Plan Your Degree & FAQ

Students graduating with a BBA are qualified for entry-level positions in business, not-for-profit organizations and the public sector. For BBA graduates with significant work experience, a BBA can create opportunities for promotion and middle management positions.

Past graduates of the business program at The University of Winnipeg have found work in accounting firms, banks, insurance companies, retail management, manufacturing, as well as in government and not-for-profit organizations.

Here is just a sample of some of the positions held by graduates as gleaned from the LinkedIn connections of one of our faculty members:

• Business Development and Project Management
• Community Relations Specialist
• Realtor
• Account Manager
• Marketing Manager
• Marketing Specialist
• Operations Specialist
• Research Associate
• Owner/Operator
• Supply Chain Analyst
• Communications Specialist
• Team Lead
• Financial Analyst
• Talent Acquisition Leader
• Management Counsel
• HR Information Systems Analyst
• Economic Development Analyst
• District Sales Manager
• Regional Partnerships Manager
• Commercial Sales Representative

The 4-Year BBA (120 credit hours) covers the fundamentals subjects of business and allows for concentration in a particular area, such as Accounting, Marketing, International Business or Human Resources / Organizational Behaviour. Many of our senior 4th year courses (4000 level) are small and thus run in a seminar format, with weekly opportunities to engage with current issues, the academic literature and business case studies. A 4-year BBA is an excellent foundation for further study in business such as an MBA or other graduate degree program, and is more widely recognized in the business and government communities as analogous to a Bachelor of Commerce degree.

The 3-Year BBA (90 credit hours) is covers the fundamental subjects of business, and is an excellent complement to a degree in another field. As such, it is intended to be readily accessible as a part of a double degree program.

Please note that it is not possible to "double major" with a BBA and a major in some other subject. A BBA is a degree in and of itself, not a "major" within some other type of degree. In order to earn two degrees, students must meet all the requirements of both degrees sought and complete an additional 30 credit hours beyond what would be expected for the "longer" of those two degrees.

Yes. The requirements for a 3-Year BBA degree are all relevant to a 4-Year BBA degree, so it is relatively straightforward to complete the additional requirements for a 4-Year BBA degree after having graduated with a 3-Year BBA.

However, it is not possible to hold both a 3-Year BBA and a 4-Year BBA, as this would be double counting the same credits. Once the additional requirements have been met for a 4-Year BBA degree, it will replace the original 3-Year BBA degree. Note that Student Central (or the Convocations Office in Student Records) must receive the original 3-Year BBA degree back from the graduate before it will issue the 4-Year degree.

First, we are thrilled you'll be joining the Department.  Second, declaring your intent to pursue a BBA is easy: a form is available for this purpose.  This completed form must be submitted to Student Central after you have completed 36 credit hours and before you have completed 60 credit hours. Of course, you are welcome to do this sooner if you choose.

Why is there a form?  The rationale for getting you to declare your intent to work toward a BBA is to encourage you to think through your degree program all the way to completion at a time when you still have at least two academic years ahead of you to schedule courses.  Therefore, an advisor will not sign a blank form or fill out the form for you as you hold the right and responsibility to decide what courses you take.

All that said, even after you and the advisor have signed the form, you are not “locked in” to that plan for the next two or more years; you can substitute other courses for the ones on you were planning, provided that the resulting combination of courses still meets the program requirements of the BBA degree you are working towards.

Once you have filled out the form, make an appointment with an advisor in the Business & Administration department to have the form signed. At that time, you are welcome to ask any questions you may have about the BBA program, some of which may be covered by the answers to some Frequently Asked Questions listed below.

In order to complete a BBA program efficiently, take foundation courses (such as Introduction to Business I and II, your math requirement and the 2000-level Fundamentals courses) as early in your program as possible because they are prerequisites for most other courses required for a BBA. This strategy will give you the most schedule flexibility for subsequent semesters.

The selection of courses offered in our Spring semester is usually less broad than that offered during Fall and Winter sessions.  The breadth of courses offered in the Spring varies considerably and is generally not consistent, especially at the 3000 and 4000 levels.  As such, we recommend that you do not necessarily rely on the availabilty of Spring courses to complete your degree.

Finally, the best way to ensure you are progressing efficiently through your degree is to make an appointment to visit with our Business Academic Advisor, Christy Campbell.  To make an appointment, scroll up on this page or visit uwinnipeg.ca/business/help directly.  We recommend that you make an appointment to see Christy at least once a year.

First, welcome to the Department and the University!  As a first year student, we have a fairly standard suite of courses that we recommend you take.  In May 2024, we made a video to help you select the courses needed to start studying Business with us:

The Business and Administration section of the University of Winnipeg Course Calendar states the requirements for earning a BBA degree, including prerequisites for all of our courses.

We recognise that degree planning can be a fairly daunting and confusing task for many of our students. For that reason, there is direct help available for all Business students.  Christy Campbell is our Business Academic Advisor and she can help you plan your degree.  Christy will review degree requirements and work with you to make a customised plan for completing your degree.  We recommend that you visit with Christy at least once a year to ensure you are on track.  

To book an appointment with Christy, scroll up on this page or visit www.uwinnipeg.ca/business/help directly.

If you are just starting out in your degree with us in 2024, the following video includes a discussion of courses that you should be taking in Year 1:

Tip: Not all courses described in the Course Calendar are offered every term, so check the Timetable or WebAdvisor (online registration) to see when a particular course is being offered.

A student wishing to attempt a course for the third time requires permission of the Department Chair (email business@uwinnipeg.ca). Fourth attempts for BUS courses will NOT be granted, as per University policy.  Students should make sure that they are well positioned to be successful in the third attempt; this may mean taking additional writing or math courses and / or MUTLI 1000.  Note that an F in a course does not count as an attempt under University policy.

When making a request to take a course for a third time, note that a particular section of a course may be waitlisted. In those cases, permission can only be given to place you on the waitlist. We cannot guarantee you a spot in the course that is waitlisted.

You can find specific sections for the course on WebAdvisor.

We certainly do, although we do not offer a full suite of courses like you will find in either the Autumn or Winter semesters.  Many students utilise the Spring semester to catch up on pre-requisites or get a headstart on degree requirements.  That said, students should NOT expect that the courses they need/want will necessarily be offered.

This question is becoming more common.  Students will enquire if they can enrol a course at, for instance, an online Canadian University and have that course apply to their BBA degree. 

As a matter of principle and policy, these Letters of Permission are not permitted. Business courses (i.e., those courses which start with BUS) needed for Concentration or other degree requirements must be taken at the University of Winnipeg. 

Our rationale for this policy is quite simple: BUS courses required for a UW BBA degree must be taken at the University of Winnipeg.

All requests for a Letter of Permission trigger a degree audit by the Business Academic Advisor to determine where a student is at in their programme. 

As of September 2022 The University of Winnipeg has returned to in-person teaching for the vast majority of our courses. For updated safety measures and guidelines please visit our COVID-19 site. 

Students can check WebAdvisor for up to date courses offered online. 

We get asked this question frequently, and usually in the context of two scenarios:

SCENARIO 1: Early in the programme (first or second year)

The first scenario pertains to those students early in the programme.  The first two years of the business programme at UW are very strict in that students cannot proceed to the 2000 level "Fundamentals" courses without a minimum grade of C+ in BUS1201, BUS1202 and the math requirement (MATH1301 or ECON 1201).  There are no exceptions to this.  We structure our programme this way because the academic content in the 2000 level Fundamentals courses is substantial and we want students to be prepared to succeed.  If you do not meet the C+ requirements in any or all of these first year courses, you will need to re-take them.

SCENARIO 2: Later in the programme (advanced courses)

This second scenario involves our more senior students.  To advance to 3000 and 4000 level courses, minimum grades are required in the prerequisites.  If a student does not have these minimum grades in those prerequisites, the courses must be taken again.  As always, check the prerequisite requirements in the University Calendar.

No.  The math requirement (MATH 1301 or ECON 1201) will not be waived.

No. MATH 40S Applied or Precalculus (or equivalent) is required for a BBA degree and is a prerequisite. Having a solid foundation in math is integral for your studies in Business, and as a result this requirement will not be waived.

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics offers mathematics access courses that you can take to earn the equivalent 40S requirement, however these will take two semesters to complete and thus should be considered when planning your degree.  Another option is to take Math 40S from JobWorks, the Adult Education Centre, Crossroads Learning Centre or some other adult education centre.

In some cases, the Department of Economics or the Department of Mathematics and Statistics may waive the Math 40S requirement.  The Department of Business and Administration does not have a position on this, but students should be aware that, as per the University Calendar, Math 40S is required for the BBA degree.

Yes. Successfully completing the academic writing course requirement with at least a grade of C+ is required to be successful in BUS 3000 or BUS 4000 level courses (for which the academic writing course is a requirement).  These upper year courses often feature substantial writing assignments, so the preparation provided by the academic writing courses is very important.

You will find additional information about the writing courses available here: https://www.uwinnipeg.ca/rhetoric/department-programs-writing-requirements.html

While there are multiple 'versions' of the academic writing course available (e.g., humanities, social sciences, business, etc.), all are acceptable.  The Department of Business and Administration recommends strongly that students enrol in the business 'version', however.  

It may be possible to transfer credits from university-level work done at other institutions in Canada and internationally, however we will consider courses taken that are deemed equivalent to BUS 1000 or BUS 2000 level courses only.  This is because we require students to take 3000 and 4000 level courses at UW in order to have a UW BBA conferred.  

Many courses from local institutions, such as The University of Manitoba and Red River College have already been evaluated as analogous to specific BUS 1000 and/or BUS 2000 University of Winnipeg courses. The UW Admissions team will look after that for you.

Courses completed more than 5 years from the date of application for transfer will not be eligible for transfer credit.

Note that transfer credit is not given in advance of a course being completed at an outside institution.  In those situations, a Letter of Permission is required (see elsewhere in this FAQ for more information).

If the transfer credit course appears on your WebAdvisor record with a grade of an "S" (for "Standing") you will have to register in person at Student Central as WebAdvisor is not recognizing the credit that you have received for the course.

If the prerequisite course does not appear in WebAdvisor at all call the Admissions Office at 786-9159 or email admissions@uwinnipeg.ca.

It may be possible, yes.  The University has in place a formal agreement with Red River that specifies which courses (and how many) will transfer.  Please refer to the formal agreement document, which can be downloaded here.

No. PACE is a continuing education programme whose courses are not considered as equivalent to those offered in the BBA degree(s).

No. Courses taken through CPA cannot be transfered to a BBA degree for credit.

Students may graduate based on either the requirements that were in effect when they started their studies at The University of Winnipeg or the current degree requirements.  Note that prerequisites changes are not considered degree changes.

Not at this time, no.

Not at this time, no.

That information can be found in the University Calendar.

Yes. BUS 3110/3 Ethics in Management can be used towards fulfilling both the Corporate Social Responsibility as well as 3 credit hours of the Additional Business Requirements.

Many learners have acquired valuable training, skills and knowledge gained through learning experiences such as industry-based education, professional development workshops and seminars, private study and paid and/or volunteer work experience.

Do you have enough knowledge about a subject that a course may be repetitive for you?  If so, check out University of Winnipeg’s (Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition) PLAR - Challenge for Credit option. We will help you evaluate your prior learning, discuss your educational goals, and identify courses you may wish to challenge for credit.

While we've attempted with this FAQ to answer most of the common questions we receive, inevitably there will be questions that students may have which have not been addressed.  The following links may be of use: 

• For inquiries from prospective international students not yet enrolled at The University of Winnipeg, please contact International Admissions.   
• For inquiries from prospective students within Canada not yet enrolled at The University of Winnipeg, please go to our Future Students Page from which you will be able to contact our Student Recruitment and Admissions departments.
• For inquiries from learners not coming directly from high school with or without other post-secondary academic work please go to Adult Learner Services.   
• For inquiries relating to the joint program with Red River College please contact the Dean's Office.

Please note, inquiries relating to receiving transfer credit for courses already taken at other institutions and/or receiving academic credit for work experience and other non-traditional learning will only be addressed once students have applied for admission to The University of Winnipeg.

If you have already applied for admission to The University of Winnipeg and require further information with regard to:

• Receiving transfer credit from courses already taken at other institutions, please contact the Admissions Office.
• Receiving academic credit for work experience and other non-traditional learning, please go to Adult Learner Services, from which you will be able to contact someone from this area directly.

In you are already enrolled at The University of Winnipeg, and have questions specific to the Business and Administration department, such as

• questions relating to the Co-op program, please contact Chris Sale.
• questions relating to specific requirements of a BBA degree program, and/or to declare your BBA degree program, please contact the Advising Assistant.

Of course, please feel free to contact the Department directly if you wish.