Areas of Concentration

Choose your area of specialization within your business degree.

Choose to specialize in one or more of eight different concentrations in Business. Some concentration areas are offered exclusively at either the Surrey or Burnaby campuses. However, students are free to take courses or concentrations offered at both campuses.

Accounting - Honours (Burnaby)

Accounting identifies, measures and communicates economic information to external groups such as investors, and to internal groups, such as managers. You take accounting courses in the core degree program as well as courses in tax, auditing and advanced accounting. Most accounting courses count toward the professional designations of Chartered Accountant (CA), Certified Management Accountant
(CMA) or Certified General Accountant (CGA).

Typical Career Paths in Accounting:

Accounting Coordinator, Appraiser, Audit & Assurance Associate, Bank Manager, Budget Analyst, Certified Accountant (CGA, CA, CMA, CPA), Commercial Account Manager, Corporate Financial Controller, Financial Auditor, Litigation Accountant, Internal Accountant/Auditor, Partner, Public Accountant, Risk Management Assessor, Sole Practitioner, Staff Accountant, Tax Specialist

Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Surrey)

Do you know how to take a vision for a business, formulate it as a business plan and make it grow? It’s not easy but it can be done. Luck can help, but ultimately success is akin to the survival of the best prepared. Studying entrepreneurship will show you how to identify market opportunities, get the funding you need, find and keep employees, deliver quality goods and services at a cost effective price, and much more. Courses include Project Management, New Venture Planning, Marketing for New Ventures, Leadership, New Venture Finance and more.

In the long term, a firm must change if it is to survive. Driven by new and often disruptive technologies, this requirement for change has evolved into a more immediate imperative. The concentration in Management of Innovation will show you how to manage projects, manage the innovation process, understand and leverage the behavioural dynamics of change and provide leadership in a rapidly changing environment.

Typical Career Paths in Entrepreneurship and Innovation:

Entrepreneur, Executive, Director, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Operating Officer (COO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), President, Business/Product Manager, Business/Product Development Manager, Consultant, Owner, Operator, Consultant, Business Analyst, Project Manager, Project Coordinator, Business/Product/Technology Manager, Business/Applications Development Manager, Programs Planning Officer, Organizational Design, Applications/Product Developer, Researcher, Research and Development Manager, Process Improvement Specialist, Change Management Consultant, Corporate Sustainability Manager/Operator, Sustainability Strategist/Project Manager, Environmental Sustainability Analyst, Energy Management Specialist

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Finance (Burnaby and Surrey)

The financial services sector is a significant component of the BC and Canadian economy, and is likely to be a growth industry in the future. Securities and their markets, investment portfolios and long-term investment in real assets are some of the areas analyzed in the context of both personal and corporate financial decision making. The Finance concentration offers courses in investments, financial management, options and futures, financial markets and institutions, and international finance.

Typical Career Paths in Finance:

Certified Financial Analyst (CFA), Credit Analyst/Counsellor, Currency Trader, Financial Consultant, Controller, Equity Researcher, Fund Manager, Insurance Agent/Broker/Underwriter, Investment Banker, Loan Officer, Mergers & Acquisitions Specialist, Mortgage Broker, Private Banker, Financial Planner, Merchant Banker, Credit Analyst, Personal Banking Officer, Asset Manager, Private Equity Investor, Risk Consultant, Securities Analyst, Stock Broker (Retail / Commercial), Venture Capitalist

Human Resource Management (Burnaby)

Introductory courses help students in all business fields understand, predict, and manage behavior in organizations. Specialized knowledge is provided in two professional career streams: Personnel Specialist covers recruitment, training, negotiation skills and performance management. Managing People includes design of employment systems, change and organizational leadership. HRM students are prepared for entry level positions in human resource management and consulting firms.

Typical Career Paths in Human Resource Management:

Benefits Analyst, Recruiter, Career Counsellor, Change Management Consultant, Compensation Analyst, Corporate Trainer, Employee Benefits Coordinator, Employee Relations Advisor, Employment Equity Officer, Employment Specialist, Health and Safety Coordinator, HR Administrator, HR Generalist, HR Manager, HR Consultant, Negotiator, Mediator, Payroll Coordinator, Professional Development Coordinator, Staffing Coordinator

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International Business (Burnaby)

The International Business (IB) concentration deals with aspects of competition across national boundaries. To understand how firms can successfully compete in the global arena, students assess structures, systems and processes that contribute to efficient, effective international business activities.

Typical Career Paths in International Business:

Business Translator/Interpreter, Customs Broker, Economic Development Officer, Foreign Exchange Trader, Foreign Service Officer/Diplomat, Customhouse Broker, Import/Export Coordinator/Analyst, International Business Law Specialist, International Language Instructor/Cultural Tutor, International Trade Administrator, Inventory Analyst, Logistics Manager, International Trade Specialist, International Shipping Analyst, Multinational Strategic Planner, NAFTA Trade Specialist, Overseas Recruiter

Management Information Systems (Burnaby)

MIS integrates our understanding of people, information, technology and strategy to find ways to make organizations more agile, effective and efficient. The focus areas include how Information Systems and emerging technologies affect business processes, decision making and organizational and societal change. Students learn to manage project teams, to manage and use information, and to design and build systems in support of business processes. This is an excellent concentration for those interested in business analysis and managing change through projects. MIS is also a good complement and catalyst to other concentrations.

Typical Career Paths in Management Information Systems:

Business Analyst, Database Administrator, Help Desk Manager, Information Architect, Information Systems Auditor, Implementation Manager, IT Project Manager, Logistics Manager, Network Administrator, Systems Analyst, Operations Research Analyst, Organizational Developer, Project/Process Analyst, Quality Assurance Analyst, Software Engineer/Developer, Security Engineer, Technical Support Representative, Webpage Consultant (many MIS students do joint concentration in Computing Science)

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Operations Management (Burnaby)

This specialization focuses on the use of quantitative methods in solving management problems. Students encounter a wide variety of quantitative models, study how these methods are formulated and solved, and learn how they are used to help managers attack real problems. Students from Operations Management have gone on to careers that involve designing systems to reduce wait times at Vancouver airport, enhancing security systems, developing retail store layouts, creating inventory management systems, and determining best positioning for emergency facilities such as fire or ambulance stations.

Typical Career Paths in Operations Management:

Business Analyst, Business Process Modeler, Business Process Specialist, Database Marketing Specialist, Decision Management Specialist, Information Specialist, Logistics Specialist, Manufacturing Logistics Coordinator, Consumer Information Analyst, Supply Chain Analyst, Operations Research Analyst, Operations Analyst, Project Manager, Risk Analyst, Sales Forecaster, Statistics and Data Analyst, Systems Analyst, Strategic Developer

Marketing (Burnaby and Surrey)

The study of marketing encourages students to become problem solvers. Marketers are in the middle – they present the face of the company to its customers and, in turn, bring the voice of the customer into the organization. The Marketing concentration takes an analytical approach to marketing management, consumer behaviour, market research and analysis.

Typical Career Paths in Marketing:

Account Manager, Advertising Consultant, Advertising Production Manager, Brand Coordinator, Brand Manager, Business to Business Sales, Conference/Event Facilitator, Distributions Specialist, Event Planner, Fundraiser, Internet Marketer, Marketing & Sales Development Coordinator, Marketing Communications Manager, Market Research Analyst, Media Buyer/ Planner, Merchandising Coordinator, Product Marketing Specialist, Promotions Manager

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