or management and who wish to obtain an AU undergraduate degree in a different subject area, must apply under the second undergraduate degree regulations. These students may transfer in up to 50 per cent (60 credits) into the four-year degree program, based on course work in the first degree that is applicable. Preparatory (100 level) credits cannot be used to fulfill the requirements of a second undergraduate degree.
Students will not be accepted into the Bachelor of Commerce program if they have:
Students are not permitted to obtain a second undergraduate degree in the same field or related field as their first undergraduate degree. Those students who hold an international undergraduate degree who wish to obtain a Canadian credential, or those students who wish to obtain another Bachelor’s degree in a major different than their first undergraduate degree, will be permitted in consultation with the Program Director and reviewed by the Office of the Registrar.
Students complete the program regulations in effect at the time of their enrolment.
Students must have a weighted average of at least 1.7 (C-) across all courses taken at Athabasca University towards a Bachelor of Commerce degree in order to graduate.
Transfer Credit will not be accepted if course(s) completed more than:
If you are currently working in the field and provide evidence of work being completed, this restriction may be waived. Transfer credit being used to satisfy options other than those in the Business and Administrative Studies area will not be restricted.
| Total credits in the program | 120 |
| Required courses (Years 1 and 2) | 39 |
| Options | 21 |
| Required courses (Years 3 and 4) | 30 |
| Options | 30 |
| A minimum of 12 Business and Administrative Studies credits must be at the 400 level (including ADMN 404 and ADMN 405). | 12 |
| Residency requirement: A minimum of 30 credits must be obtained through Athabasca University in senior (300 or 400) level courses. These 30 credits must include ADMN 404 (3 credits) and ADMN 405 (3 credits) plus 12 credits from the list of required courses for Years 3 and 4. | |
| Graduation with Distinction or Great Distinction. At least 24 credits must be obtained through Athabasca University in order to be considered. | 24 |
| Maximum Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition credits | 21 |
| ACCT 250 | Accounting for Managers | (3) |
| or | ||
| ACCT 253 | Introductory Financial Accounting* Students who are planning to pursue a professional accounting designation or further courses in Finance are advised to take ACCT 253. |
|
| ADMN 232 | Introduction to Management | (3) |
| ADMN 233 | Writing in Organizations | (3) |
| COMM 243 | Interpersonal Communication | (3) |
| or | ||
| COMM 277 | Group Communication | |
| CMIS 245 | Microcomputer Applications in Business (Windows) | (3) |
| ECON 247 | Microeconomics | (3) |
| ECON 248 | Macroeconomics | (3) |
| LGST 369 | Commercial Law | (3) |
| MKTG 396 | Introduction to Marketing | (3) |
| MATH 244 | Business Mathematics |
(3) |
| or | ||
| MATH 260 | Calculus for Social Sciences and Economics* * Recommended for students in the Finance major. |
|
| or | ||
| MATH 265 | Introduction to Calculus I | |
| or | ||
| MATH 270 | Linear Algebra I | |
| MGSC 301 | Statistics for Business and Economics I | (3) |
| PHIL 252 | Critical Thinking | (3) |
| PHIL 333 | Professional Ethics | (3) |
| or | ||
| PHIL 337 | Business Ethics |
|
(3) |
|
(6) |
| *A maximum of 3 credits in any area of study at the preparatory (100) level can be taken in the above 9 credits. | |
|
(12) |
| ACCT 355 | Cost Analysis | (3) |
| ADMN 417 | International Business Management | (3) |
| or | ||
| ECON 401 | The Changing Global Economy | |
| CMIS 351 | Management Information Systems | (3) |
| FNCE/ ECON 300 | Financial Economics | (3) |
| or | ||
| FNCE 370 | Overview of Corporate Finance* * Must take FNCE 370 if pursuing further ACCT or FNCE courses. |
|
| HRMT 386 | Introduction to Human Resources Management | (3) |
| MGSC 312 | Statistics for Business and Economics II | (3) |
| MGSC 368 | Introduction to Production and Operations Management |
(3) |
| or | ||
| MGSC 369 | Service Operations Management | |
| ORGB 364 | Organizational Behaviour | (3) |
| ADMN 404 | Capstone I: Strategic Management* | (3) |
| ADMN 405 | Capstone II: Application and Integration of Contemporary Business Topics* | (3) |
*ADMN 404 and ADMN 405 must be taken with AU. Transfer credit will not be awarded. These courses should be taken as the last courses in the program. |
Senior (300 /400) level Business and Administrative Studies credits |
(24) |
| Senior (300/400) level Non "Business and Administrative Studies" credits | (6) |
Information effective September 1, 2020 to January 4, 2021.
Updated April 08 2021 by laurab
AU, CANADA'S OPEN UNIVERSITY, is an internationally recognized leader in online and distance learning.