Bachelor of Business Administration Degree, Accounting Major

Why Choose North Island College?

• Invaluable work experience. As a degree student, you’ll have the option of complementing your in-class studies with business-related paid employment through Co-operative Education. In addition, you’ll complete take several courses that incorporate academic learning with real workplace problems.
• Recognized credentials. NIC graduates are highly employable and qualifications earned through NIC’s programs are widely recognized by employers and other post secondary institutions throughout the province.
• International exchange opportunities. Through student exchange programs, you can study abroad in Germany, the US, Mexico, Poland and/or France, where you will help plan and implement international projects.
• Dual Degree. As a degree student, you have the option of earning both an NIC degree and a licence, a three year undergraduate degree, from the Université Paris 13 (UP13). French language studies should be taken early in your program to prepare you to take UP13 courses taught in French.
   

Program Highlights

Qualified students can enter the degree program at any year level. Students may opt for a traditional "two plus two" approach, first completing a two year diploma in business administration, plus two years of additional study to obtain the Bachelor of Business Administration degree (BBA). Students can also apply previous coursework from a wide range of university level studies or professional accounting programs towards the degree program.

Third and fourth-year studies include advanced financial accounting, managerial accounting, advanced cost accounting, taxation, auditing, accounting theory, international business, business ethics, advanced entrepreneurial studies and business strategy. To qualify for a Bachelor of Business Administration degree credential, a student must complete all required program courses and electives (or equivalent transfer credits) for a total of 120 credit hours. 

Career Opportunities

Graduates may be employed as public accountants, management accountants, financial managers, corporate accountants, controllers, internal/external auditors, business consultants, financial analysts, financial planners, asset managers, and business owners. Employment destinations include private practice, business, crown corporations, and government agencies.

Graduates are also prepared to move directly into the Chartered Accountant School of Business (CASB), the Certified General Accountant PACE program or, upon successful completion of two additional CMA courses and the CMA entrance exam, the Certified Management Accountant Strategic Leadership program. Graduates also meet the CGA Association's bachelor's degree requirement.

Credit for Prior Learning

North Island College accepts course transfer credit from a wide range of post secondary institutions and professional organizations. Detailed course transfer information for BC institutions may be found by accessing the BC Transfer Guide at www.bccat.bc.ca. Students possessing other applicable prior learning may request prerequisite waivers for selected courses.

Co-operative Education

Co-operative Education integrates paid, relevant work experience with academic study. The practical experience gained on these supervised, structured work terms is an integral part of the student’s education. The result is graduates with increased confidence, new employment contacts, and practical real-world experience locally, on the Island, provincially or internationally.

BBA degree students need to apply for Co-operative Education in November of their second year of study. Among the eligibility criteria, students must have a GPA of 2.33 or higher in the required business administration program courses and complete a Co-op interview. Students can be awarded a Co-operative Education designation on their degree if they successfully complete EMP100, BUS197, BUS297, and BUS397 (in addition to their program course work). Note: these courses cannot be used as program electives and have registration fees in addition to the program registration fees.

Students may choose either integrated or consecutive work terms that must not end in the program's last semester. For more information on work terms, eligibility requirements, sample job opportunities, and wages contact Co-operative Education. 

Admission Requirements

1. Provincial English 12; or NIC ENG 060 or ENG 098; or equivalent with a grade of C+ or better; or English assessment; and
2. Principles of Math 11; or Applications of Math 12; or NIC MAT 053 with a grade of C or better; or math assessment;
3. Or, permission of the department.

To Be Successful

• Students enrolling in business administration programs should possess basic computer skills in word processing and file management.
• Students are encouraged to consult with a business administration faculty member if they are unsure of their level of math preparedness for any of the business courses.

Program Requirements

The Bachelor of Business Administration Degree - Accounting program offers a great deal of flexibility. Students may customize a program both by choice of electives and by opting to take courses in any order as long as prerequisites are met. Students are required to successfully complete 120 credits excluding Co-op credits. The following is an example of a typical program for a student completing all of his/her studies within the program:

Year 1 

• BUS-112 Introductory Financial Accounting I
• BUS-113 Introductory Financial Accounting II
• BUS-132 Mathematics of Finance
• BUS-150 Administrative Principles
• BUS-162 Basic Marketing Principles & Practices
• BUS-170 Computer Applications for Business
• ECO-110 Principles of Microeconomics
• ECO-111 Principles of Macroeconomics
• ENG-160 Effective Organizational Writing
• MAT-115 Introduction to Statistics

Students may exit with a Business Administration Certificate

Year 2

• BUS-211 Intermediate Financial Accounting I
• BUS-212 Intermediate Financial Accounting II
• BUS-217 Management Accounting
• BUS-221 Commercial Law
• BUS-223 Taxation I
• BUS-232 Quantitative Methods
• BUS-244 Finance
• BUS-290 Management Information Systems
• BUS-293 Business Simulation
• ENG-115 Essay Writing and Critical Analysis

Students may exit with a Business Administration Diploma, Accounting Option

Year 3

• PHI-260 Business Ethics 
• BUS-318 Advanced Cost Accounting
• BUS-323 Taxation II
• BUS-350 Organizational Behaviour
• BUS-380 Globalization and International Business
• ENG-260 Advanced Communications and Professional Writing

plus four electives totaling 12 credits*

Year 4

• BUS-419 Advanced Financial Accounting
• BUS-420 Introduction to Auditing
• BUS-421 Accounting Theory
• BUS-452 Advanced Topics in Entrepreneurship
• BUS-492 Strategic Management

plus five electives totaling 15 credits*

*Note: Electives may be chosen from any non-business courses that transfer to BC degree granting institutions or any other NIC business courses. At least four electives must be non-business and at least five electives must be at the 200 level or higher. 

Completion Requirements

Fifty percent of the program must be completed at North Island College.

Dual Degree - Université Paris 13 and NIC

Completing the Dual Degree Program gives students the opportunity to earn a three year undergraduate degree, called a licence, from the the Université Paris 13 (UP13) and a four year BBA from NIC. Students who have completed at least the first two years of the BBA program may take the following courses over two semesters at UP13 to earn their UP13 licence in the Retail Banking (Banque, Finance, Assurance) option.

Retail Banking Option

UP13 courses completed by NIC students as part of the dual degree program may be used to fulfill the requirements of an NIC BBA according to the following rules:

1) Credit for UP13 courses will be transferred to NIC using the formula: ECTS credits ÷ 2 = NIC credits

2) Credits earned by completing courses in UP13’s Economie et Gestion licence program, or by completing courses in any UP13 graduate level business program, may be used to meet the following requirements of the NIC BBA degree:
• BUS 390 and BUS 490
• BBA electives that transfer to BC degree granting institutions
• BBA electives at the 200 level or higher
• BBA non-business electives
• A maximum of 15 additional credits approved the Chair, Business Administration Department

*Note: Students planning to complete the dual degree program should normally include French language courses in the first and second year of their business studies at NIC. For information on how this can be done, please contact the Chair, Business Administration.

Students in the BBA – Accounting program may take the UP13 Licence, Retail Banking option, but not the Management option.

Requirements for UP13 Students Who Study at NIC
UP13 students who have earned their licence with a Management (Sciences de Gestion) option may also earn their BBA in Accounting by taking completing the following courses.