Bachelor of Business Administration

One female and one male business student walking outside in front of the Okanagan College sign.

Your degree needs to be more than just theory. The OC Business program is based on students applying the theory they study into practical uses. Your professors have real-life expertise and will design projects that allow you to use your growing knowledge in a hands-on manner. 

Choose from 6 specialties to focus on:

  • Accounting
  • Finance
  • Human Resources Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Tourism and Hospitality Management

Choose from 3 concentrations to add to your degree:

  • Concentration in Communication
  • Concentration in Computer Information Systems
  • Concentration in Data Science and Statistics

General Studies Option:

If your dream doesn’t fit neatly into one of the specialties listed, then you can choose General Studies and customize your course selection to focus on the topics and areas of most importance to you and to your future plans. 

Explore our programs

  • Legend:
  • Full program offered
  • Partial program offered
  • Credential
  • International students
Bachelor of Business Administration
  • Kelowna
  • Vernon, Penticton, Salmon Arm
  • Degree
  • International students
Bachelor of Business Administration Honours Program
  • Kelowna
  • Vernon, Penticton, Salmon Arm
  • Degree
  • International students

Specialties and concentrations

You can choose up to one specialty to focus on:

Today’s accountants are high-level problem solvers. Your career in this area could cover a vast set of situations unique to the complex and evolving business environment. Areas of study include financial and managerial accounting, income tax, cost accounting and auditing. Unlike many programs, all the courses you need for the Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) designation can be taken here at Okanagan College. As an accounting professional, you will be in high demand in manufacturing and service industries, public accounting, government and the not-for-profit sector.

You can secure your financial future by securing the same for hundreds of others. The finance specialty trains you to work in any, or all, of three rewarding career paths. Each one provides you with its own benefits. Personal finance allows you to work with individuals on their financial planning. Investment management focuses on the investments of an institution and its clients. Corporate finance opens opportunities in government, insurance and banking.

You can work directly with the most important resource any organization has—its people. As a human resources manager, your career will encompass areas such as recruitment and selection, training and development, compensation and benefits, employment law, health and safety and strategic planning. Your degree in HR from Okanagan College is accredited by Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (CPHR) British Columbia and Yukon. The knowledge and skills you acquire from this program are practical for any management position.

Knowing the rules is great; making the rules is better. As a manager, you can make decisions that can impact your company, your industry and your world. You can choose from three management streams to pursue the profession you want most. Entrepreneurship will allow you to explore entrepreneurial thinking, processes, leadership and strategy. Supply Chain and Operations management focuses on operations, manufacturing, purchasing, logistics and leadership. Sustainability management trains you to use self-sustainable business models and to incorporate sound environmental practices.

Marketing is a lot more than just advertising. As a marketer, you plan the design of products, price them, promote them and ensure they are available to the marketplace. This requires you to find innovative ways to connect with and understand your consumers. You will be using your creative skills in areas such as market research, digital marketing, consumer behaviour, marketing communications, event planning, branding, customer relationships and sales.

You can be part of the global community by enjoying a career in tourism and hospitality. Understanding your customers and making them feel welcome is the foundation of any successful business manager. Your career in tourism and hospitality can also take you to other countries. Your skills in critical thinking and assessment will be vital in the sustainability of this ever-changing industry all around the world.

You can choose up to one concentration to add to your degree:

The Concentration in Communication option provides students with skills in applied communications. Students develop competence in areas such as professional writing, public relations theory and practice, management communications, marketing writing, and visual communication. Completion of this concentration will provide students with a valuable skillset, applicable to every potential career.

The Concentration in Computer Information Systems option supports Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree students who are looking to strengthen their information technology background. Students can apply credits earned in the completion of their electives in COSC courses toward their BBA degree with a Concentration in Computer Information Systems.

The Concentration in Data Science and Statistics option provides students with skills in applied Data Science and applied Statistics. Students develop competence in areas such as data visualization, machine learning, regression, big data and modern statistical algorithms. Completion of this Concentration will provide students with a valuable skillset that is applicable to a wide variety of careers.

Course and degree planning

First year course selection

To help you choose courses for your first year of the Bachelor of Business Administration program we suggest you take the following courses.

  1. BUAD 111 Financial Accounting I
  2. BUAD 123 Management Principles
  3. BUAD 128 Computer Applications
  4. CMNS 112 Professional Writing I
  5. MATH 114 Business Mathematics
  1. ECON 115 Micro-Economics OR ECON 125 Macro-Economics
  2. BUAD 116 Marketing
  3.  BUAD 195 Financial Management
  4. *One of: BUAD 121, 176, 206, 251 or 269.
  5. CMNS 122 Professional Writing II

*This course needs to match the specialty that you prefer to pursue in your studies. Please note that you can change your
specialty once you are registered.

Accounting – BUAD 121 Financial Accounting II
Finance – BUAD 251 Personal Financial Planning
Human Resources Management – BUAD 269 Human Resources Management
Management – BUAD 176 Professional Selling
Marketing – BUAD 176 Professional Selling
Tourism and Hospitality Management – BUAD 206 The Business of Tourism

Why become a BBA (Hons) graduate?

  • The BBA (Hons) degree is a higher level than the regular BBA degree. BBA (Hons) graduates receive a unique parchment that states “Honours.”
  • The BBA (Hons) designation is recognized by industry and university graduate schools as the highest undergraduate degree you can earn. This creates a competitive advantage when applying for jobs or to graduate school.
  • It can advance your career more quickly as honours students work on actual business research projects and gain real world experience in consulting and decision-making.
  • The Honours class is generally small which improves the learning experience and opportunities.
  • Professors teaching in the Honours program are in a position to provide strong references due to their knowledge of the BBA (Hons) graduate’s work ethic and ability.

How do I become a BBA (Hons) graduate?

To earn the BBA (Hons) degree students must:

  • Successfully complete the two Honours courses: BUAD 491: Business Research Methods BUAD 492: Business Research Project with a minimum grade of 76%
  • Graduate with a minimum grade average of 76%

Want to learn more about the BBA (Hons) program? Please contact
Dr. Shei Seaton at sseaton@okanagan.bc.ca or Dr. Svan Lembke at slembke@okanagan.bc.ca

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