Bachelor of Commerce

The four-year Bachelor of Commerce program provides a strong foundation of general knowledge and skills, followed by an opportunity to specialize. After the two-year foundation program, eligible students may choose a major area of study in:

A cooperative education option, placements at the Saint Mary’s University Entrepreneurship Centre and study-abroad opportunities are available to qualified students.

The certificate program in Human Resource Management can be completed independently or concurrently with a Bachelor of Commerce. For information on this program Human Resource Management.  

The following requirements apply to all entering Commerce students.

  1.  
    1. The Bachelor of Commerce program consists of one hundred and twenty (120) credit hours beyond Nova Scotia Grade 12 (or equivalent). Students lacking the equivalent of Nova Scotia Grade 12 may be required to complete additional courses as specified by the Dean. Courses beginning with zero (0) are designated preparatory and will not be credited toward any degree, diploma or certificate.
    2. Nova Scotia Grade 12 Academic Mathematics (or equivalent) is a prerequisite for Quantitative Methods I (MGSC 1205).  Students who do not have Nova Scotia Grade 12 Academic Mathematics on admission, will be required to upgrade their mathematical knowledge before taking Quantitative Methods I (MGSC 1205).
    3. To receive a Saint Mary’s University Bachelor of Commerce, transfer students must complete all requirements for the degree as stipulated in this Academic Calendar. Students must successfully complete a minimum of 50% of the credit hours required for their degree or certificate program at Saint Mary’s. Among these credit hours, students must complete a minimum of 50% of the credit hours required for the major, honours or concentration at Saint Mary’s.
  2.  
    1. In conformity with Academic Regulation 7c (i), students must achieve a minimum degree grade point average of 2.00 in order to qualify for graduation.  
    2. Cooperative education students must attain a minimum degree grade point average of 2.70. Honours students must attain a minimum degree grade point average of 3.00.
    3. Business students, in consultation with the designated Department and/or Program Academic Advisor, must formally declare their major before the completion of sixty (60) credit hours. For full-time students, this normally means by the end of their second year.
      Students can change their major by submitting a major declaration/change form. Students who are undecided should consult with an Academic Advisor to discuss their options.
      Note: Limits to the number of students who can be in a particular program at any one time exist and depend very much on the number of faculty members available in a particular academic unit.
    4. Completion of a major – i.e., to have a major formally recognized on a student’s academic record – requires that students complete the designated courses with a grade point average of 2.2.  (The courses required for each major are listed in Bachelor of Commerce - Majors.)
  3. During the regular Academic Year (September to May), full time students will normally take the equivalent of thirty (30) credit hours (i.e. five courses in each academic term).  Students who have completed at least thirty (30) credit hours at Saint Mary’s may elect to take an additional three (3) credit hours (i.e., one course) each term.  Permission is not required.  (See Academic Regulation 1.)
  4. To earn a Bachelor of Commerce degree, students must successfully complete a total of 120 credit hours. This includes, sixty-nine (69) credit hours of Core Program Requirements, twenty-four (24) credit hours in Elective Program Requirements [nine (9) credit hours of non-commerce electives and fifteen (15) credit hours of free electives], Major Requirements, and Additional Elective Requirements (when necessary, to meet the required 120 credit hours for the Bachelor of Commerce). A free elective is any course offered by Arts, Education, Science or Business. Free electives may be used to explore other academic interests, or perhaps a double major or a minor in an aligned discipline. Students should consult with an Academic Advisor to plan their program. 
Core Program Requirements:
BCOM 1201Exploring Sustainability3
CISY 1225Introduction to Computer Applications3
ECON 1201Principles of Economics: Micro3
ECON 1202Principles of Economics: Macro3
MGMT 1281Introduction to Business Management3
MGSC 1205Quantitative Methods I3
MGSC 1207Introduction to Data Analytics for Business3
ACCT 2241Introductory Financial Accounting3
ACCT 2242Introductory Managerial Accounting3
CMLW 2201Legal Aspects of Business - Part I3
COMM 2293Business Communication Essentials3
ENTR 2201Sustainable Entrepreneurship3
FINA 2360Business Finance I3
MGMT 2382Introduction to Organizational Behaviour3
MGMT 2385Introduction to Human Resource Management (t)3
MGSC 2207Introductory Statistics3
MGSC 2217Operations Management3
MKTG 2270Introduction to Marketing3
FINA 3361Business Finance II3
MGMT 3480Ethical Responsibilities of Organizations3
MGMT 4489Strategic Management3
Academic Literacy requirement – Select three credit hours in Humanities subject areas 83
Select three credit hours in Global Perspectives electives 93
Total Credit Hours69

Students are encouraged to consult an Academic Advisor to discuss a course plan to complete these core requirements.

Elective Program Requirements:
Select nine non-Commerce elective credit hours 19
Select at least fifteen credit hours in free electives 215
Total Credit Hours24

Notes:    

  1. The BComm degree requires students to successfully complete at least nine (9) credit hours of non-Commerce electives (Some majors require students to complete more than the minimum).  A non-Commerce elective is a course offered by the Faculties of Arts, Education or Science.
  2. The BComm degree requires students to successfully complete fifteen (15) credit hours of free electives. Some majors may require students to complete additional credit hours in free electives. A free elective is any course offered by Arts, Education, Science or Business. These free electives may be used to explore other academic interests, or perhaps a double major or a minor in an aligned discipline.
  3. Interested students can take Introduction to Marketing (MKTG 2270), Legal Aspects of Business - Part I (CMLW 2201) in Year I and defer non-Commerce electives until Year 2.
  4. It is recommended that students complete Quantitative Methods I (MGSC 1205) before taking Introductory Managerial Accounting (ACCT 2242).    
  5. It is recommended that students planning to major in Accounting and considering pursuing a professional accounting designation and/or Cooperative Education take Financial Accounting Foundations (ACCT 3350) in Year 2. 
  6. It is recommended that students planning to major in Economics take Intermediate Microeconomic Theory (ECON 3300) and Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory (ECON 3301) in Year 2. 
  7. Students may substitute one of Biostatistics (BIOL 3308), Probability and Statistics for Engineers (EGNE 2309), Statistical Methods in Geography (Group C) (GEOG 3326), Introduction to Mathematical Statistics (MATH 1216), Psychological Statistics (formerly PSYC 2350) (Group C) (PSYC 2020) or Quantitative Research Methods (CRIM 3102) /Quantitative Research Methods (SOCI 3102) in lieu of Introductory Statistics (MGSC 2207).
  8. Students must take any three-credit hour course, at the 1000-level, in the Humanities subject areas including Ancient Studies, English, History, Philosophy, Religion, and courses on literature and/or culture subjects.
  9. To fulfill the Global Perspectives elective, BComm students must successfully complete any three (3) credit hours course from a preapproved list shown below. If a course from the Global Perspectives electives list satisfies both a major requirement and a core elective requirement, the number of free electives will increase by three (3) credit hours.

Please be advised that not all courses may be offered each year.

Global Perspectives Electives:
ACCT 3357International Accounting3
ACST 3321African Nova Scotian Culture3
ACST 3345First Nations of the Atlantic Region3
ACST 3470The British Black Atlantic3
ANTH 2311Ethnology: Melanesia3
ANTH 2316Indigenous Peoples of Canada3
ANTH 2326Contemporary East Asia3
ANTH 2327Japanese Society3
ASNT 1105Introduction to Chinese Culture3
ASNT 1106Introduction to Japanese Culture3
ASNT 1107Introduction to Korean Culture3
ASNT 2210Indigenous Voices in Modern Asia3
ASNT 2303Contemporary Japan: Institutions and Culture3
ASNT 2305Contemporary China: Institutions and Culture3
ECON 3310Development Economics3
ECON 3315Comparative Economic Systems3
ECON 3327Asia Pacific Economies3
ECON 3365International Economic issues3
ECON 3349Women and the Economy3
ECON 4410Issues in Economic Development3
ECON 4413International Macroeconomics and Finance3
ECON 4414International Trade3
ENGL 2261Postcolonial Literature: Africa, the Caribbean, and South Asia3
ENGL 2461Mi’kmaq Storytelling and Literature3
ENGL 2513Introduction to Indigenous Literature3
FINA 4476International Financial Management3
FREN 2260Francophone Cultures Through Film3
FREN 3310Introduction to French Culture3
GEOG 2332Global Cities (Group A)3
GEOG 2341Economic Geography (Group A)3
GEOG 2349Cultural Geography (Group A)3
GEOG 3020Geography and Development (Group D)3
GEOG 1100Global Perspectives on Land and Life (Group D)3
GEOG 1200People, Place and Environment (Group D)3
HIST 3352Race and Racism in the United States3
ICST 1000Intercultural Communication3
ICST 2000Identities and Subjectivities in the Colonial and Postcolonial Era3
GDST 2301Global Development: History & Perspectives (formerly IDST 2301)3
GDST 2302Global Development: Policies and Issues (formerly IDST 2302)3
GDST 2401Fair Trade and Free Trade (formerly IDST 2401)3
GDST 2425Rising Powers in a Globalized World (formerly IDST 2425)3
MGMT 4488International Business Management3
MKTG 3375International Marketing3
PHIL 2305Environmental Ethics3
PHIL 2312Contemporary Political Philosophy3
POLI 1250Politics and Globalization3
POLI 1260Politics and Development: People, Ideas and Goods3
POLI 3314Politics of the Developing Areas3
POLI 3316Politics in the European Union3
POLI 3318Politics of The Middle East3
POLI 3321International Organizations3
POLI 3322Global Political Economy3
POLI 3350Indigenous Politics: Past, Present and Future3
POLI 3418International Law3
POLI 3456Issues in International Security3
PSYC 2530Cross-Cultural Psychology (formerly PSYC 3430) (Group B)3
RELS 1252Religious Diversity in Canada3
RELS 2323The Islamic Religious Tradition3
RELS 2324World Christianity3
RELS 2326South Asian Religious Traditions3
RELS 2327The Buddhist Religious Tradition3
SJCS 2220Race, Racism, Colonialism3
SJCS 3216Unpacking Whiteness3
SPAN 1000Introduction to Latin American Studies3
RELS 2343Jewish Religious Tradition3
RELS 2401Religions of China and Japan3

5. Students can undertake a major in:

  • Accounting
  • Computing and Information Systems
  • Economics
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Finance
  • General Business Studies
  • Global Business Management
  • Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations
  • Management
  • Marketing

To complete a major, students must attain a grade point average of 2.2 in the designated required courses.  

It is possible for students to double major by fulfilling the requirements of two majors (with the exception of General Business Studies).  However, undertaking a double major may require students to complete more than the standard 120 credit hours required for the degree.   

BComm (Without Major)

In addition to the general requirements to complete a Bachelor of Commerce degree, students doing a BComm without a Major must complete the requirements listed below. Students should consult an Academic Advisor to help plan how to distribute these requirements throughout their program.

Requirements:
Select eighteen credit hours in Commerce electives at the 3000 level or above18
Total Credit Hours18

Notes:

  1. Additional Elective Requirements: Students pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce degree without a major must complete nine (9) additional credit hours in free electives over and above the fifteen (15) free elective credit hours required by the degree. These additional free elective credits are necessary to fulfill the 120-credit hour requirement in the Bachelor of Commerce program. Students pursuing double majors should consult with an academic advisor.
  2. Students who do not declare a major must complete a minimum of nine (9) credit hours of commerce electives at the 3000-level or above at Saint Mary’s University.