Minor in Commerce

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 specialization credits 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.

For a full required course listing, please visit the UBC Calendar.

Overview
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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/COMR courses must be completed at UBC (a maximum of nine credits of the required COMM/COMR courses can be gained through transfer credits gained at other institutions). In addition, at least two of the required COMM/COMR 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.

Courses
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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:
COMR 329    Principles of Organizational Behaviour COMR 398    Introduction to Business Processes
and Operations
COMR 457    Fundamentals of Financial Accounting COMM 204    Logistics and Operations Management
COMR 465   Marketing Management COMR 458    Fundamentals of Managerial Accounting
COMR 473    Business Finance
COMR 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/COMR 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.

Course Schedules
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Most of the COMM/COMR courses are offered in Term 1, Term 2, and Summer sessions. Some courses have more sections open in one term than in another. Students should carefully check the co- and pre-requisites of the COMM/COMR courses 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

COMR 457
COMR 473

COMM 204
COMR 329

CO-OP 4

Year 5

CO-OP 5

COMR 493
COMR 465

Distance Education
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A minimum of nine credits of the COMM/COMR courses must be completed at UBC. Credit for up to nine credits of the required COMM/COMR 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 COMR 457.
  • BBUS 2541 transfers to UBC as 3 credits of second-year commerce and precludes you from taking UBC COMM 294 for credit.  COMM 294 is equivalent to COMR 458 so in effect, BBUS 2541 can substitute for COMR 458.
  • BBUS 3331 transfers directly to UBC as COMM 204.
  • MKTG 2431 transfers to UBC as COMM 296 which exempts you from COMR 465.
  • ORGB 2811 transfers directly to UBC as COMR 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 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 to gain 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.

Calendar Descriptions
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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, and distribution of income.
ECON 102 (3) Principles of Macroeconomics
Elements of theory and of Canadian policy and institutions concerning the economic growth and business cycles, national income accounting, interest and exchange rates, money and banking, and 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]
COMR 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).
COMR 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 their third and fourth year).
COMR 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 the third or fourth year only.
COMR 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 the third and fourth year only.
Prerequisite: One of COMM 293, COMR 457.
COMR 465 (3) Marketing Management
Basic considerations affecting the domestic and international marketing of goods and services. For non-Commerce students in the third and fourth year only.
Prerequisite: One of COMM 293, COMR 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.
COMR 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 the third and fourth years.
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, COMR 457
COMR 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, COMR 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 COMR 329, COMR 465, COMR 473.

For more information about the Minor in Commerce and its Flexible Learning option, please visit the Sauder School of Business website.