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Bachelor of Commerce, Marketing Major

Regulations amended, effective September 1, 2022.

This program is designed for students seeking a rigorous, technically based business degree comparable in content to most Bachelor of Commerce degrees in Canada. Courses in all core business areas are required, including marketing, statistics, financial accounting, management accounting, finance, economics, information systems, strategic management, organization behaviour, and commercial law.

All students in the Bachelor of Commerce program will complete a common set of core courses in Years 1, 2, 3, and 4. The core courses are the same for the general Bachelor of Commerce degree and the six majors: Accounting, Business Technology Management, Finance, Human Resources Management, Indigenous Business, and Marketing.

The Bachelor of Commerce degree is offered by Athabasca University’s Faculty of Business. For more information, phone 1-800-468-6531 or email.


Marketing Major

The role of a marketing coordinator or manager can vary dramatically from organization to organization. Marketing in a large, product-driven company will differ greatly from marketing in a small knowledge-based start-up or not-for-profit organization. A well-rounded management education is critical to adapting to and succeeding in a wide variety of settings.

Your AU Bachelor of Commerce degree will prepare you to tackle the marketing challenges of any organization, as well as to take on associated management responsibilities in finance, operations and human resources for your unit or department.

Planning your program

Our online program plans can assist you in selecting the courses needed to fulfill your program requirements.

Counselling Services offers an assessment website, Mapping Your Future.

Athabasca University has also developed program learning outcomes that describe the career options that may be available to you upon graduating.

Enrolment restriction

Students will not be accepted into the Bachelor of Commerce program if they have:

  • a degree in administration, business, commerce or management;
  • a degree with a major or concentration in administration, business, commerce, or management; or
  • any equivalency programs from Athabasca University or another university.

Students are not permitted to obtain a second undergraduate degree in the same field or related field as their first undergraduate degree. Those students who hold an international undergraduate degree who wish to obtain a Canadian credential, or those students who wish to obtain another Bachelor’s degree in a major different than their first undergraduate degree, will be permitted in consultation with the Program Director and reviewed by the Office of the Registrar.

Regulations governing all Bachelor of Commerce students

Students complete the program regulations in effect at the time of their enrolment.

Students must have a weighted average of at least 1.7 (C-) across all courses taken at Athabasca University towards a Bachelor of Commerce degree in order to graduate.


Program structure

program structure
Total credits in the program 120
Required courses (Years 1 and 2) 39
Options 21
Required courses (Years 3 and 4) 30
Marketing major required courses 15
Options 15
A minimum of 12 Business and Administrative Studies credits must be at the 400 level (including ADMN 405). 12
Residency requirement: A minimum of 30 credits must be obtained through Athabasca University in senior (300 or 400) level courses. These 30 credits must include ADMN 405 (3 credits) plus 12 credits from the list of required courses for Years 3 and 4. 30
Graduation with Distinction or Great Distinction. At least 24 credits must be obtained through Athabasca University in order to be considered. 24
Maximum Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition credits 21

Bachelor of Commerce, years 1 and 2 (60 credits)

Required courses

(39 credits)

years 1-2 required courses
ACCT 250 or
ACCT 253
Accounting for Managers
or
Introductory Financial Accounting*
(3)
  *Students who are planning to pursue a professional accounting designation or further courses in Finance are advised to take ACCT 253.  
ADMN 232
or
ADMN 201
Introduction to Management
or
Introduction to Business Studies
(3)
ADMN 233 Writing in Organizations (3)
COMM 243 or
COMM 277
Interpersonal Communication
or
Group Communication
(3)
CMIS 245 Microcomputer Applications in Business (Windows) (3)
ECON 247 Microeconomics (3)
ECON 248 Macroeconomics (3)
LGST 369 Commercial Law (3)
MKTG 396 Introduction to Marketing (3)
MATH 244 or
MATH 260 or
MATH 265 or
MATH 270
Business Mathematics
or
Calculus for Social Sciences and Economics**
or
Introduction to Calculus I
or

Linear Algebra I
(3)
  **Recommended for students in the Finance major.  
MGSC 301 Statistics for Business and Economics I (3)
PHIL 252 Critical Thinking (3)
PHIL 333 or
PHIL 337
Professional Ethics
or
Business Ethics
(3)

Options*

(21 credits)

year 1-2 options
  1. Business and Administrative Studies credits at the junior (200) or senior (300 or 400) level
(3)
  1. Non "Business and Administrative Studies" credits at the junior (200) level (an English course is recommended)
(6)
*A maximum of 3 credits in any area of study at the preparatory (100) level can be taken in the above 9 credits.  
  1. Non "Business and Administrative Studies" credits at the senior (300 or 400) level)
(12)

Marketing Major, years 3 and 4 (60 credits)

Required courses

(30 credits)

required courses
ACCT 355 Cost Analysis (3)
ADMN 417
or
ECON 401
International Business Management
or
The Changing Global Economy
(3)
CMIS 351 Management Information Systems (3)
FNCE/ECON 300
or
FNCE 370
Financial Economics
or
Overview of Corporate Finance
(3)
MGSC 312 Statistics for Business and Economics II (3)
MGSC 368
or
MGSC 369
Introduction to Production and Operations Management
or
Service Operations Management
(3)
ORGB 364 Organizational Behaviour (3)
HRMT 386 Introduction to Human Resource Management (3)
ADMN 404 Capstone I: Strategic Management

(3)

ADMN 405 Capstone II: Application and Integration of Contemporary Business Topics*
* ADMN 405 must be taken with AU. Transfer credit will not be awarded. It should be taken as the last course in the program.
(3)

Marketing Major required courses

(15 credits)

major required core courses
MKTG 406 Consumer Behaviour (3)
MKTG 440 Marketing Strategy (3)
MKTG 466 Marketing Research (3)
  Two other senior MKTG courses (6)

Options

(15 credits)

options
Senior (300 or 400) level Business and Administrative Studies credits (9)
Senior (300 or 400) level Non "Business and Administrative Studies" credits. (6)
Information effective Sept. 1, 2022 to Aug. 31, 2023.

Updated July 18, 2022 by Office of the Registrar (calendar@athabascau.ca)