General Information

Return to: Faculty of Business  

The Faculty of Business offers the degrees of Bachelor of Commerce, Master of Business Administration, and Doctor of Philosophy in Business Management. Information on the graduate programs can be found in Business .

Undergraduate Programs

BCom Program

The Bachelor of Commerce program seeks to provide the student with a broad background in the different areas of business as well as in related fields in the humanities and social sciences. The business world and its environment have changed enormously in the last twenty years and will change at an even faster pace in the next twenty. In this trend, questions about the environment will become increasingly important. No school of business can possibly teach the solution to problems which will arise several years from now. A school should, therefore, seek to provide a basis for effective self-learning through actual experience by teaching the broad underlying fields of knowledge which are basic to business. The emphasis is on developing a comprehensive analytical framework within which various organizational problems can be analyzed. Students will also be able to study an area of interest in some depth.

BCom Program after Approved Degree

Requirements for a BCom degree after another approved degree will depend, in part, on the previous degree held.

Individuals who have been admitted to the Faculty and have an approved degree conferred in the last eight years shall be required to satisfy the requirements of the Business Core plus five senior business electives. This is subject to completing a minimum of ★45 in coursework and not more than ★60 in the Faculty of Business. Students possessing a previous Business degree or equivalent from another institution may not be eligible for the After-Degree Program. Depending on previous coursework, a student in the After-Degree program may not be eligible to take certain majors or minors. The Bilingual Bachelor of Commerce is not available to After-Degree students.

For further information, contact the Undergraduate Office of the Faculty of Business.

Bilingual BCom/Baccalauréat bilingue en Administration des affaires

The four-year Bilingual Bachelor of Commerce degree is a collaborative effort between Faculté Saint-Jean and the Faculty of Business. This is a program unique in Canada for offering students the opportunity to obtain a fully bilingual Business degree in Canada’s two official languages. Students will complete half of their course work at Faculté Saint-Jean and half of their coursework in the Faculty of Business. The objectives of the program are:

• To respond to a need expressed by Francophone and Francophile students for course in French leading to a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Alberta;
• To prepare bilingual (French-English) graduates who will be competitive in a global economy;
• To promote the University of Alberta as a leading University offering a unique degree in North America;
• To attract students from French-speaking Canada and other countries in the world where French is a major language.

Students seeking entry to this program should consult the admissions sections for both the Faculty of Business (Readmission of Previous Students ) and Faculté Saint-Jean (Regulations of the Faculté ). For a detailed program description see Bilingual BCom [Business]  and Bilingual BCom [Business] .

Transition Year Program

This admission category is reserved for aboriginal applicants who have successfully completed the Transition Year Program administered by Aboriginal Student Services Centre (Student Services Office) at this University. Such applicants will be considered for admission to the Faculty of Business if they have obtained a GPA of 2.3 or better. For further details, see Transition Year Program for Aboriginal Applicants .

Visiting Students

Students from other universities or colleges are eligible to be considered for admission to the Faculty of Business as visiting students if

1. they are Business or equivalent degree program students at their home institution;
2. their home institution provides a letter of permission;
3. they have completed a minimum of ★24 at the home institution;
4. their academic record shows satisfactory standing.

Priority for visiting student status is given to students who are applying under the auspices of a formal exchange program. Visiting student status is granted for one academic year. Visiting students must reapply each year and present a new letter of permission from their home institution. As the Faculty of Business is a limited enrolment Faculty, visiting student admissions may be restricted.

Degree students in the Faculty of Business wishing to attend another institution as a visiting student see Attendance at Another Institution .

Special Students Studying to Satisfy Requirements of Professional Accounting Organizations

The Faculty’s policy with respect to special students taking courses to satisfy the requirements of professional accounting organizations such as the Chartered Professional Accountants, is as follows:

1. Special accounting students, see Admission and Readmission Deadlines  for deadlines.
2. All students applying for Special Student Status are required to be registered as a student with one of the professional accounting organizations and provide the Faculty with a letter confirming this registration. The letter must also detail which courses the student requires.
3. Students who hold a Bachelor of Commerce Degree, awarded by the University of Alberta within the previous five years from date of application, will be considered for admission to take the courses required to meet professional accounting requirements.
4. Students who received the Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Alberta more than five years previous to the date of application must have graduated with a grade point average of at least 3.0 during their final year of study to be considered for admission.
5. All other applicants who hold an approved degree must have obtained a grade point average of at least 3.0 during their final year of study to be considered for admission.
6. Students who are admitted in accordance with (5) above will be allowed to take a maximum of ★24 to satisfy professional accounting requirements. In all cases, course prerequisites must be satisfied. If the total number of courses required exceeds ★24, including prerequisites, the applicant will be considered for the BCom program for applicants holding an approved degree.
7. Students will be admitted only if space exists both in the BCom program overall and in the courses required by the student.
8. Further information about professional accounting organizations is available from: The Chartered Professional Accountants www.albertaaccountants.org.

Certified Management Accountants (CMA)

The University of Alberta Faculty of Business is a CMA Canada Accredited University Program. The accreditation process recognizes universities that achieve high standards of instruction in management accounting. Graduates of the University of Alberta Bachelor of Commerce program and MBA program may be exempt from writing the CMA Entrance Exam. Contact CMA Alberta for more information www.cma-alberta.com.

The Degrees of BSc in Forest Business Management and BSc in Agricultural/Food Business Management

These programs are offered jointly by the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences, and the Faculty of Business. While they are administered in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences, the programs are managed by an interdisciplinary committee with representation from both Faculties. (See BSc in Agricultural/Food Business Management  and BSc in Forest Business Management  for details.)

Graduate Programs

The Faculty of Business offers the degrees of Master of Business Administration, and Doctor of Philosophy in Business Management. Information on these graduate programs can be found in Graduate Programs .

Executive and Management Development

The University of Alberta Faculty of Business, Executive Education and Lifelong Learning, specializes in delivering excellence in education and career development. Through participation in our programs, participants enhance business and organizational results by learning key management, leadership, and project management principles and practices. For more information please contact:

University of Alberta, Faculty of Business
Executive Education and Lifelong Learning
2-006 Enterprise Square
10230 Jasper Avenue
Edmonton, AB T5J 4P6
(780) 492-5832
Toll-free: 1-877-MGMT-DEV
E-mail: executiveeducation@ualberta.ca
Website: www.executiveeducation.ca

Diploma in Corporate Finance

The Diploma in Corporate Finance is designed to offer advanced finance and management information systems training to working professionals. For more information please contact the The University of Alberta Faculty of Business, Executive Education and Lifelong Learning above.

Executive MBA

The Alberta Executive MBA program is an integrated program that is provided jointly by the Faculty of Business at the University of Alberta and the Faculty of Management at the University of Calgary. It provides a challenging curriculum for executives and managers wishing to upgrade and enhance their existing skills. For more information please contact the

The Office of MBA Programs
2-30 Business Building
University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R6
(780) 492-3946
E-mail: mba.programs@ualberta.ca
Website: www.albertaemba.com

School of Retailing

The School of Retailing is Canada’s leading institution for retail education and research. The focus is on educating business students to become successful in a retail-related career, and advancing retailing by building stronger relationships among businesses, students and the academic community. The School of Retailing is a primary source of retail knowledge attracting students and retailers alike to hone both academic and practical skills.

Undergraduate Major and Minor in Retailing and Services

Please see Major in Retailing and Services .

Internship Program

Any student registered in the Bachelor of Commerce program or Bilingual Bachelor of Commerce program is eligible to participate in the School of Retailing Internship program. It provides students with paid employment in addition to course credit in MARK 465 . Contact the School of Retailing for more information.

Career Opportunities

The opportunities for Bachelor of Commerce graduates range from positions in government (federal, provincial and municipal) and large enterprises, to partner or owner of small firms. The types of positions graduates hold in these organizations range from systems analysts to financial analysts, from sales managers to accountants.

Opportunities in any year fluctuate with the general level of economic activity in the country. Although it is difficult to forecast the job market several years ahead, the demand for graduates is expected to grow or at least remain constant in the next few years; the job market outlook is therefore favorable.

Additional information about employment opportunities is available from the Faculty of Business, Business Career Services, 2-21 Business building.

Information regarding the various areas of specialization within the field of business administration is found in Majors in Business .

Student Organizations

BSA (Business Students’ Association)
The BSA is the largest undergraduate student organization within the Faculty. Undergraduates registered in the Faculty are automatically members of the Association and are entitled to run in BSA elections for both executive and council positions in the BSA. In addition, a number of positions are available on the Faculty of Business Council, General Faculties Council and Students’ Council. These representatives act as liaisons between students, the Faculty, the University and the business community.

The BSA publishes a handbook for all Business students, rents lockers in and around the Business building and operates a number of social, academic and professional events throughout the year. Contact the office [2-06 Business, (780) 492-2454] for further details.

The MBA Association
Office: BUS 4-06B

The MBA Association is the official body representing masters’ degree students in the Faculty of Business. It is a non-profit service organization administered by the students of the MBA program. The organization promotes fellowship among students through their activities; promotes cooperation and rapport between the students and the academic and administrative staff; represents students on all organizations and bodies on which the Association has representation; promotes contact between graduate students and members of the business community; extends the academic and non-academic interests of the members through forums, special lectures, and discussion groups; and advises, counsels, and acts on student problems which cannot be handled effectively through Faculty channels.

Other Student Organizations
Business students are actively involved in various clubs across many disciplines. Below is a list of student organizations. Detailed information is available at: https://business.ualberta.ca/programs/bachelor-of-commerce/current-students/student-organizations.