Overview
Commerce is highly flexible, reflecting the diverse business society that students will enter after graduation.
At a Glance
Curriculum
Why study Commerce at Mount Allison?
At Mount Allison, Commerce provides you with an experiential and personal approach to business studies.
You'll benefit from small class sizes, one-on-one time with your professors, frequent interaction with fellow students, opportunities to gain real-world experience, and Mount Allison’s strong links to the business world.
You'll study a variety of business areas, such as:
- accounting
- finance
- marketing
- management
The program is designed to give all students, regardless of your areas of concentration, a strong undergraduate foundation in the key disciplines of management education.
Program highlights
Ron Joyce Centre for Business Studies
The Ron Joyce Centre for Business Studies strives to be recognized as Canada's premier destination for undergraduate business education.
The Centre focuses on developing partnerships with businesses to provide Commerce students with hands-on learning opportunities, including:
- paid internships
- alumni career mentorships
- field trips
- case and business plan competitions
- international exchanges
- student clubs and conferences
- projects with businesses and community organizations
- entrepreneurship opportunities
- service learning opportunities
Degree options
At Mount Allison, there are different degree options in Commerce depending on your interests and career goals.
Bachelor of Commerce (BComm)
The Bachelor of Commerce degree combines:
- Commerce degree core requirements (42 credits)
- Commerce electives (27 credits)
You'll also be required to minor in a discipline outside of Commerce in order to help expand your perspective on the world. You can choose any program offered as a minor.
BComm options:
- BComm
- BComm honours
- BComm honours in Economics
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Commerce
Like the Bachelor of Commerce, the Bachelor of Arts with a major in Commerce also includes courses from the core Commerce requirements.
However, as a BA student you'll have more flexibility to combine your Commerce major (60 credits) with complementary courses from other disciplines.
What's the difference between a BComm and a BA in Commerce?
Minor in Commerce
A Commerce minor (24 credits) can be combined with any degree program.
Bachelor of Commerce (BComm) — Aviation
Our BComm — Aviation in conjunction with MFC Training is designed for students who wish to combine aviation training with business studies.
In addition to a bachelor's degree, aviation students graduate with:
- a Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL)
- a multi-engine class rating
- a Group 1 instrument rating
For more details, see Aviation.
Not sure about the difference between a major, a minor, an honours, and a certificate?
Built on a strong liberal arts foundation, the program provides you with the knowledge and skills necessary to view the business world from different perspectives.
Course work may include:
- developing an entrepreneurial business plan, obtaining funding, and beginning operations of a functioning business
- linking by e-mail to a university in another country to compare marketing strategies and experience cross-cultural business practices
- developing marketing plans for real businesses
- analyzing business cases
COMM 2101 — Introductory Financial Accounting I
This course introduces the accounting model and analysis of Financial Statements and the important concepts associated with them.
COMM 2301 — Organizational Behaviour I
This course focuses on the micro aspects of organizational behaviour. It emphasizes human needs, motivation, perception, individual differences, personality, job design, work attitudes, performance appraisal, and stress management. The objective is to ensure that potential managers interact more effectively with subordinates, peers, and superiors in the organizational setting.
COMM 3361 — Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation
This course examines the process of business venture creation and start-up and of the role of the entrepreneur in this process. Topics include business opportunity assessment, the structure and function of the business plan, new venture financing, and the legal and regulatory aspects of start-up.
COMM 4521 — Corporate Finance
Financial concepts and techniques applied to problems such as working capital management, financial planning, capital budgeting, capital structure, cost of capital, and mergers and acquisitions.
COMM 4301 — Arts and Culture Management
This course examines unique factors that affect management decisions in the arts and culture sector, such as governance, organizational structure, community engagement, public pressure for accountability, fundraising needs and the desire of nations to develop the sector. It takes an interdisciplinary, applied approach to resolving management issues in a broad range of arts and culture organizations including art galleries, museums and performing arts programs.
COMM 4251 — Sports Marketing
This course examines the sports marketing industry in relation to amateur sports, professional leagues, media, endorsements by athletes, corporate sponsorship, and the revenue streams associated with sport. It considers how effective marketing strategies can be created for sporting properties, and also how sport is used as a vehicle to market non-sport products. There is an emphasis on understanding and applying the conceptual and theoretical bases of sport marketing to actual sports organizations and their business strategies.
COMM 4381 — Business of Aviation
This course explores a range of issues in the aviation industry in which decision making has to balance strategic and tactical thinking against moral and ethical implications under constraints of time.
Faculty Spotlight
Dr. Rachelle Pascoe-Deslauriers
Associate professor, Commerce and Women's and Gender Studies
» Mount Allison professor researches how job quality influences innovation
What can I do with a Commerce degree?
At Mount Allison, students are challenged both inside and outside the classroom, developing the problem-solving and decision-making skills that are essential to successful business enterprises.
Recognized by Maclean's as Canada's top undergraduate university, Mount Allison's strong academic reputation helps graduates stand out as they pursue diverse career paths.
Many go on to top graduate programs and professional designations such as Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and Master of Business Administration (MBA), while others move directly into careers in marketing, finance, and beyond.
Popular career paths for Commerce graduates include:
- bank manager
- business/budget analyst
- entrepreneur
- supply chain analyst
- advertising/brand manager
- marketing research analyst
- business development officer
- human resources generalist/specialist
- compensation analyst
- project manager
- investment analyst/banker
- investment advisor/financial planner
- securities analyst/trader
- financial accountant
- industrial/management accountant
- international business developer
Alumni Spotlight
Tara (Kelly) Milburn ('90)
Bachelor of Commerce, Marketing
President and CEO, Ethical Swag
What is it like to study at Mount Allison?
The wide breadth of the Commerce program has offered me skills in all facets of creating my own business. Marketing, accounting, and sales skills I’ve learned will directly apply to my entrepreneurial pursuits.
Commerce allowed me to work in different streams such as strategy, finance, and marketing. I was introduced to different case studies and provided solutions to real-life businesses. The program also provided me with a platform to work collaboratively in groups and network, building lifelong friendships.
/current-students/ron-joyce-centre-business-studies
What are my admission requirements?
What other programs are related to Commerce?
Economics
Economics examines the operation of market economies to discover regularities of behaviour and develops a deeper understanding of how its principles apply locally and globally.
International Economics and Business
International Economics and Business aims to develop an understanding of issues in the international business world.
Aviation
Aviation is an interdisciplinary degree program combining professional flight training with undergraduate studies in Arts, Commerce, or Science.