Bachelor of Commerce (Co-op) Program
The Rowe School of Business offers a four-year, Bachelor of Commerce (Co-operative Education) Program that is accredited by both the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and Co-operative Education and Work Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL Canada). It is one of the few mandatory co-op business degree programs in Canada. Co-operative education is an academic strategy that integrates on-campus study with off-campus work experience. The schedule for the Bachelor of Commerce (Co-op) Program includes seven academic terms (AT) and three work terms (WT), as follows:
| |
Fall |
Winter |
Summer |
| Year 1 |
AT1 |
AT2 |
OFF |
| Year 2 |
AT3 |
WT1 |
AT4 |
| Year 3 |
WT2 |
AT5 |
WT3 |
| Year 4 |
AT6 |
AT7 |
|
The co-op program in Commerce offers students the opportunity to choose a major in a variety of special areas, and/or a minor in an area outside of the Faculty of Management should they wish to do so. The Commerce (Co-op) program does not currently offer double majors.
The three work-terms each receive academic credit, and constitute a full work load (see the Regulations section of this calendar for “overload” limits and conditions).
Degree Requirements
- Four-year program - seven academic terms and three work-terms
- Total credit hours required - 120
- Required GPA for graduation 2.00
- COMM 1711.015: Prersonal and Professional Development I
- COMM 1712.015: Personal and Professional Development I
- Work-terms - 9 credit hours
- COMM 1010.03: Business in a Global Context
- COMM 1101.03: Introduction to Accounting I (Financial)
- COMM 1102.03: Introduction to Accounting II (Managerial)
- COMM 1503.03: Introduction to Quantitative Decision Making
- COMM 1715.03: Business Communication
- COMM 2202.03: Finance I
- COMM 2203.03: Finance II
- COMM 2303.03: Introduction to Organizational Behaviour
- COMM 2310.03: Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
- COMM 2401.03: Introduction to Marketing
- COMM 2504.03: Intermediate Quantitative Decision Making
- COMM 2603.03: Legal Aspects of Business
- COMM 3500.03: Advanced Quantitative Decision Making
- COMM 3501.03: Production/Operations Management
- COMM 3511.03: Management Information Systems
- COMM 4353.03: Strategic Management
- ECON 1101.03: Principles of Microeconomics
- ECON 1102.03: Principles of Macroeconomics
- Six Electives (18 credit hours) can be at or above the 1000 level in any discipline
- Two Electives (6 credit hours) MUST be at or above the 2000 level in any discipline
- Ten Electives (30 credit hours) can be either Commerce or Management at or above the 2000 level
NOTE: Students readmitted to the Commerce Co-op program will be subject to the Academic Regulations as stated in the Calendar for the year of readmission. For further information, contact the Rowe School of Business, Undergraduate Advising Office, 6100 University Avenue, Suite 2086. Phone +1 (902) 494-3710 or Email: uao@dal.ca
Program Guide
Students normally follow a fixed program of study, as outlined below:
Academic Term One
- COMM 1010.03: Business in a Global Context
- COMM 1101.03: Introduction to Accounting I (Financial)
- COMM 1503.03: Introduction to Quantitative Decision Making
- COMM 1711.015: Personal and Professional Development I
- ECON 1101.03: Principles of Microeconomics
- One elective
Academic Term Two
- COMM 1102.03: Introduction to Accounting II (Managerial)
- COMM 1712.015: Personal and Professional Development II
- COMM 1715.03: Business Communication (or one elective)
- ECON 1102.03: Principles of Macroeconomics
- Two electives
Academic Term Three
- One elective (or COMM 1715.03: Business Communication)
- COMM 2202.03: Finance I
- COMM 2401.03: Introduction to Marketing
- COMM 2504.03: Intermediate Quantitative Decision Making
- COMM 2603.03: Legal Aspects of Business
Work Term I - COMM 2801.03 and
- One elective (note: this elective can be moved to any work term or academic term in 3rd or 4th year, email uao@dal.ca for details)
Academic Term Four
- COMM 2203.03: Finance II
- COMM 2303.03: Introduction to Organizational Behaviour
- COMM 2310.03: Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
- COMM 3500.03: Advanced Quantitative Decision Making
- COMM 3511.03: Management Information Systems
Academic Term Five
- COMM 3501.03: Productions/Operations Management
- Four electives
Work Term III - COMM 3802.03
Academic Terms Six and Seven
- COMM 4353.03: Strategic Management
- Nine electives
Students can either pursue a customized program of study by choosing electives from a wide range of the functional areas of business, humanities, or social sciences, or they can follow a more specialized program taking their elective courses towards a major and/or a minor. Students interested in majoring should consult the School's website and their Academic Advisor for further details before registering for their fifth academic term.
Major in Accounting
Note: An average grade of B- must be obtained between COMM 1101.03 and COMM 1102.03 to major in Accounting.
Students must complete the following eight courses:
CPA Canada requires certain academic prerequisites for admission to the CPA certification program. That is, CPA candidates must complete an undergraduate degree and cover specific prerequisite subject areas. Appropriate courses can be taken in the Rowe School of Business, as part of the Accounting Major structure, to meet these requirements. Particulars can be obtained from the Chartered Professional Accountants Canada website http://cpacanada.ca
Major in Entrepreneurship
Students must complete the following four courses:
Plus four of:
Note: At least one Work Term must either be in an approved "Entrepreneurial Setting "; OR an “Entrepreneurial Work Term " as defined by the Norman Newman Centre for Entrepreneurship and Management Career Services.
Major in Finance
Note: An average grade of B- must be obtained between COMM 2202.03 and COMM 2203.03 to major in Finance.
Students must complete the following three courses:
Plus five of:
* Maximum two electives from NON-Finance courses
Major in International Business
Students must complete:
- Language Requirement; six credit hours from the same subject at a level appropriate to knowledge, as determined by department concerned (i.e. FREN 1007.03 and FREN 1008.03)
Plus four of:
- COMM 3405.03: Global Marketing
- COMM 4201.03: International Financial Management
- COMM 4315.03: International and Intercultural Management
- COMM 4701.03: International Business Strategy
- COMM 4705.03: Contemporary Issues in Global Business
Plus two of:
- ECON 2213.03: Emerging Giants: The Economic Rise of China and India
- ECON 2219.03: Euros and Cents: From Common Market to European Union
- ECON 2334.03: Globalization and Economic Development: Current Debates
- POLI 1065.03: Political Worlds: The Global Domain
- POLI 1500.06: Globalization
- POLI 3233.03: Canada in the Global Economy
- POLI 3390.03: Politics of Consumption
- POLI 3569.03: Canadian Foreign Policy
Students must also complete one academic term or one work term in a country other than their primary residence.
Major in Managing People and Organizations
Students must complete the following four courses:
- COMM 3303.03: Introduction to Human Resource Management
- COMM 3309.03: Management Skills Development
- COMM 3310.03: Reflections on Leadership
- COMM 4306.03: Organizational Change, Theory and Design
Plus four of:
Major in Marketing
Students must complete the following four courses:
Plus four of:
- COMM 3405.03: Global Marketing
- COMM 3407.03: Logistics & Supply Chain Management
- COMM 3408.03: Transportation Modes and Policy
- COMM 3409.03: Personal Selling and Sales Management
- COMM 3410.03: Services Marketing
- MGMT 2402.03: Marketing Applications in the Not-For-Profit Sectors
Major in Supply Chain & Logistics Management
Students must complete the following four courses:
- COMM 3407.03: Logistics & Supply Chain Management
- COMM 4501.03: Business Analytics for Decision Making
- COMM 4511.03: Business Process Integration using ERP Systems
- COMM 4520.03: Supply Chain Planning & Execution
Plus four of:
- COMM 3405.03: Global Marketing
- COMM 3408.03: Transportation Modes and Policy
- COMM 3409.03: Personal Selling and Sales Management
- COMM 3410.03: Services Marketing
- COMM 4512.03: Business Intelligence and Data Visualization
- ECON 2805.03: Science and Economics of Climate Change
- ECON 3330.03: International Trade
- ECON 3335.03: Environmental Economics
Minors
Bachelor of Commerce (Co-op) students can choose to complement their degree by declaring a minor in another subject area outside of the Faculty of Management. Students should consult with their program Academic Advisor concerning their degree requirements, and an Advisor from within their desired subject area for the minor requirements. For a current list of available minors please see Minors.
Co-op Work Terms
(For more information visit: www.dal.ca/mcs)
A work term is a period of time when a student gains practical experience in a business-related work environment. Each passed work term is an academic half credit and must meet the requirements listed below. Three passed work terms are required to graduate.
During a work term a student is considered an employee of their work term employer with reference to the conditions of their employment, and is a student with respect to academic evaluation only. The university does not accept liability for the student's work environment.
Students are remunerated according to employer policy and the labour laws of the jurisdiction in which they work.
Members of the Management Career Services team conduct mid-term reviews with both the employers and students to ensure the work term objectives are being met.
Work Term Requirements
Students receive academic credit upon completion of the following for each work term:
- Students must register for each work term (COMM 2801, COMM 3801 and COMM 3802) via Dal Online.
- Students must complete all mandatory requirements for co-op orientation.
- Each work term must be completed within the designated semester with one employer. A work term must total no less than 12 weeks, and must be a minimum of 35 hours per week.
- All jobs, including self-developed jobs, must be approved by Management Career Services (MCS).
- Students are responsible for finding suitable employment. Students complete a Co-op Education Program Agreement prior to the first work term accepting this responsibility. Support for the job search is provided by MCS, and job opportunities are posted on the myCareer job posting system.
- Employers commit to completing and submitting a final evaluation detailing the student’s performance level which must be assessed as satisfactory to receive academic credit.
- For each work term, students must submit a satisfactory work term report to the assigned faculty member in the Rowe School of Business.
Academic Eligibility for Work Terms
Only students who meet the prerequisites (see Section II: Courses Offered of this calendar) are eligible to participate in a work term. Students who fail a required core course or a work term twice, and/or whose grades drop below a 1.70 GPA overall will be dismissed from the University. Refer to the university regulations regarding academic probation and dismissal for more information.
Co-op/Career Services Fee
Students are charged a Co-operative Education/Career Services Fee (pro-rated for part-time students). In an effort to balance the cost, the fees are charged on each academic term until completion of the degree, which includes academic semesters outside of the regular program structure after all work terms have been successfully completed. While no fee is charged for the actual work term, any student taking an academic course during the work term will be charged an additional pro-rated fee.
These fees are non-refundable after the deadline dates listed in the University Calendar. Students who transfer into the program from another department, or another institution, are responsible for back payments.
Students completing an academic term (three or more half credit courses) outside of Dalhousie on a Letter of Permission are also responsible for the payment of co-op fees. Before the Letter of Permission can be granted, students must sign a co-op fee agreement, available from the Undergraduate Advising Office.
Payment of all fees is required to obtain a Bachelor of Commerce (Co-op) Degree. Consult the Fees section of the Dalhousie University Calendar for details.
The fee supports the administration of co-op work terms as well as career services for graduating students. It covers, but is not limited to;
- Job search assistance (cover letters and resume building, interview preparation and debrief, coaching for self-developed job search strategies)
- Variety of workshops and other training
- Networking opportunities with employers (including special events, competitions, information sessions, corporate tours, mentoring, etc.)
- Online e-learning webinars
- Work term monitoring and mediation
- Work term report instruction and grading by the assigned Rowe School of Business Instructor for COMM 2801, COMM 3801, and COMM 3802
- Marketing and communications tools and activities to promote the Commerce Co-op program to employers
- Development and administration of work term and grad job opportunities
- Access to on-line job posting site (myCareer) and job posting administration
- Interview space and co-ordination
- Facilitation of job offers
- Tracking of eligibility and job search activity
Management Information Systems
All Faculty of Management students have access to a computer lab. All computers are based on the Intel family of processors, are fully networked, run Windows software, and the latest Windows-based applications. Students will have full access to the Internet, with a choice of printing on black-and-white or colour laser printers (direct debit with DalCard) as well as access to a full-sized color scanner (free of charge).
Exchange Programs
Dalhousie offers Bachelor of Commerce (Co-op) students the opportunity to study abroad in a variety of countries all over the world, including Denmark, France, Sweden, Norway, South Korea and China (a complete list of partnerships can be found here). While participating in this program, students develop international contacts, immerse themselves in a different culture, and gain valuable international experience. For more information, please contact our Student Exchange Coordinator by emailing rsbstudent.exchange@Dal.Ca, or by calling (902) 494-3710.