Commerce (Ron Joyce Centre for Business Studies)

Faculty: Faculty of Social Sciences
Degree options:  

• Bachelor of Commerce (BComm)
• Bachelor of Commerce ― Aviation in conjunction with Moncton Flight College
• Bachelor of Arts (BA), major in Commerce
• Any degree, minor in Commerce
• Bachelor of Commerce, honours in economics
• Any degree, minor in international economics and business

The Mount Allison Commerce program is designed to give students – regardless of your areas of concentration – a strong undergraduate foundation in the key disciplines of business education:

• accounting
• finance
• marketing
• management

Built on a strong liberal arts foundation, the program also provides you with the knowledge and skills necessary to view the business world from different perspectives.

If you are pursuing a BComm, you must take a minor in a discipline outside the Commerce program. Viewing your Commerce studies from a different perspective not only helps you develop innovative ideas and solutions — it helps create unique career paths.

Ron Joyce Centre for Business Studies
A key component of the Commerce program at Mount Allison is experiential learning. The Ron Joyce Centre for Business Studies focuses on developing partnerships with businesses to provide Commerce students with hands-on learning opportunities, including:  

• internships
• mentorships
• field trips
• case and business plan competitions
• international exchanges
• student clubs and conferences
• projects with businesses and community organizations

Students will be challenged both inside and outside the classroom to develop the problem-solving and decision-making skills that are essential to successful business enterprises. Course work may include:

• developing an entrepreneurial business plan, obtaining funding, and beginning operations of a functioning business
• linking by e-mail to a university in another country to compare marketing strategies and experience cross-cultural business practices
• developing marketing plans for real businesses
• analyzing business cases

NEW! BComm ― Aviation in conjunction with Moncton Flight College

Our Bachelor of Commerce ― Aviation is designed for students who wish to combine their aviation training with business studies.

Flight training begins in second year. You will continue to take three courses per term, as well as on-campus and ground school training in second, third, and fourth year. One-on-one instructor training and flying takes place at the MFC campus.

As an aviation student, you will:

• complete more than 200 hours of flying
• receive hundreds of hours of ground training
• learn about navigation, airplane instruments, aviation regulations, and weather
• graduate with a Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL), a multi-engine class rating, and a Group 1 instrument rating

*Students in the Bachelor of Commerce ― Aviation program do not require a minor.

Find out more about how to study Commerce at Mount Allison.

• Bachelor of Commerce degree
• Bachelor of Arts degree with a major or minor in Commerce
• Find a list of Commerce courses in the academic calendar – Commerce

Not sure about the difference between a major, a minor, and an honours?

Popular career paths for Commerce graduates include:

• bank manager
• business/budget analyst
• entrepreneur
• supply chain analyst
• advertising/brand manager
• marketing research analyst
• business development officer
• human resources generalist/specialist
• compensation analyst
• project manager
• investment analyst/banker
• investment advisor/financial planner
• securities analyst/trader
• financial accountant
• industrial/management accountant
• international business developer

Alumni spotlights

Andy Hay ('08)
Bachelor of Commerce
Owner, Andy's East Coast Kitchen

"One of the biggest benefits of attending Mount Allison was the opportunity to learn many different things and explore various subjects. These explorations guided me into seeing the bigger picture as well as helped me be a better communicator."

» MasterChef, Allisonian Style — Andy Hay's ('08) East Coast Kitchen celebrates regional cuisine

Melissa Corkum ('94)
Bachelor of Commerce, economics
Chief, Polio and Communications Officer at UNICEF

Although she has lived abroad since 1997 and visited over 80 countries, Corkum, who grew up in Nova Scotia, says she has remained close with her Maritime community, particularly her Mount Allison one.

» On the front line of polio eradication — Melissa Corkum ('94) leads UNICEF's polio vaccination efforts in Afghanistan

“MtA offered me so much more than just a Commerce degree. If you want to accelerate your learning and growth through applied situations you can easily pursue opportunities like internships; teaching assistant positions; residence assistant; a member of the numerous clubs and societies, councils and programs; or manager or athletic trainer of a sport team.

For me, each experiential learning opportunity was unique and added so much learning and development to my degree. I will be forever grateful for the opportunities I had at MtA and the amazing people I met along the way!”

Alex Blades (’19)
Commerce, focus in accounting, minor in economics
Halifax, NS

"Being a Commerce student at Mount Allison pushes you to improve to levels you didn’t think you could reach. Our professors have a genuine interest in our education and provide real insight on your degree path. My class is full of driven students who are exciting to work with and who continually motivate me to move forward. The uniqueness of the program is in its promotion of diverse and experiential learning."

Anthony De Palma ('16)
Commerce, minor in economics
Bedford, NS

"What I loved most about the Mount Allison Commerce program was the welcoming and engaging student environment, as well as the opportunity to become involved.

From the beginning of your degree, students not only have the ability to participate extracurricularly in their program, but are strongly encouraged to do so. These types of opportunities are what pushed me to grow as a person, as well as make countless meaningful and genuine connections that will persist far after I graduate.

At Mount Allison you are part of a community, one that encourages student and academic success, especially within the Commerce program where peer and faculty support and relationships are so strong."

Jenna Maclellan (’19)
Commerce, focus in accounting, minor in psychology
Cole Harbour, NS

"During your four years in the Commerce program, you will quickly realize that you are gaining much more than simply an education. With the number of jobs, organizations, and committees to be a part of within the Commerce department, I am hard pressed to find anyone who is not actively involved.

Also, with the new internship program provided by the Ron Joyce Centre for Business Studies, you will gain plenty of interview experience as well as the possibility of having the opportunity of working with our Commerce alumni from across Canada."

Jeffrey Owen ('16)
Commerce, minor in economics
Moncton, NB

“The Commerce program provided me with a strong knowledge of many skills that will be instrumental for furthering my career. People skills, quantitative skills, and the ability to communicate effectively within groups. Students who enjoy dynamic courses and experiential opportunities will excel in this program.”

Jaryd Morrissey (’18, ’19)
Bachelor of Commerce, minor in political science
Bachelor of Arts, political science, minor in commerce
Sackville, NB

"When I started my degree at Mount Allison I really didn’t know what I wanted to study. By the end of my first year I decided to major in Commerce because I wanted to have a degree that would be really useful, no matter what I end up doing post graduation. Learning about the financial side of a business — accounting and finance, for example — working in groups, and learning how to be an effective presenter are all valuable skills that will be useful in many domains."

Alexandra MacLeod ('16)
Commerce, minor in French
Moncton, NB

Ron Joyce Centre for Business Studies
Established in 2008, the Ron Joyce Centre strives to be recognized as Canada's premier destination for undergraduate business education. The Centre has focused on adding new faculty to an already distinguished team, developing a wider variety of courses, and providing students with hands-on learning experience through internships, field trips, case competitions, and networking opportunities.

Summer internships
Students can gain business experience by participating in a 12-16 week summer internship in the public or private sector. Positions have been available with companies in accounting, communications and marketing, corporate finance, and human resources.

Extracurriculars
There are a number of clubs and societies on campus that may appeal to you, including the Commerce Society, the Economics Society, and the Marketing Society. You can also put your business, finance, and marketing savvy to use by getting involved in Enactus Mount Allison – a community of students, advisors, and business leaders enabling our community through entrepreneurial action.

Study abroad and exchange
The Mount Allison Commerce program encourages their students to go on international university exchanges, especially since global connections are now part of everyday business dealings. Mount Allison offers these university exchanges with business programs:

• Bilkent University (Ankara, Turkey)
• Koc University (Istanbul, Turkey)
• University of Southern Denmark (Denmark)
• Mid Sweden University (Sweden)
• BI Norwegian Business School (Norway)
• The Hague University (Netherlands)
• Killam Fellowship (United States)
• Georgia Southern University (Statesboro, Georgia)
• Kwansei Gakuin University (Japan)
• Senshu University (Japan)
• University of Otago (New Zealand)
• University of Newcastle (Australia)
• City University of Hong Kong (China)
• Fudan University (China) 

Faculty spotlight

Dr. Rachelle Pascoe-Deslauriers
Assistant professor, Commerce and women's and gender studies

Research focuses on the implications of organizational policies and practices, and social and labour market policies for the job quality of workers.

» Mount Allison professor researches how job quality influences innovation