Business Options for Non-Business Students
Note: Students enrolled in programs outside the John Molson School of Business may register for a maximum of six credits per term, up to a maximum of 30 credits offered by the School of Business.
Add a business component to your degree
The following interdisciplinary programs are designed for non-business students seeking insight into the exciting world of business. Basic business knowledge is an excellent complement to any area of study. Courses offered within John Molson are available to non-business students up to a maximum of six credits per term, 30 credits total.
- BA/BSc in Actuarial Mathematics
- Minor in Business Studies
- Marketing Elective Group*
- Basics of Business Elective Group*
- Management Elective Group*
* Students choosing to add an elective group have the opportunity to add a business-oriented component to their arts, science, engineering or fine arts degrees. The 15-credit elective groups are available to students registered in undergraduate program outside the John Molson School of Business.
Popular business electives
Program: Undergraduate
This course provides an introduction to accounting concepts underlying financial statements of organizations. It focuses on the analysis, mea¬surement, and reporting of business transactions to users of financial statements. It also examines the uses and limitations of accounting information for investment and credit decisions.
Prerequisites & notes
JMSB students may not take this course for credit.
Students who have received credit for ACCO 220 may not take this course for credit.
Program: Undergraduate
Prerequisite: ACCO 230. This course examines the role of accounting information for decision making, and focuses on concepts and techniques used in planning operations, controlling activities, and evaluating managerial performance. New developments are addressed with a focus on contemporary business issues and real-world applicability of management accounting concepts and techniques.
Prerequisites & notes
NOTE: JMSB students may not take this course for credit.
NOTE: Students who receive a passing grade may be exempt from COMM 305.
NOTE: Students who have received credit for ACCO 220 may not take this course for credit.
Program: Undergraduate
This course is offered online. It is designed to help individuals better manage their current and future financial affairs. The course introduces the terminology and basic concepts underlying personal financial management. It helps students set goals and develop skills to conduct basic research when making personal financial decisions. The topics covered include financial planning, money management, personal income taxes, costs of consumer credit, concepts of time value of money, investing in stocks, bonds and mutual funds, mortgages, and retirement planning.
Prerequisites & notes
NOTE: Finance Majors and Minors may not take this course for credit towards their Major or Minor.
NOTE: Students who have received credit for this topic under a COMM 499 number may not take this course for credit.
This course provides an overview of financial management and introduces the basic terms as well as the role finance plays in the firm and in markets. Specifically, this course covers the following topics: the importance of a working knowledge of finance to non-business students; the role of the financial manager; the differences between accounting income and cash flow, and between book value and market value; the role of interest rates in our economy; the interpretation of financial ratios; the concept of time value of money; and making financial decisions.
NOTE: John Molson students may not take this course for credit.
NOTE: This course does not count towards the requirements for the Minor in Business Studies.
NOTE: Students who have received credit for this course under a COMM 299 number may not take this course for credit.
Program: Undergraduate
This course introduces students to the basic principles of management within a contemporary business context. The managerial process (e.g. planning, organizing, controlling, motivating) is explored in relation to issues such as ethical behaviour, the environment, global and economic forces as well as political, legal, and cultural changes. In addition to using basic readings in management, the course also relies on contemporary text from the newspaper and business publications to raise students' awareness of contemporary issues in business and develop the business knowledge and skills that will be applicable in their career.
Prerequisites & notes
NOTE: JMSB students may not take this course for credit.
NOTE: Students who have received credit for MANA 266 or COMM 210 may not take this course for credit.
Program: Undergraduate
This course seeks to give students an understanding of behaviour in the workplace from an individual, group, and organizational perspective. Conceptual frameworks, case discussions, and self-assessment tools complement the course material. Topics include motivation, personality, job satisfaction, group dynamics, leadership skills, power and influence, managing change, diversity, and organizational culture.
Prerequisites & notes
NOTE: JMSB students may not take this course for credit.
NOTE: Students who have received credit for MANA 213 or COMM 222 may not take this course for credit.
Program: Undergraduate
This course focuses on the emerging business environment, and how organizations implement ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable management. Sustainable strategies are explored within the context of global economic development, to develop organizational vision, products and processes for achieving long-term sustainable prosperity.
Prerequisites & notes
NOTE: Students who have received credit for this course under a COMM 299 number may not take this course for credit.
Program: Undergraduate
This course focuses on the emerging business environment, and how organizations implement ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable management. Sustainable strategies are explored within the context of global economic development, to develop organizational vision, products and processes for achieving long-term sustainable prosperity.
Prerequisites & notes
Students who have received credit for this course under MANA 299 or a COMM 299 number may not take this course for credit.
Program: Undergraduate
This final-year course offers students the opportunity to learn how to capitalize on their domain-specific knowledge and recognize opportunities for self-employment or new venture creation. The course assumes no background courses in business, but it presumes that students have already developed an interest in entrepreneurial careers within their respective fields of study. The first phase of the course exposes the fundamental concepts and issues in entrepreneurship and related business fields. The second phase introduces students to the elements of business planning in the context of entrepreneurial projects, followed by the third phase where students formulate their own business plans.
Prerequisites & notes
Prerequisite: ADMI 201 or ADMI 202 or MANA 201;
NOTE: JMSB students may not take this course for credit.
NOTE: This course does not count toward the requirements of the Minor in Business Studies.
For complete course descriptions, please browse the Undergraduate Calendar. For dates and times offered please visit the Class schedule.
To explore program options for non-business students, please consult the Undergraduate Calendar.
Please note that since non-business students can only register for a maximum of 30 credits within the John Molson School of Business, students registered in the Minor in Business Studies, the BCompSc Information Systems Option, or the BSc Specialization in Physics/Marketing cannot register for the Basics of Business elective group. It is not open to BComm or BAdmin students, and not all elective-group credits are transferable to the BComm or BAdmin programs.
Transfer students
Find out about the requirements for degree transfer or reserve your seat at the next Degree Transfer Information Session.
Visiting or independent students
If you study at another university but would like to take courses at John Molson, find out our requirements for visiting students coming from inside or outside Quebec, or how you can join us as an independent student.
