Undergraduate studies frequently asked questions

An undergraduate degree is the first level of post-secondary education combining a mixture of general education requirements and courses specific to the particular degree program. At Athabasca University you can earn either a 3 year degree (90 credits) that provides a solid foundation of business knowledge or you can earn a 4 year degree (120 credits) which allows you to build on the foundation and select more courses to meet your career goals.

A Bachelor of Commerce is an undergraduate degree in the study of commerce (business). This degree provides students an opportunity for exposure to general business principles such as accounting, finance, business management, human resources, marketing, statistics, and economics.

A Bachelor of Management is an undergraduate degree that teaches students relevant skills such as leadership and management that can then be applied in the business world.

Online certificate programs are a series of undergraduate courses aimed at understanding and learning management basics or specialized courses focusing on a specific discipline. These courses may be used as credit towards a full degree in the future.

The CPA requires a 120 credit undergraduate degree and specific courses in order to receive the CPA designation. Athabasca University offers courses approved to meet these requirements which can be taken online on their own or as part of an undergraduate degree. For example the Bachelor of Commerce, Accounting Major can be tailored to fulfill most or all of the CPA PEP requirements.

Flexibility plays a huge role in taking courses online, they are more accessible to students all around the world. Many of our students are visiting students from other universities who can’t fit certain required courses into their on-campus schedules. Online education gives you the option to work at your own pace and explore what interests you when you want.

There is only one formal entrance requirement for our online business degree programs: you must be 16 years of age or older.

Yes! All of our courses can be taken on your schedule, whenever works for you, works for us. Athabasca University strives to fit into your life, your schedule, and your ultimate goals.

Typically, undergraduate degrees are a mixture of courses arranged around a specific major or minor as well as general educational requirements.

All of our undergraduate degree and certificate programs are available online.

We have students and academics across Canada and around the world engaged in learning and teaching 24-hours a day. Asynchronous learning means you are never required to be online at a certain date and time. You can complete your work, contribute to discussions, and ask questions of your professor at any time as long as you meet specified course deadlines.

This program can be completed in as little as 1 year of full-time study, or work at your own pace and take as long as you need. There is no time limit for completion.

You can take an undergraduate degree before taking a certificate, but as there are restrictions on the number of courses you can use from a completed degree toward a certificate, we generally recommend completing certificate programs first and then laddering them (transferring courses where applicable) into undergraduate degree programs.

Absolutely! Our courses are designed to be with you on the go, wherever you are, as long as you have an internet connection.

There are many employers who seek out employees with undergraduate degrees. Students with undergraduate degrees often have better communication, management, leadership, problem solving, critical thinking, and time management skills that are sought after in business.

These degrees are useful in any industry that require business professionals, such as accounting, finance, HR, management, marketing, and many more. You can find employment in both the public and private sector.

Salaries can range for those with an undergraduate degree. Based on Graduate Outcomes Survey (Government of Alberta, 2015), students who earned a BComm from AU had an average salary of $75,000 and those who earned a BMgmt had an average salary of $95,000. These numbers are an average and cannot be used as a guaranteed salary expectation.

This program can be completed in as little as 1 year (3-year post-diploma route) to 4 years (4-year degree route) of full-time study. Or work at your own pace and take as long as you need. There is no time limit for completion. You will follow the regulations of the program based on when you applied as long as you maintain an active status in your program (taking a minimum of one course per year).

Tuition is pay-as-you-go for each course registration. Course fees vary depending on your location and other factors. Please view course fees hereor use the tuition calculator here. Remember that tuition costs may increase each year.

Absolutely! In many cases, courses from other institutions can be transferred into the undergraduate program. It also may be possible to transfer credit from previous diplomas to count towards an undergraduate degree. Please visit our transfer credit database to see if your prior work will transfer over.