Students desiring a stronger foundation in business are encouraged to consider the Minor in Commerce, offered through the UBC Sauder School of Business. In the Minor, students focus their senior electives on commerce courses in organizational behaviour, marketing, business finance, and strategic management. This option enables students to develop their business knowledge and management skills and prepares them for management roles and advanced business degrees.
Interested students can apply in Term 2 of their second year (non-co-op students) or third year (co-op students). Application forms are normally made available in the middle of February with an application deadline in the middle of March. To be eligible for admission, students must have:
- a cumulative average of at least 68% in the previous two years; and
- completed ECON 101 (or ECON 310), ECON 102 (or ECON 311) and MATH 100/102/104/180/184
At least three of the six required COMM courses must be completed at UBC (a maximum of nine credits of the required COMM courses can be gained through transfer credits gained at other institutions). In addition, at least two of the required COMM courses must be completed after a student has been accepted into the Minor in Commerce option.
Upon successful completion of the Minor, the notation “Minor in Commerce” will be placed on the student’s transcript and degree parchment.
View the UBC Calendar for the regulations covering the Minor in Commerce.
Admission Requirements
- One of MATH 100, 102, 104, 180, 184
- ECON 101 Microeconomics
- ECON 102 Macroeconomics
Course Requirements
| All of following: | One of the following: |
| COMM 329 Principles of Organizational Behaviour | COMM 398 Introduction to Business Processes and Operations |
| COMM 457 Fundamentals of Financial Accounting | COMM 204 Logistics and Operations Management |
| COMM 465 Marketing Management | COMM 458 Fundamentals of Managerial Accounting |
| COMM 473 Business Finance | |
| COMM 493 Strategic Management in Business |
The Minor in Commerce is intended to be completed over two years.
ECON 102 is a requirement for admission into the Minor in Commerce (it is a prerequisite for many of the COMM courses and the Sauder School of Business applies its course requirements rigorously). One option is to plan ahead and take ECON 102 as one of your first year (junior) electives. A second option is to take it as an additional course in the second or third year. A third option is to complete an equivalent course by distance education.
COMM 457 and COMM 204 are required courses for all students in the Wood Products Processing program (whether or not they are in the Minor in Commerce option). The other courses taken toward the Minor in Commerce count as the senior electives required in the Wood Products Processing program. Therefore, completion of the four remaining required COMM courses will meet the course requirements of the Minor in Commerce. Since COMM 204 is a required course in the Wood Products Processing program, COMM 398 and COMM 458 are superfluous and do not need to be completed to gain the Minor in Commerce designation.
Most of the COMM courses are offered in both Term 1 , Term 2 and summer session. Some courses have more sections open in one term than in the other. The scheduling of WOOD courses is planned, in part, to try to avoid clashes with as many of the relevant COMM course sections as possible.
Students are able to select different sequences of the COMM courses that fit into their Wood Products Processing program. Two such examples of course sequences are shown below (these are only one example for each of the co-op and non co-op programs and it is not required that you follow either of these sequence exactly as shown).
Students should check the co- or pre-requisites of the COMM courses carefully when planning their course sequences.
|
Example of schedule of relevant courses in co-op program |
|||
|
Term 1 |
Term 2 |
Summer |
|
| Year 1 |
MATH 100/102/104/180/184 |
ECON 102 |
|
| Year 2 |
ECON 101 |
CO-OP 1 |
|
| Year 3 |
CO-OP 2 |
CO-OP 3 |
|
| Year 4 |
COMM 457 |
COMM 204 |
CO-OP 4 |
| Year 5 |
CO-OP 5 |
COMM 493 |
|
To lighten the COMM course load during any particular term, students may also choose to take certain COMM courses by distance education.
|
Example of schedule of relevant courses in non co-op program |
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|
Term 1 |
Term 2 |
Summer |
|
| Year 1 |
MATH 100/102/104/180/184 |
ECON 102 |
|
| Year 2 |
Econ 101 |
||
| Year 3 |
COMM 204 |
||
| Year 4 |
COMM 457 |
COMM 493 |
|
UBC regulations require that a minimum of 50% of the credits in a program of study are completed at UBC. Therefore, a minimum of nine credits of the COMM courses must be completed at UBC. Credit for up to nine credits of the required COMM courses can be gained through transfer credits gained at other institutions.
The world of transfer credits can be confusing. Here is how courses taken by distance education from Thompson Rivers University – Open Learning (TRU-OL) transfer to UBC.
- ECON 1901 transfers directly to UBC as ECON 101.
- ECON 1951 transfer directly to UBC as ECON 102.
- ACCT 2211 transfers directly to UBC as COMM 457.
- BBUS 2541 transfers to UBC as 3 credits of second year commerce and precludes you taking UBC COMM 294 for credit. COMM 294 is equivalent to COMM 458 so in effect BBUS 2541 can substitute for COMM 458.
- BBUS 3331 transfers directly to UBC as COMM 204.
- MKTG 2431 transfers to UBC as COMM 296 which exempts you from COMM 465.
- ORGB 2811 transfers directly to UBC as COMM 329.
For the most up-to-date transfer credit information, you are encouraged to view the online BC Transfer Guide. Please note that TRU-OL changed their course numbering system in the summer of 2010.
If you choose to take a course through TRU-OL, you are responsible for all aspects of registration and course completion. However, before you do register in such a course you should obtain a letter of permission from your Program Director (this is actually a requirement for students wanting to take any course at another institution with the intention of gaining transfer credit for the equivalent course at UBC). When you have completed the course and a final grade has been awarded, you should arrange for an official, unopened transcript to be sent to your Program Director.
ECON 101 (3) Principles of Microeconomics
Elements of theory and of Canadian policy and institutions concerning the economics of markets and market behaviour, prices and costs, exchange and trade, competition and monopoly, distribution of income.
ECON 102 (3) Principles of Macroeconomics
Elements of theory and of Canadian policy and institutions concerning the economics growth and business cycles, national income accounting, interest and exchange rates, money and banking, the balance of trade.
COMM 204 (3) Logistics and Operations Management
The design and management of systems to make products, provide services and deliver them to the end user.
Prerequisite: All of COMM 290, COMM 291 [WOOD 244 and FRST 231 meet the prerequisite requirements]
COMM 329 (3) Principles of Organizational Behaviour
An introductory examination of work organizations and the behaviour of individuals within them. Phenomena to be studied include organizational structure, environments, group processes, motivation and leadership (For non-Commerce students in third and fourth year).
COMM 398 (3) Introduction to Business Processes and Operations
The design and management of systems that efficiently and effectively supply products and services to the end-user. The concepts apply to a variety of settings such as manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and others (for non-commerce students in third and fourth year).
COMM 457 (3) Fundamentals of Financial Accounting
Financial accounting for business organizations; principles and problems of accounting measurements; forms of business organizations; financing of businesses. For non-Commerce students in third or fourth year only.
COMM 458 (3) Fundamentals of Managerial Accounting
Use of accounting data in decision making by businesses; financial statement analysis; cash flows; cost behaviour patterns; methods of accounting for costs. For non-Commerce students in third and fourth year only.
Prerequisite: One of COMM 293, COMM 457.
COMM 465 (3) Marketing Management
Basic considerations affecting the domestic and international marketing of goods and services. For non-Commerce students in third and fourth year only.
Prerequisite: One of COMM 293, COMM 457 and either (a) all of ECON 101, ECON 102 or (b) ECON 100. Or (c) all of ECON 310, ECON 311 or (d) all of ECON 101, ECON 311 or (e) all of ECON 102, ECON 310.
COMM 473 (3) Business Finance
Introduction to managerial finance, including the role and functioning of financial markets, procurement of funds and financing strategies, dividend policy, capital budgeting and financial analysis and planning. For non-Commerce students only in third and fourth year.
Prerequisite: Either (a) all of ECON 101, ECON 102 or (b) ECON 100 or (c) all of ECON 310, ECON 311 or (d) all of ECON 101, ECON 311 or (e) all of ECON 102, ECON 310 and one of MATH 100, MATH 102, MATH 104, MATH 120, MATH 180, MATH 184.
Corequisite: One of COMM 293, COMM 457
COMM 493 (3) Strategic Management in Business
A conceptual and practical introduction to the major areas of business strategy with an integrative perspective on managing a business. Includes the analysis of a business and its environment, the development and evaluation of strategic alternatives, and implementation of change (For non-Commerce students only in fourth year).
Prerequisite: One of COMM 293, COMM 457 and either (a) all of ECON 101, ECON 102 or (b) all of ECON 310, ECON 311 or (c) ECON 100 or (d) all of ECON 101, ECON 311 or (e) all of ECON 102, ECON 310.
Corequisite: All of COMM 329, COMM 465, COMM 473.
