Overview
If you would like to increase your knowledge of business concepts without enrolling in a traditional business program, then the Certificate in Business may be just right for you. With only five courses to complete, you will have the opportunity to develop the professional skills essential for business success.
About the Certificate in Business
The Certificate in Business is a five-course program that concentrates on the functional areas of business. You will have the flexibility to customize your learning through a choice of electives. Focus on one particular subject area or select from different subject areas for a broader approach.*
Available to both undergraduate students and Open Learning program students, this certificate program is offered by the University of Guelph through the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics.
Please note that University of Guelph degree students registered in B.COMM. or in the minors in Business, Business Economics, or Marketing or in the BA European Studies program (with an emphasis in European Business) are not eligible for this certificate.
Not all restricted elective courses will necessarily be open to all students in the Certificate in Business. Some courses have priority access restrictions or may be limited to those enrolled in the major from which the courses are drawn. In some cases, a Course Waiver Request form signed by the instructor may be required in order for you to add these courses to your schedule. Please consult with the department offering the course about possible access. Some courses may also have prerequisites, which are identified in course descriptions in the academic calendar.
* If you are interested in pursuing a specific area within the restricted electives list, there are several options listed below for your area of interest:
- Accounting: take courses with an ACCT course code
- Food and Agricultural Business: take courses with a FARE course code
- Organizational Behaviour: take courses with an HROB course code
- Marketing: take courses with an MCS course code
- Responsible Business: take MGMT*3020 and IDEV course codes
How to Register
University of Guelph Degree Students
If you are a University of Guelph degree student, please register for your courses through WebAdvisor.
Open Learning Program Students
For your convenience, you can register for courses using OpenEd's new secure online registration system.
Visit our How to Register page for alternative ways to register and for methods of payment.
Please note that some courses and programs have an approval process that must be completed prior to confirming enrolment. See specific individual course description pages for details.
If you have any questions about registration, please email our main office or phone us at 519-767-5000.
Courses
Required
The following course is required for certificate completion:
| MGMT*2150DE - Introduction to Canadian Business Management |
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This is an introductory course in the fundamentals of business management in Canada. Students will be exposed to the basic functions of business and management. This course will also cover small business and entrepreneurship, forms of business ownership, competing in the global business environment and the economic and political realities of business in Canada today. This course may not be taken for credit by Bachelor of Commerce students. Equate(s): HTM*2150 |
Restricted Electives
Choose four of the following elective courses (for a total of 2.00 credits):
| ACCT*1220DE - Introductory Financial Accounting |
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This introductory course is designed to develop a foundational understanding of current accounting principles and their implication for published financial reports of business enterprises. It builds the base of knowledge and understanding required to succeed in more advanced study of accounting. The course approaches the subject from the point of view of the user of accounting information rather than that of a person who supplies the information. |
| ACCT*2230DE - Management Accounting |
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This course emphasizes the use of accounting information to facilitate effective management decisions. Topics include cost determination, cost control and analysis, budgeting, profit-volume analysis and capital investment analysis. |
| ECON*1050DE - Introductory Microeconomics |
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An introduction to the Canadian economy: price determination, market structure and resource allocation; the behaviour of consumers and firms; market intervention by government. Some of the economic issues addressed may include agricultural price supports, rent control, the NAFTA, environmental regulation, price discrimination, pay equity, and taxation. |
| ECON*1100DE - Introductory Macroeconomics |
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This course looks at the Canadian Economy in terms of aggregate performance and policy; analysis of the determinants of national income, employment and the price level, and the role of government monetary and fiscal policies in improving the rate of economic growth. |
| EDRD*3140DE - Organizational Communication |
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This course explores the application of communication process theory to organizations with special emphasis on internal organizational processes experienced at individual, group and organizational levels. Students examine communication in different organizational contexts including civil society, government, business and transnational corporations. (Offered through Distance Education only.) |
| ENGG*3240DE - Engineering Economics |
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This course covers the principles of project evaluation; analysis of capital and operating costs of engineering alternatives, benefit-cost ratio; break-even studies, evaluations recognizing risk, replacement and retirement of assets; tax considerations, influence of sources of funds. View the ENGG*3240 course description page in the Undergraduate Calendar. |
| FARE*3310 - Operations Management |
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The decision-making role of the operations manager in transforming inputs into desired outputs is the primary focus of this course. The major issues and problems of designing, scheduling, operating, and controlling the production system will be examined. View the FARE*3310 course description page in the Undergraduate Calendar. |
| HROB*2090DE - Individuals and Groups in Organizations |
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The course serves as an overview to organizational behaviour. It examines the individual, the group, the organization and how the three interrelate in order to enhance performance and productivity. |
| HROB*2200 - Labour Relations |
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This course provides students with a working knowledge of the institutions and processes (both regulatory and non-regulatory) that govern the relationship between employers and employees. Students will comprehensively explore the human resources implications of the labour relations system by examining the actors, the environmental factors impacting the parties, the establishment and maintenance of bargaining rights, contract negotiation, and the administration of the collective agreement. View the HROB*2200 course description page in the Undergraduate Calendar. |
| MCS*1000DE - Introductory Marketing |
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This course covers the marketing of both products and services. Students will be introduced to the theoretical concepts through lectures and class discussions and have the opportunity to apply these concepts through case analysis and discussion. |
| MCS*2020DE - Information Management |
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In this course students are introduced to the concepts and principles of information acquisition, manipulation and management as relevant to organizational decision-making. Experience in the evaluation of information technology applications used in organizations is provided. |
| MCS*2100DE - Personal Financial Management |
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This introductory course is designed to help students develop and achieve their personal goals in financial management. (Offered through distance education only.) |
| MCS*3000 - Advanced Marketing |
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This course provides students with an opportunity to extend their knowledge of the marketing principles and strategies they learned in MCS*1000 to develop a marketing plan and to explore sales as a career. View the MCS*3000 course description page in the Undergraduate Calendar. |
| POLS*3470 - Business-Government Relations in Canada |
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The public and private sectors in Canada have become more and more interrelated in recent years as evidenced by tax and expenditure policies, the role of regulation and public enterprise, and the increasing emphasis on consultation and co-ordination. This course examines the evolving relationship between governments and the private sector in Canada, including business (both large and small), organized labour, specific sectors such as agriculture and consumer affairs and voluntary organizations. View the POLS*3470 course description page in the Undergraduate Calendar. |
Please note that course codes ending with the letters "DE" indicate the course is offered online.
Additional Information
When you have completed all the requirements for this certificate, you can request your parchment through the OpenEd Student Portal.
If you would like additional information on distance education, please visit our Online Learning at U of G page. For specific program-related inquiries, please email the Open Learning program Counsellor.