Elective Courses
All B.Comm students are required to complete two different types of electives; Free Electives and Liberal Education Electives. There is a third type called Restricted Electives, but they are specific to your major.
Free Electives
As the name implies, you are free to take courses that are of interest to you. They can be from any year level and any subject area. There are some conditions though -- first year students are advised to choose courses that are offered at the first year, 1000 level (see the list below for suggestions). Some courses may also have restrictions or prerequisites that you need to satisfy before you can register for the course. The number of free electives you need to complete is determined by your major.
Liberal Education Electives
The same as above, but with two important additions;
** All B.Comm students must complete 1.5 credits (3 courses) of Liberal Education Electives before they can graduate.
** Courses that start with the following prefixes cannot be used to satisfy the Liberal Education Requirement:
- ACCT Accounting
- BUS Business
- ECON Economics
- FIN Finance
- FARE Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics
- HROB Human Resources and Organizational Behaviour
- HTM Hospitality and Tourism Management
- MGMT Management
- MCS Marketing and Consumer Studies
- REAL Real Estate and Housing
The Liberal Education Requirement is designed to expose you to disciplines outside of business. It includes the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Mathematical & Natural Sciences.
When your schedule of Studies indicates that you are to take an elective, e.g. “Semester 4 – Winter...1.0 electives”, it is referring to either a Free or Liberal Education Elective.
Restricted Electives
Most, but not all B.Comm majors have these. If your major requires them, you will be given a list from which to choose. The number of restricted electives you need to complete is determined by your major and will be specified in your Schedule of Studies.
Elective FAQs
Where do I find a list of Electives?
The Course Descriptions section for the Undergraduate Calendar. This is a listing of all courses offered by the University. The courses are grouped by subject area so you will need to click on the subject to see a list of the courses that are offered. They are also listed in ascending order, so 1st year courses are listed first. We have included a sample of some 1st year courses below.
Is there a recommended elective that Business students should take?
Not really. Electives are about exploring your interests. What intrigues you? What would you like to know more about?
You are encouraged to use your electives as an opportunity to explore your interests in areas other than business. You career path may change, so the broader your knowledge base, the better your opportunities will be. That’s why electives are important!
Choosing an elective is a personal choice so B.Comm Program Counsellors do not recommend specific courses. Regardless of which elective you choose, it is important to spend as much time on your electives as you do on your required courses—there are no “easy” electives!
Can I use Electives towards a minor or certificate?
Yes. Free and Liberal Education electives can be used towards a minor or certificate. There are some conditions, so be sure to read over Changing Majors and Adding Minors for details.
Some 1000 level courses for you to consider:
The list below is by no means definitive. Feel free to browse all offerings via the Course Descriptions section of the Undergraduate Calendar. Note: depending upon your major, some of the courses listed below may also be required for your program, either as core courses or as restricted electives. Remember; you cannot double count a course as both a major requirement and an elective.
Some of these courses may be offered only once a year, i.e. Fall or Winter. An ‘F’ or ‘W’ to the right of the course title in the Course Description section will indicate this.
- ANTH*1120 Biological Anthropology
- ANTH*1150 Introduction to Anthropology
- ARTH*1220 The Visual Arts Today
- ARTH*1510 Art Historical Studies I
- ARTH*1520 Art Historical Studies II
- BIOL*1020 Introduction to Biology
- BIOL*1050 Biology of Plants & Animals in Managed Ecosystems
- BIOL*1070 Discovering Biodiversity
- BIOL*1080 Biological Concepts of Health
- BIOL*1090 Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology
- BIOL*1500 Humans in the Natural World
- BOT*1200 Plants and Human Use
- CHEM*1040 General Chemistry I
- CHEM*1050 General Chemistry II
- CHEM*1060 Introductory Chemistry
- CHEM*1100 Chemistry Today
- CHIN*1200 Introductory Chinese I
- CHIN*1210 Introductory Chinese II
- CHIN*1280 Conversational Chinese I
- CHIN*1290 Conversational Chinese II
- CIS*1000 Intro to Computer Applications*
- CIS*1200 Intro to Computing*
- CIS*1500 Intro to Programming* (*Some CIS courses are core and/or restricted electives--check your Schedule of Studies before selecting any CIS course)
- CLAS*1000 Intro to Classical Culture
- EDRD*1400 Introduction to Design
- ENGL*1200 Reading the Contemporary World
- ENGL*1410 Major Writers
- ENVS*1060 Principles of Geology
- ENVS*1100 Fundamentals of Environmental Sciences
- EURO*1100 European Film
- EURO*1200 European Culture from the Mid 18th to the Mid 19th Century
- FREN*1090 Basic French Reading
- FREN*1100 Basic French: Listening
- FREN*1150 Elementary French
- FREN*1200 French Language I
- FRHD*1010 Human Development
- FRHD*1020 Couple and Family Relationships
- FRHD*1100 Life: Health and Well-Being
- GEOG*1200 Society and Space
- GEOG*1220 Human Impact on the Environment
- GEOG*1300 Intro to Biophysical Environment
- GEOG*1350 Earth: Hazards and Global Change
- GERM*1100 Introductory German I
- GERM*1110 Introductory German II
- GREK*1100 Preliminary Greek I
- GREK*1110 Preliminary Greek II
- HIST*1010 Europe and the Early Modern World
- HIST*1150 20 th Centrury Global History
- HIST*1250 Science and Society Since 1500
- HORT*1120 Grape and Wine Science
- HORT*1130 Science of Gardening
- IDEV*1000 Understanding Development and Global Inequalities
- ITAL*1060 Introduction to Italian I
- ITAL*1070 Introductory Italian II
- LAT*1100 Preliminary Latin I
- LING*1000 Introduction to Linguistics
- MBG*1000 Genetics and Society
- MUSC*1060 Amadeus to Zeppelin: Music and Culture I
- MUSC*1130 Introduction to Musicianship
- NUTR*1010 Nutrition and Society
- PHIL*1000 Introductory Philosophy: Major Texts
- PHIL*1010 Introductory Philosophy: Social & Political Issues
- PHIL*1050 Intro Philosophy: Basic Problems
- PHYS*1010 Introductory Electricity and Magnetism
- PHYS*1020 Introductory Physics
- PHYS*1070 Introductory Physics for Life Sciences I
- PHYS*1080 Physics for Life Sciences
- PHYS*1300 Fundamentals of Physics
- PHYS*1600 Contemporary Astronomy
- POLS*1150 Understanding Politics
- POLS*1400 Issues in Canadian Politics
- POLS*1500 World Politics
- PORT*1100 Introductory Portuguese (Brazilian Culture)
- PSYC*1000 Introduction to Psychology
- SART*1050 Foundation Studio
- SART*1060 Core Studio
- SART*1150 Contemporary Artistic Practice
- SOC*1100 Sociology
- SOC*1500 Crime and Criminal Justice
- SPAN*1100 Introductory Spanish 1
- SPAN*1110 Introductory Spanish II
- THST*1040 Introduction to Theatre Studies
- THST*1190 Theatre Workshop I
- THST*1200 The Languages of Media
- UNIV*1200 First Year Seminar (available only to students in 1st year)
- WMST*1000 Introduction to Women's Studies