Unique Business Specializations: Part TwoEach year, many high school students approach our Educational Consultants with an interest in studying Business, Commerce, or Management at a Canadian university. However, few are aware of the different, often unique specializations or concentrations that these programs offer. Though most students wish to pursue Accounting, Finance, or Marketing, part of our role is to expand knowledge and help applicants explore equally engaging and rewarding avenues.
Gianluca Agostinelli has compiled a list of 15 lesser-known pathways and specializations that are worth putting on your radar if you are planning on becoming a successful businessperson. Check out Part Two below, and if you missed Part One, read it here!
- Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) – Bachelor of Commerce – Retail Management (Toronto, Ontario)
Imagine choosing the latest styles to feature in a luxury retail assortment, planning the social media strategy for a new organic grocery chain, or launching an e-commerce business. Join the next generation of leaders in a dynamic and evolving sector of the global economy. Retail Management gives students a solid foundation in buying, merchandising, strategic planning, retail technologies, operations management, customer experience design through in-store, online, and mobile channels, global issues, brand or category management, and social media. Use industry-leading software to design product displays, analyze how consumers engage with brands across social media, and visualize business intelligence or geographic data. TMU also has specializations in Hospitality & Tourism Management and Health Services Management.
- York University – Bachelor of Business Administration – Responsible Business (Toronto, Ontario)
Part of the Schulich School of Business, the Responsible Business specialization offers students the chance to focus their study on emerging social, ethical, and environmental concerns that are at the forefront of business and to prepare themselves for the management challenges that lie ahead. Courses in this specialization enable students to focus on responsible business issues as they relate to different core business functions (e.g. strategy, accounting, marketing, etc.) and to different sectors (business, non-profit and public). York University has ten other specializations, including Strategic Management and Family Business Studies.
- University of Ottawa – Bachelor of Commerce – Healthcare Analytics (Ottawa, Ontario)
Healthcare systems are undergoing unprecedented transformation fuelled by the digitization of services and investments in health information technologies. The Telfer School’s option in Healthcare Analytics is a field built on the crucial role that data, systems engineering, management, and organizational innovation play in improving the quality and timeliness of service delivery in a high-performing healthcare system. This field answers a need to develop expertise to create the research and training capabilities required for transforming healthcare into a system that adheres to the principles of patient-centred care and participatory medicine.
- McGill University – Bachelor of Commerce – Managing for Sustainability (Montreal, Quebec)
The Managing for Sustainability major helps students unlock the potential for businesses to make positive contributions toward environmental, economic, and social sustainability. It gives students the tools needed to drive systemic change across every sector of society and advance efforts in combatting climate change. Students will discover the environmental, economic, and social sustainability challenges and opportunities facing businesses today. They will develop critical thinking, strategic planning, and problem-solving skills to integrate business strategies with sustainability objectives. With sustainability issues shaping the activities of all business functions, this concentration is also available as an ideal complement to majors and concentrations in other areas.
- University of Waterloo – Bachelor of Global Business and Digital Arts (Waterloo, Ontario)
In this unique program, students hone the creative, technical, and business skills necessary to thrive in a fast-evolving world. Students will spend their first year at Waterloo’s main campus, where they will gain a solid foundation linking creative design, globalization, business ethics, economics, and marketing. For their final three years, they will move to UW’s Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business, located 45 kilometres west of the main campus. There, students will develop design-driven solutions to social problems and create new forms of cultural expression in a global context. And thanks to our project-based learning approach, students will also develop their collaboration and project management skills.
- Concordia University – Bachelor of Commerce – Supply Chain Operations Management (Montreal, Quebec)
Supply chains make or break businesses. Companies beat the competition because they find, track, and keep their products moving efficiently. In the Supply Chain Operations Management Major, students will study the entire supply chain and its components. They will learn how to organize resources: labour, material, money, and time; model supply chains using forecasting and production planning; effectively manage scheduling, inventory, logistics, and technology; and make smart decisions, assess risks, manage projects, and do trade-off analyses. Through case studies, simulation games, field trips, and industry talks, students will position themselves to become valuable assets in the business world.
- University of Manitoba – Bachelor of Commerce – Indigenous Business Studies (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
Students who major in Indigenous Business Studies will gain a better understanding of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities and their role in economic development. Course offerings are drawn from Native Studies, the Faculty of Arts, and the Asper School of Business and feature Indigenous peoples, culture, history, and organizations. Students who obtain a major in Indigenous Business Studies complemented with any other Asper major will have a competitive advantage when they seek employment. As the importance of working with Indigenous organizations becomes a priority as an act of reconciliation, your studies will set you apart from other candidates. This major is open to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.
- University of British Columbia – Bachelor of Commerce – Real Estate (Vancouver, British Columbia)
One of ten specializations in UBC’s Bachelor of commerce program, the Real Estate specialization offers a broad education in the economic, financial, legal, public policy, and strategic aspects of real estate markets. Students who come out of the Real Estate specialization are well-equipped with the quantitative and qualitative skills necessary to work in the industry. In the widely recognized Sauder School of Business, students will take courses in urban land economics, real estate investment, real estate finance, economics, and real estate development. Potential career paths in real estate include development, leasing, financing, and property management.
Our Educational Consultants are always happy to help discuss any program, so give us a call at 604-922-8456!
