Business Administration
www.ufv.ca/busadmin

Business Administration diploma

Note: Students who were admitted to the Business Administration diploma program prior to Fall 2010 will follow the program requirements in place at their time of entry, with the exception of BUS 206. This course will no longer be offered. Instead of BUS 206, students may take one of the following courses: BUS 202, 204, 221, 223, 224, or 245. If students admitted to the diploma prior to Fall 2010 would like to complete the diploma under the program requirements in place as of Fall 2010, they must notify the Business department program advisor and must complete all program requirements as stated in this calendar.

The two-year diploma program is designed to give graduates a solid educational background on which to build a business career. The Business Administration diploma program develops practical skills in writing, mathematics, and computing, along with an understanding of fundamental principles in the areas of marketing, accounting, economics, and management. By carefully selecting their courses, diploma students can meet the admission requirements of the BBA as well as the prerequisites for upper-level business courses.

Entrance requirements

Students who do not meet the requirements for entry into the Bachelor of Business Administration degree program may be admitted into the diploma program, provided they meet the following entrance requirements.

1. B.C. secondary school graduation, or equivalent.

2. Principles of Mathematics 11 or 12 with a minimum C, or UFV MATH 085 with a minimum C, or a minimum MATA score of 67%. Students considering taking the MATA (Math 12 Ability Test) should contact the Business department for more information.

3. English 12 with a minimum C+, or the prerequisites for ENGL 105.

All students entering Business Administration programs are expected to be computer literate. This means knowing how to run programs from a Windows environment, and having basic Internet, word processing, and spreadsheet skills.

Students who have completed certificate or one-year programs such as the Administration certificate will receive credit for completed courses that are in the diploma, conditional on meeting recency and grade requirements.

The Business Studies program path allows students who do not currently meet diploma entry requirements to upgrade their qualifications for future admission.

When to apply

Applications are accepted for entrance to the Fall semester only. For application deadlines, see Specific intake application process.

How to apply

1. Submit the application fee, along with your UFV application for admission form, to the Admissions and Records (A&R) office. Application forms are available from any A&R or Student Services office. You can also print an application form from our website at www.ufv.ca/ar, or you can apply directly through the internet at www.pas.bc.ca.

Additional documents required for a complete application:
• Official transcripts (or interim transcripts) of all post-secondary institutions attended showing grade/course achievement as per program entrance requirements. To be considered official, transcripts must be sent directly to UFV from the originating institution; see the Transfer Credit section for details.

The following must be included:

a. Official transcript (or interim transcript) from high school
b. B.C. English 12 or equivalent with a minimum C+ (i.e. evidence of having completed the prerequisites for ENGL 105)
c. B.C. Principles of Math 11 or 12 or equivalent with a minimum C
d. B.C. secondary school graduation or equivalent

Basis for admission decision

Applicants who meet the entrance requirements will be admitted in order of their application date. This date is set when an application, all required documentation, and the application fee have been submitted.

Length and location

Students can complete the diploma program in two years if they take five courses each fall and winter semester.

A reduced course load is permitted but will result in a longer period of time needed for program completion. The department requires the diploma to be completed within seven years.

The full diploma program is offered at both the Abbotsford and Chilliwack campuses. Most of the first year of the diploma program is offered at the Mission campus. All students should expect to travel between campuses during their program.

Residency requirements

At least 25 percent of the course work must be completed at UFV.

Transferring courses to other institutions and associations

Students intending to pursue commerce or business administration studies at UBC, SFU, UVic, or UNBC are advised to study those institutions’ calendars carefully before enrolling in any UFV courses which have a BUS designation. Students should consult an educational advisor in Student Services or at the institution to which they intend to transfer, or refer to the Provincial Transfer Guide at www.bctransferguide.ca for transfer details.

Many business administration courses are transferable to B.C. colleges and institutes. To obtain maximum transfer credit, students should ensure that electives chosen are transferable and appropriate for the desired program.

Most accounting and finance-related business administration courses offered at UFV have transferability with the professional accounting associations — the Institute of Chartered Accountants (CA), the Society of Management Accountants (CMA) and the Certified General Accountants Association (CGA). A number of the department’s courses are also recognized by the Canadian Credit Union Institute, the Institute of Canadian Bankers, and the Purchasing Management Association of Canada, and Sales and Marketing Executives International.

Distance education

A number of courses applicable to the degree, diploma, and certificate programs are available by distance education through TRU-OL. If your work schedule, or UFV’s timetable, prevents you from taking a course when needed, or you find it impossible to obtain a seat in a course because it is full, you may be able to arrange to take an equivalent course through the publicly funded TRU-OL. Contact the Business Administration department to get information about equivalent courses available on this basis, and to request a Letter of Permission (written authorization) to include them in your program.

Recognition of previously completed Business Administration courses

Former UFV business administration students who finished their studies more than 10 years ago and students who completed courses in other programs and/or at other post-secondary institutions prior to starting a UFV Business Administration program should contact the Business Administration department to determine whether any courses/credits can be recognized for or transferred to the desired UFV Business program. Applicability of courses and/or transfer credits is determined on an individual student basis.

The following criteria are used:

• Relevance and suitability of the course to the program as determined by the Business Administration department
• Generally, courses taken more than 10 years ago will not be considered applicable; courses taken more recently may not be considered applicable if there has been significant change in the course subject matter since the course was taken.
• Grades received (a C grade is the minimum acceptable if the course was taken at another institution)
• Courses taken at other institutions may not be used to meet the program residency requirements.

Fees and additional costs

See the Fees and Other Costs section.

Textbooks and supplies cost approximately $1000–1500 per year. Textbooks should be considered an investment and become part of your business library. You may be required to purchase one or more computer software packages. You should also consider purchasing or arranging access to an industry-compatible computer.

Program regulations

Standing required for continuance

Students in the Business Administration diploma program must maintain a program GPA and semester average of 2.0.

Note: For entry to the third year of the BBA, diploma students require a cumulative Business diploma GPA of 2.67 (see the BBA degree program entrance requirements).

Academic warning

Students whose program GPA or semester GPA falls below 2.0 during their program are subject to academic warning for the next semester (see this section for details). A student on academic warning may not register in a course overload. Students who do not achieve a semester GPA of at least 2.0 while they are on academic warning will be required to withdraw from the program.

A student on academic warning who achieves a single semester GPA of at least 2.0 will continue on academic warning until the minimum program GPA of 2.0 is achieved.

Required to withdraw

Students who have been required to withdraw from the diploma program may have the opportunity to continue as General Studies students.

Appeals for readmission

Students who are required to withdraw from the program must submit an appeal for readmission if they wish to resume studies in the program.

In general, students who have been required to withdraw will be advised to complete a further nine credits of academic work, or to repeat a similar amount of academic work taken previously, in order to demonstrate their academic abilities. Appeals must be received at least three months before the start of the semester applied for. Re-admission is not automatic.

Standing on readmission

If readmitted, students will be placed on academic warning again, subject to the conditions for academic warning as described above.

Co-operative Education option

The Co-operative Education option offers students in the Business Administration diploma and degree programs the opportunity to obtain paid, career-related work experience in their field of study during their education at UFV. After completing their first year of study, Co-op students alternate between semesters of full-time study and full-time paid employment. See the Co-operative Education section of the calendar for further details.

Program outline

First Year

Semester I

Semester II

Second Year

Semester III

Semester IV

Note 1: Students with Principles of Math 12 or equivalent, with a minimum C+, may take a business or general elective in lieu of MATH 140. Students planning to transfer their credits to the BBA should take MATH 141.

Note 2: Students planning to transfer their credits to the BBA should take BUS 221.

Note 3: Students planning to transfer their credits to the BBA should take CMNS 251.

Note 4: Students planning to transfer their credits to the BBA should take BUS 301.

Course listings

For complete details on courses see the course descriptions section.