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can you go from sfu arts to ubc commerce?

S56
edited August 2008 in General
I'm entering my first year undergraduate in fall 2008. i'm in the faculty of arts.

I am wondering if I wanted to go into business, and do say a Degree in Commerce at SFU or even UBC.

How about would I do that? Would I need to take certain classes get a good enough GPA to transfer into SFU business, or would I need to make a transfer to UBC Business?

My other option is to just goto Kwantlen and do business and attempt a transfer a year or two down the road.
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Comments

  • edited July 2008
    To transfer into sfu business, you need a CGPA of 3.0 which isn't easy from what i've heard.

    What you can start doing is take the 100 courses required for a BBA.
  • edited July 2008
    I think UBC does not transfer very well with SFU, in regards to getting credit for your courses, as mentioned I'm sure you can get into business if you maintain a decent GPA
  • S56
    edited July 2008
    does SFU business offer a commerce program? thats what I really want to do.

    i'm willing to goto Kwantlen if I can get a transfer into UBC commerce a year or two down the line.
  • edited July 2008
    Isn't business and commerce the same thing?
  • S56
    edited July 2008
    no i don't think it is. UBC offers a Bachelor of Commerce degree (4 year) while SFU doesn't... UVic has a Commerce degree aswell.

    i'm just trying to figure out whether or not its better to goto SFU and take classes so taht I can transfer to the Commerce program at UBC, or should I goto Kwantlen which is very near me and take the classes and transfer to Commerce at UBC.
  • edited July 2008
    S56;33081 said:
    no i don't think it is. UBC offers a Bachelor of Commerce degree (4 year) while SFU doesn't... UVic has a Commerce degree aswell.

    i'm just trying to figure out whether or not its better to goto SFU and take classes so taht I can transfer to the Commerce program at UBC, or should I goto Kwantlen which is very near me and take the classes and transfer to Commerce at UBC.
    It's almost exactly the same thing (not exactly the same because each business school has different core requirements), just named differently.

    Here's a couple of examples. Schulich at York(arguably the top business schools in Canada) offers the BBA, Ivey at Western (another top school) call theirs an HBA (honors bachelor of arts). All of these are equivalent degrees and will make no difference in the job market. In fact, if you look at job postings, more often than not, they will ask for a business degree. commerce is more of a old, commonwealth term, more people now use the term business degree (but both are interchangeable).

    In the US, not a single business degree is named commerce, they are either BBA (Ross at UMichigan the top public business school) or Bachelor of Science in Economics at Wharton at UPenn (more often than not ranked the #1 business school in the world).
  • S56
    edited July 2008
    Oh ok, that helps to some extent. So a Bachelor of Commerce, is the equivalent of a Bachelor of Business Administration?

    What classes should I be taking in my first year if that is the way I want to head in?
  • S56
    edited July 2008
    So I can take the business courses at SFU? Then if I get a high enough GPA, transfer from Faculty of Arts into Faculty of Business?

    http://business.sfu.ca/bba/the-program/academic/program-requirements/course-planner.php

    Could I use that planner and make things work out? But I need to know if that (BBA ~ Bachelor of Business Administration) the same as Bachelor of Commerce (BCOM).

    My ultimate goal is a a Bachelor of Commerce degree. Whether I do it at UBC, SFU, Kwantlen to UBC, or SFU to UBC; I'm not so much concerned about.

    If I'm better off going to Kwantlen and taking the classes for a transfer to UBC in comparison to taking business classes at SFU and applying for a transfer, I will goto Kwantlen.

    I don't want to goto SFU for the name and end up wasting a couple of years doing nothing. Help!
  • edited July 2008
    S56;33091 said:
    Oh ok, that helps to some extent. So a Bachelor of Commerce, is the equivalent of a Bachelor of Business Administration?

    What classes should I be taking in my first year if that is the way I want to head in?
    If that's the way you want to go, I'd contact the people at UBC commerce, they are the only ones who will be able to give you the most accurate information.

    Also, I'd just like to say that if you plan on staying in Vancouver for a little while after you graduate, it will make no difference whether you finish commerce at UBC or business at SFU. I've met many hiring mangers around greater vancouver and most of them are from ubc or sfu, so you never know whether the person hiring you is from ubc or sfu. That said, whether its a ubc hr manager or a sfu hr manager, they will 95% of the time not care which school you graduated from.

    However, if you plan on working internationally right after university, then ubc would be the better choice as they are more internationally known. Yet, if you plan on working in vancouver for at least 2/3 years after you graduate, where you got your degree matters very little again and companies will care more about your work experience; however, some international places may still have a preference for where you got your degree with only 2/3 years experience. After 6+ years experience, where you got your degree will matter considerably less (unless you got your degree from harvard, oxford etc which will always wow people even if you have lots of work experience). But this is just from what I've read, heard, and experienced, so take whatever I say with a grain of salt.

    PS. SFU business' co-op program is considerably better than UBC's, people may think i'm biased since this is a sfu board, but talk to people from both schools and judge for yourself. However, if you don't plan on doing co-op, than it's a moot point.
  • S56
    edited July 2008
    wurly;33097 said:
    If that's the way you want to go, I'd contact the people at UBC commerce, they are the only ones who will be able to give you the most accurate information.

    Also, I'd just like to say that if you plan on staying in Vancouver for a little while after you graduate, it will make no difference whether you finish commerce at UBC or business at SFU. I've met many hiring mangers around greater vancouver and most of them are from ubc or sfu, so you never know whether the person hiring you is from ubc or sfu. That said, whether its a ubc hr manager or a sfu hr manager, they will 95% of the time not care which school you graduated from.

    However, if you plan on working internationally right after university, then ubc would be the better choice as they are more internationally known. Yet, if you plan on working in vancouver for at least 2/3 years after you graduate, where you got your degree matters very little again and companies will care more about your work experience; however, some international places may still have a preference for where you got your degree with only 2/3 years experience. After 6+ years experience, where you got your degree will matter considerably less (unless you got your degree from harvard, oxford etc which will always wow people even if you have lots of work experience). But this is just from what I've read, heard, and experienced, so take whatever I say with a grain of salt.

    PS. SFU business' co-op program is considerably better than UBC's, people may think i'm biased since this is a sfu board, but talk to people from both schools and judge for yourself. However, if you don't plan on doing co-op, than it's a moot point.
    I will be staying in Vancouver after graduation.

    I will follow your advice and give UBC a phone call asap, do you think they are open on weekends? My SFU class registration date/appointment date is on Monday. So I will have to make quick decisions.

    What do you mean by co-op?
  • Gar
    edited July 2008
    please let me know too S56 :)
  • edited July 2008
    S56;33095 said:
    But I need to know if that (BBA ~ Bachelor of Business Administration) the same as Bachelor of Commerce (BCOM).
    Go to www.monster.ca or www.workopolis.com and look up a couple of jobs that you're interested in after you graduate. Look up the qualifications required and see if they mention a certain type of degree. More often than not, it will just say this "degree in business, commerce or other related discipline"
  • edited July 2008
    S56;33101 said:
    I will be staying in Vancouver after graduation.

    I will follow your advice and give UBC a phone call asap, do you think they are open on weekends? My SFU class registration date/appointment date is on Monday. So I will have to make quick decisions.

    What do you mean by co-op?
    Work placements at companies. http://www.sfu.ca/coop/bus-coop/

    I've known many who have done placements at ibm, rim, business objects etc. The companies, if you find a good one, let you do a lot (definitely not getting coffee/filing). The job market is tight and these companies know that if they treat you well and give you lots of hands on experience with the job, you will want to come back and work for them after you graduate.

    It's also a chance for the company to "try you out" and see if you fit in with the company and see if they want to hire you when you graduate. It's kind of win-win for both sides.
  • S56
    edited July 2008
    Sounds good!

    So if I pursue a BBA at SFU it's better than doing "Commerce" at Kwantlen and hoping for a transfer to UBC?

    Since I'm in the Faculty of Arts right now, will there be any problem transferring into the Faculty of Business?

    What classes do you recommend for first year? As far as I can see I cannot take any economics classes because I'm not in that faculty... I'm going to take MATH 100 - Precalculus and pretty much follow the course planner here: http://business.sfu.ca/bba/the-program/academic/program-requirements/course-planner.php

    Looked up a job from Telus:

    Required Professional Designation/Certification:

    * Bachelor of Commerce Degree or equivalent
  • edited July 2008
    S56;33111 said:

    Looked up a job from Telus:

    Required Professional Designation/Certification:

    * Bachelor of Commerce Degree or equivalent
    Except for a few course requirement differences (which every school has diff. core courses required) there is little difference. U of Toronto has both and they have a explanation of the difference in their programs, but this doesn't mean that this is the same difference between SFU's BBA and UBC's BCom http://www.news.utoronto.ca/social-sciences-business-law/bba-amd-bcom-whats-the-difference.html

    But again, for future job hunting, the terms are virtually interchangeable (in Canada).

    Another one from Telus asking for "Bachelor's degree in Business Administration/Commerce "
    http://www.workopolis.com/EN/job/9965851

    I think that if you look up a bunch of jobs that you're interested in, half the time they'll ask for a degree commerce, the other half will ask for a degree in business (if they don't specifically state "business administration/commerce"). I've never encountered anyone/any job post who has mentioned specifically "Commerce degree only, not business admin" or "Business admin. degree only, not commerce." You could always call up the recruiter for that position and ask they if BBA is equivalent to a BCom. Of course, it's best not to trust one person's opinion/experience (i.e. mine), so ask some other people and see what they think as well, I'm definitely not the be all and end all of information.
    S56;33111 said:
    Sounds good!

    So if I pursue a BBA at SFU it's better than doing "Commerce" at Kwantlen and hoping for a transfer to UBC?

    Since I'm in the Faculty of Arts right now, will there be any problem transferring into the Faculty of Business?
    That's totally up to you. Look up the course requirements and see which one interests you more. SFU has some concentrations (i.e. entrepreneurship, management of technology etc.) that UBC doesn't have, UBC has some (i.e. real estate, supply chain management etc.), that SFU doesn't have, so see which one you want to do. Also, even for the same concentrations, UBC may have some courses SFU doesn't have and vice-versa. I can't really tell you which one is the better route, as I think both are fine, especially if you want to work in Vancouver afterwards.

    Transferring from SFU arts to SFU business shouldn't be a problem provided you finish the courses they require and you have a high enough gpa. Many people have transferred before, but it is hard as there are not that many spots. If you want more specific information about that, I'd suggest talking an advisor at SFU business. They'll have a lot more information about transferring from arts to business.
  • edited July 2008
    S56;33111 said:


    What classes do you recommend for first year? As far as I can see I cannot take any economics classes because I'm not in that faculty... I'm going to take MATH 100 - Precalculus and pretty much follow the course planner here: http://business.sfu.ca/bba/the-program/academic/program-requirements/course-planner.php

    S56, you can take most lower division courses in any faculty, even though you may not be in it. So that means you can take ECON classes.

    To get into SFU Business, you will have to complete all the Lower Division courses:

    * Buec 232-4 Data and Decisions I (or Stat 270-3)
    * Bus 237-3 Introduction to Computers and Information Systems in Business
    * Bus 251-3 Financial Accounting I
    * Bus 272-3 Behavior in Organizations
    * Econ 103-4 Principles of Microeconomics
    * Econ 105-4 Principles of Macroeconomics
    * Math 157-3 Calculus for the Social Sciences I (or Math 150-4, 151-3 or 154-3)
    *

    Two of:
    o Engl 101-3 Introduction to Fiction
    o Engl 102-3 Introduction to Poetry
    o Engl 103-3 Introduction to Drama
    o Engl 104-3 Introduction to Prose Genres
    o Engl 105-3 Introduction to Issues in Literature and Culture
    o Engl 199-3 Introduction to University Writing
    o Phil 001-3 Critical Thinking
    o Phil 100-3 Knowledge and Reality
    o Phil 120-3 Introduction to Moral Philosophy

    The minimum grade for all lower division required courses is C-.

    Bus 207-3 (Managerial Economics) and Bus 254-3 (Managerial Accounting) are listed in the SFU Calendar as lower division courses, but are NOT required for admission to the Business program. Both courses tend to be academically challenging and could negatively impact on a student's grade point average.
    So even if you aren't in Business yet, you will be able to take these courses because they are open to everyone (spaces permitting).

    The earliest you can apply to the Business faculty is in the semester in which you will be finishing your Lower Division requirements. For example, say you've finished all of the courses except for BUS 251 and BUEC 232, and you take the last two in the Summer semester. This means that you can apply for admittance in the Fall semester. Hopefully that makes sense.

    Also, if you want to keep your option open for UBC commerce, I suggest taking ENGL 199. ENGL 199 is a mandatory requirement for entry into UBC commerce, and it also counts as a Lower division requirement for SFU as well.

    Wurly mentioned the co-op program and it is really, really good. I'm in it right now and it is truly an invaluable experience. not only that, the co-op advisors are awesome people and they are really helpful when it comes to career/job advice.

    Hopefully this helps.
  • S56
    edited July 2008
    meesh, thank you very much! That cleared up ALOT. Same with wurly, thank you guys both for your help!

    When I looked up ENGL 199-3 Introduction to University Writing it's a "seminar", no exam, no lecture, no tutorial? I can't take it yet because the requirement states Enrollment Requirements REQ-Prerequisite: 12 units.

    12 units? That means I would have to take 4 classes aka one semester (4 classes x 3 units each = 12), and then be eligible to take these classes second semester?

    As for the economics classes here's what it says for (it's the same as ENGL 199 because they both want 12 units)...

    BUS 237 - D100 Introduction to Computers and Information Systems in Business in the requirements it says this:

    Enrollment Requirements REQ-12 units. Students may not receive credit for both BUS 237 and 337.


    Edit one more thing:

    When it says this;

    MEETING INFORMATION
    Days & Times Room Instructor Meeting Dates
    M 12:30PM - 2:20PM C9001 Douglas Allen 2008/9/2 - 2008/12/1
    W 12:30PM - 1:20PM C9001 Douglas Allen 2008/9/2 - 2008/12/1
    Tu 8:30AM - 11:30AM TBA Exam 2008/12/9

    Does that mean you meet on Monday and Wednesday or is it Monday OR Wednesday?
  • edited July 2008
    S56;33174 said:

    Enrollment Requirements REQ-Prerequisite: 12 units.
    That means you need to take at courses that total up to 12 credits. There are some courses that are 4 credits, but most are 3. So yes, 4 classes will allow you to take the course.
    S56;33174 said:

    BUS 237 - D100 Introduction to Computers and Information Systems in Business in the requirements it says this:

    Enrollment Requirements REQ-12 units. Students may not receive credit for both BUS 237 and 337.
    Same deal with the 12 course credits as mentioned above. The second part basically means that if you take BUS-237 AND BUS-337, you can only get credit from one of them. So if those two courses are both 3 credits each, normally, you'd get 6 credits, but because of the restriction, you will only get 3.
    S56;33174 said:

    When it says this;

    MEETING INFORMATION
    Days & Times Room Instructor Meeting Dates
    M 12:30PM - 2:20PM C9001 Douglas Allen 2008/9/2 - 2008/12/1
    W 12:30PM - 1:20PM C9001 Douglas Allen 2008/9/2 - 2008/12/1
    Tu 8:30AM - 11:30AM TBA Exam 2008/12/9

    Does that mean you meet on Monday and Wednesday or is it Monday OR Wednesday?
    It's Monday AND Wednesday.
  • edited July 2008
    i lol at how shitty that course was scheduled

    why didnt they add an extra hour on wed and make it a 4 credit class

    or just make it three hours on monday
  • S56
    edited July 2008
    gearshifter;33176 said:
    That means you need to take at courses that total up to 12 credits. There are some courses that are 4 credits, but most are 3. So yes, 4 classes will allow you to take the course.
    Same deal with the 12 course credits as mentioned above. The second part basically means that if you take BUS-237 AND BUS-337, you can only get credit from one of them. So if those two courses are both 3 credits each, normally, you'd get 6 credits, but because of the restriction, you will only get 3.
    So if I am taking 4 classes my first semester I can take 3 classes and that one class that requires 12 credits? Or do I need 12 credits BEFORE I can take that class?

    and what is a seminar class? whats the difference between it and a lecture?
  • S56
    edited July 2008
    Edit: oops website froze on me.
  • edited July 2008
    S56;33178 said:
    So if I am taking 4 classes my first semester I can take 3 classes and that one class that requires 12 credits? Or do I need 12 credits BEFORE I can take that class?

    and what is a seminar class? whats the difference between it and a lecture?
    Yep, so that means after your first semester in the Fall you will have acquired at least 12 credits, so you can take ENGL199 in your Spring Semester and you can also take BUS 237 in that semester too.

    A lecture is like a huge class with the prof doing most of the talking. in a seminar, a prof leads a smaller group of students into discussion.

    most courses you will take in the first couple of years will be lectures and tutorials. for business, once you get to 4th year courses they're mostly seminars.

    By the way, ENGL 199 at SFU is transferrable as ENGL 112 at UBC.
    if you check out the admission requirements for year 2 at UBC, they accept ENGL 112, 120, or 121. but the only one they will accept is ENGL 199. there aren't any 100-level english classes at sfu that are transferrable to 120 and 121.

    Personally I am very satisfied with SFU Business. I'm having a great time here and it's opened up so many opportunities for me :) if you decide to choose SFU business, I hope you'll enjoy it as much as i do :)
  • S56
    edited July 2008
    Oh ok, so ENGL 199 and BUS 237 will be second semester classes for me. When do we pick second semester classes? Not at the same time as Fall semester classes right?

    I've got 3 classes figured out so far just two more to go. I have Pre Calculus, one English class and Principles of Micro Economics so far.
  • edited July 2008
    S56;33183 said:
    Oh ok, so ENGL 199 and BUS 237 will be second semester classes for me. When do we pick second semester classes? Not at the same time as Fall semester classes right?

    I've got 3 classes figured out so far just two more to go. I have Pre Calculus, one English class and Principles of Micro Economics so far.
    You will be able to register in second semester classes around November.
    I think all of the 200-level business courses have a minimum credit requirement. So the other class left to take could be an elective of your choice or you could take Principles of Macroeconomics.
    some people say you should take econ 103 and econ 105 in separate semesters but it really depends on the person i guess. i took both of those in the same semester and it was fine for me.

    also plan ahead with what prerequisites you need for some classes. i think the only one you need to worry about in the near future is that you need to take MATH 157 before BUEC 232, or together at the same time.
  • edited July 2008
    S56;32958 said:
    I'm entering my first year undergraduate in fall 2008. i'm in the faculty of arts.

    I am wondering if I wanted to go into business, and do say a Degree in Commerce at SFU or even UBC.

    How about would I do that? Would I need to take certain classes get a good enough GPA to transfer into SFU business, or would I need to make a transfer to UBC Business?

    My other option is to just goto Kwantlen and do business and attempt a transfer a year or two down the road.
    It IS possible to transfer from SFU arts to UBC commerce. One of my friends transferred into year 3 of UBC commerce from SFU arts. However, it should be noted that they give priority to college students over university kids. <
  • edited August 2008
    Not to scare you but I am a SFU business student, applied for UBC commerce last year, and got rejected with 3.7 GPA (that's after my 2nd year business courses). I worked a few part-time jobs on the side too so I guess it's due to the extracurricular activities. All I have to say is that they are only interested in students who are executives in clubs and actively participate in school. If you don't need money as much as I do, spend all your time getting involved in clubs and volunteer a lot. GPA won't do you much neither do work experience. Or as someone previously mentioned, they give priority to college kids and transfers within UBC.
  • edited August 2008
    yukie;35447 said:
    Not to scare you but I am a SFU business student, applied for UBC commerce last year, and got rejected with 3.7 GPA (that's after my 2nd year business courses). I worked a few part-time jobs on the side too so I guess it's due to the extracurricular activities. All I have to say is that they are only interested in students who are executives in clubs and actively participate in school. If you don't need money as much as I do, spend all your time getting involved in clubs and volunteer a lot. GPA won't do you much neither do work experience. Or as someone previously mentioned, they give priority to college kids and transfers within UBC.
    same.
    my friend who receives scholarship from SFU every semester due to his high GPA ( > 4.0 ) was rejected from UBC Commerce and is staying in SFU Business (with me! yay!)
    he had tons of extracurricular activities too, like volunteers for world vision, executive for a club @ SFU, works a part-time job ...
    :S
  • edited August 2008
    How about transferring from SFU science to UBC science?
  • edited August 2008
    From SFU Arts to UBC Commerce?

    That's like jumping from a 1 to a 10. You want to transfer from a lesser school in the lowest possible Faculty/Degree in University to a better school in one of the most competitive Faculty/Degree ever?

    I don't see why you wouldn't be able to transfer from SFU Science to UBC Science but you'll probably need a fairly high GPA since you're at SFU cause your grades were good enough for UBC during application time.

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