When you enter Business, you will attend an orientation to acquaint yourself with:

• academic and co-op requirements
• BCom, Business Co-op and Career, and International Programs staff who support you throughout our program
• your BCom professors
• your fellow BCom students 

This orientation takes place in September once classes have started.  We will contact you with the details of the time and location.

As a first or second year BCom student, you have many resources available to you:

• Acess to our Business Co-op and Career Centre (including assistance with resumés and interview skills) through the Co-op Prep course, Com 204
• Access to business career fairs, employer information sessions, networking events, and student activities
• Access to the BCom and Business Co-op and Career offices and personalized follow-up and guidance

Please review your admission letter as it does have specific conditions that you must meet to satisfy all requirements to begin your third year commerce courses.

Conditions for entry into the BCom program core courses:

• Students must meet UVic entrance requirements
• Students must complete the remainder of their Pre-Commerce course work at UVic (Year 2).
• Students must obtain a minimum GPA of 4.0 (B-, 70%) on their required courses, with a minimum grade of C+ (65%) in each of them.
• Students must complete all required and elective courses (30 units) by the end of the Spring (January-April) term of their Year 2 prior to commencement of BCom program core.
• Students must achieve a GPA of at least 5.0 (73%) on their most recent 30 units to be eligible to start the BCom program core.
• Students may undertake their first Co-op work term prior to entry into the BCom program core.

If you have any questions about your conditions, please make an appointment to see a BCom Program Adviser. Please remember to check your email regularly, as the BCom office periodically sends you information.

In Year 1 and 2, you must successfully complete the following pre-commerce required courses:

Economics: 1.5 units

• ECON 103: Introductory Microeconomics (1.5 units)

English: 3.0 units

• Applicants must have satisfied the university English requirement
• 1.5 units of ENGL 135, ENGL 146, ENGL 147, ENGL 100-level
• 1.5 units may include the above as well as other approved English courses  - please check with BCom Admissions Officer

Math and Statistics: 3.0 units

• MATH 151: Finite Mathematics (1.5 units) and STAT 252: Statistics for Business (1.5 units), or
•  
• STAT 255*: Statistics for Life Sciences: I and STAT 256*: Statistics for Life Sciences: II, or
• ECON 245*:Descriptive Statistics and Probability and ECON 246*:Statistical Inference

If you are transferring from another instititution, you may have different combinations of math and statistics courses. At a minimum, you must have 3.0 units of courses in the math and statistics area. The following combinations are acceptable:

• One course in business statistics (1.5 units), and one other math course (1.5 units) which may not include pre-calculus, pre-calculus math, pre-calculus algebra, or math for elementary education. Acceptable topics for the other math courses include linear algebra, business math and math for economics among others. A minimum transfer credit of MATH 100-level must be awarded for the other math course.
• Students who select ECON 245 and ECON 246 or the STAT 255 and STAT 256 combinations can satisfy both the statistics requirement (1.5 units) and the other math requirement (1.5 units).

Decisions regarding the appropriateness of math and statistics courses are at the discretion of the faculty.

*Check course pre-requisites before registering

When selecting elective courses to fulfill your 30 units, you should take courses of interest to you. You may select courses that complement what you want to do in business (for example, creative, communication and psychology courses if you want to focus on marketing; or computer, chemistry and biology courses if you plan on working in the high-tech or medical industry).

Some courses relevant to business include: Com 100, Econ 104, Econ 205, Engl 225, Ephe 142, Math 102,  Phil 201, Phil 330,  Psych 100A/B, Soci 100A/B, Stat 349, Writ 100.

Ensure that you take 3.0 units of language courses if you plan on specializing in International Business in your fourth year.

Do not take Commerce courses (Com 200 level) as these do not count toward your BCom degree, and you take these subjects in greater depth in your third year.

During your second year, you participate in the Co-op Prep course (COM 204) to prepare you for your first co-op work term in the summer before you begin third year core BCom courses. Through our career experts, you:

• Develop foundation, communication, personal and professional skills
• Receive feedback and assistance on your résumé
• Sharpen your interview skills,
• Improve your networking skills
• Acquire access to the Co-op and Career Portal  to view Business Co-op positions for the summer prior to starting Year 3 core.

Co-op Prep sessions are coordinated by the Business Co-op and Career office, and you are notified by email and B-Link (see below). You may also attend optional professional development workshops geared to enhancing job-readiness skills.

You complete the equivalent of three 4-month work terms prior to graduation from the BCom program. You can meet the first work term requirement by participating in an official BCom co-op work term (after completing Com 204: Co-op Prep ) in the summer term between second and third year, or by transferring in a registered co-op.

In Year 2, you can access our online database of co-op positions and submit applications on-line.

If you are an international student admitted in Year 1 or 2, you undertake two additional courses that contribute to your 30 units of required pre-commerce courses:

• Com 206C Business English and Communications: Development and enhancement of skills in written business communication, oral business communication, and non-verbal communication. You learn how to develop efficient use of verbal and non-verbal skills in business situations; be able to use language to convey specific messages to intended audiences; develop and use techniques for information management. Concentration is on pronunciation, building vocabulary and comprehension of complex literature. 
• Com 290 Introduction to Canadian Business: An overview of the Canadian business system. An examination of the economic, geographical, historical, legal, and political factors. Examples may include the business functions of production, marketing, finance and human resources. Emphasis on management case studies, oral presentations and working in groups.

The Commerce Students' Society (CSS) represents all students in the BCom program. Your time at our school is best complemented by an active life outside classes, so get involved in one of their groups. Consider joining the CSS as a first or second year representative to organize activities for your peers!

Upon entry into Year 3 commerce core, you are strategically grouped into a cohort for each term, and these group members become your team-mates and in many cases your friends for the rest of your academic experience.

During the spring term, you may be in a different cohort of students. Having all your classmates in the same cohort helps you schedule meetings after-hours to work on group projects and presentations.

This course, designed to enhance your business professional skills, is made up of three elements:

• Workplace Skills Conference: in mid-September of the spring term of Year 3, you further develop your business professional skills through a series of speakers, workshops and a luncheon with business community professionals.
• RBC Internal Case Competition: in the spring term of Year 3 you apply BCom core concepts to a business case
• KPMG Business Simulation: also in the spring term, you apply BCom core concepts to another business case.

You don't choose your specialization when first entering Year 3. Rather, you first take some of the core courses to gain a better understanding of what you would like to do. During the fall term, our specialization program champions host a special information session to give you more information and answer your questions.

In the fall core term of Year 3, you learn more about our international exchange program, meet incoming exchange students in your courses and begin your application process. In the Spring core term, you submit your application and interview for your top partner choices.

With over 70 partners in 34 plus countries, we encourage you to gain first-hand experience studying abroad for one term, regardless of your specialization. You may also choose to complete an international co-op work term. We are proud to say that over 75 per cent of eligible BCom students participate in exchange.

Find more answers to your questions about international exchange.

We provide you with the analytical expertise and practical knowledge necessary to excel in positions in the public and private sector. Co-op work terms allow you to work in a variety of industries, across BC, Canada, and abroad. After completing the 3rd year core, you may also opt to start up your own business for your co-op as part of the Entrepreneurship specialization.

Co-op work terms are four or possibly eight months in length (depending on your academic scheduling) beginning in January, May or September. The monthly salary ranges from $1200 to $2400, with an average of $1800 per month.