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 two first-year MGSC courses [Quantitative Methods I (MGSC 1205) and Quantitative Methods II (MGSC 1206)].  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) and Quantitative Methods II (MGSC 1206).
    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 as long as they submit a major declaration/change form each time. 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. All students must successfully complete the following required courses which have been arranged by year as a guide to help students select their courses. Students should consult with an Academic Advisor to plan their program. 

Suggested course plan:

Plan of Study Grid
First YearCredit Hours
ACCT 2241 Introductory Financial Accounting 3
CISY 1225 Introduction to Computer Applications 3
ECON 1201 Principles of Economics: Micro 3
ECON 1202 Principles of Economics: Macro 3
MGMT 1281 Introduction to Business Management 3
MGSC 1205 Quantitative Methods I 3
MGSC 1206 Quantitative Methods II 3
Select three credit hours in Humanities subject areas 10 3
Select six non-Commerce elective credit hours 2 6
 Credit Hours30
Second Year
ACCT 2242 Introductory Managerial Accounting 3
CMLW 2201 Legal Aspects of Business - Part I 3
COMM 2293 Communications 3
FINA 2360 Business Finance I 3
MGSC 2207 Introductory Statistics 3
MGMT 2383 Micro Organizational Behavior 3
MGMT 2384 Macro Organizational Behavior 3
MKTG 2270 Introduction to Marketing 3
Select three credit hours in Economics electives 1 3
Select three non-Commerce elective credit hours 2 3
 Credit Hours30
Third Year
Year 3 and Year 4
FINA 3361 Business Finance II 3
MGMT 3480 Ethical Responsibilities of Organizations 3
MGMT 4489 Strategic Management 3
Select at least fifteen credit hours in free electives 3 15
 Credit Hours24
 Total Credit Hours84

Notes:    

  1. Except Business Consultancy (ECON 4475).
  2. 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). Non-Commerce courses taken in lieu of Commerce courses cannot be counted as non-Commerce electives. A non-Commerce elective is a course offered by the Faculties of Arts, Education or Science.
  3. The BComm degree requires students to successfully complete fifteen (15) credit hours of free electives. A free elective is a course offered by Arts, Education, Science or Business.
  4. 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.
  5. It is recommended that students complete Quantitative Methods I (MGSC 1205) before taking Introductory Managerial Accounting (ACCT 2242).    
  6. 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 and defer 3 credit hours in ECON electives until Year 3.
  7. 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 and defer three (3) credit hours of Economics electives and three (3) credit hours in non-Commerce electives to Year 3.
  8. Students planning to major in Human Resource Management should take Human Resource Economics (ECON 3340).
  9. 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).
  10. 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 Languages (courses on literature and/or culture).

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)

Suggested course plan:

Plan of Study Grid
Third YearCredit Hours
FINA 3361 Business Finance II 3
MGMT 3480 Ethical Responsibilities of Organizations 3
Select nine credit hours in Commerce electives at 3000 level or above 9
Select fifteen credit hours in free electives 15
 Credit Hours30
Fourth Year
MGMT 4489 Strategic Management 3
Select nine credit hours in Commerce electives at 3000 level or above 9
Select eighteen credit hours in free electives 18
 Credit Hours30
 Total Credit Hours60

Note: 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.