Business

Business encompasses many disciplines. The Business certificate program prepares you for a wide variety of entry-level positions. The program provides a solid foundation of the major business concepts and principles for careers in accounting, marketing, management, human resources, insurance, finance and entrepreneurship.

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Benefits of the Business certificate include:

Focus on applied learning = skills required by employers
More instructional time = increased student success
Average class size of 25 students = personalized, collaborative, interactive learning
Ability to ladder learning:
- Into year two of the Business diploma (and access to co-op work terms)
- The certificate and diploma programs are fully transferable to the University of Saskatchewan, University of Regina and other post-secondary institutions.

It is offered full-time in Saskatoon. Flexible learning options are available through the School of Continuing Education.

The Business certificate program is equivalent to the first year of the diploma program. You have the option of taking one more year to earn a specialized Business diploma in accountancy, financial services, human resources, insurance, management or marketing.

You can apply to transfer your Business courses to degree programs at various universities. See the get credit for what you know section below.

Career and salary information

Your career

A Saskatchewan Polytechnic Business certificate opens many doors. Explore entry-level opportunities in banking, retail, real estate, human resources, insurance, marketing and more. Work for a small business, large corporation, government department or non-profit organization. Start your own business or take the family business to the next level. Entry-level positions include management trainees, administrative assistants, financial officers and sales representatives.

Potential careers

Sample job title	NOC classification
Management trainee, consumer credit	Banking, credit & other investment managers (10021)
Financial officer	Accounting technicians & bookkeepers (12200)
Accounting clerk	Accounting & related clerks (14200)
Insurance agent	Insurance agents & brokers (63100)

Part-time delivery

Students do not apply to this program, but take courses part time and apply to graduate (pdf) through Enrolment Services once all courses are completed.

You are not required to take a minimum number of courses per session when you take the courses online. Generally, all requirements must be completed within four years for a certificate, and five years for a diploma. (As per Policy # 114.)

A certificate from these programs may be obtained given the following:

A pass mark of at least 50% has been earned in all courses. A grade point average (GPA) of 60% is required to graduate.
Once all courses toward a certificate have been completed, it is your responsibility to apply for graduation (pdf).The fee for this evaluation is $75 (fee subject to change).

Course notes:

Principles and Practices of Insurance (INS-100) is not available online.
If you wish to pursue the Business Accountancy specialty diploma, you must take ACCT 125 in order to meet pre-requisites for most second year Accountancy courses.
If you wish to pursue the Business Accountancy specialty diploma, you must take ACCT 136 in order to graduate. (Note: ACCT 136 uses SAGE 50 software which is not compatible with the MAC environment.)

If you have any questions regarding this program, please contact the student advisor for School of Business Continuing Education students, Twyla Verhelst at twyla.verhelst@saskpolytech.ca or by phone at 306-690-3188.

To register for individual courses, please view the part-time offerings available in the Courses section below.

Admissions

Admission requirements

If you take courses through Flexible Learning, you are not required to apply for admission or meet the requirements. Once you have successfully completed all the courses in the program, simply apply to graduate
Effective beginning 2020/2021 Year 1 (Business certificate): Grade 12 or successful completion of at least 15 credit units, from this Business certificate program or the Business diploma (year 1) program
Effective beginning 2020/2021 Year 2 (Business diploma): Grade 12 or successful completion of at least 15 credit units, from this program (Year 1 - Business certificate)
English Language Requirement
Computer experience using a Windows application is recommended

Alternative admission

Applicants who do not possess the academic qualifications for a program may be admitted if evidence of probable success can be established through an alternative admission assessment. Applicants are automatically considered for alternative admission. However, some specific admission requirements may still need to be met.

ACCUPLACER©

Refer to the ACCUPLACER© cut scores for this program below, and review additional details concerning Alternative Admission using Accuplacer.

250 Arithmetic
250 Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics
243 Reading
241 Writing

Post-secondary

Some programs allow applicants to meet the admission grade level requirement using 15 approved post-secondary credits. Review additional information.

If the program applied to has specific course requirements, they may be met through alternative post-secondary courses. Review already approved courses that may be used for admission purposes for your programs.

Admission method

First Qualified/First Admitted

The First Qualified/First Admitted (FQFA) process is used for the majority of Saskatchewan Polytechnic programs. When we determine that you meet the program's admission requirements, you will be offered admission based on the date you fully qualify for the program. The earlier you provide the appropriate documents and information that qualify you for admission to the next intake, the earlier you might begin your studies. Your application, once qualified, is always considered for the next intake.

Applicants to programs with multiple intakes in an academic year remain in the application pool until the last intake for that academic year has begun. Programs using the FQFA process receive applications year round and maintain an application pool for each academic year. Qualified applicants who are not offered a seat must reapply for the next academic year.

Sponsored programs or programs targeted to specific groups do not accept applications year round or maintain an application pool.

See Admission Processes for more information about this method of admission.

Tuition and fees

Estimates are based on current rates and are subject to change. Amounts for a program may vary by campus. Totals shown here include all mandatory fees as well as approximate cost for books and supplies. Visit the Tuition and Fees web page for a complete breakdown of tuition and fees for this program.

2023-24 academic year

$10,090

Continuing Education students: Contact Enrolment Services

Courses

Get credit for what you know

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition

Saskatchewan Polytechnic recognizes that adults learn in many different ways. This includes acquiring knowledge and skills through life and work experience or non-formal training.

See link(s) below to get more information about PLAR.

Transfer credit

Many Sask Polytech students benefit from transferring course credit. You may be eligible to transfer credit to Sask Polytech or to another college or university.

Institution	Agreement details
Athabasca University	Graduates may be eligible for transfer of courses from the Sask Polytech Business Certificate program on an individualized basis depending on the AU program selected.
Briercrest College and Seminary	Students from the Sask Polytech Business Certificate program who have successfully completed specific courses within the past five years will be assigned transfer credit from Briercrest College and Seminary as detailed in the Articulation Agreement.
Canadian Institute of Traffic and Transportation	Students from Sask Polytech to CITT, or students from CITT to Sask Polytech, may be eligible for credit of courses.
CIM Chartered Managers Canada	Students from Sask Polytech may be eligible for transfer of courses.
University of Regina	Graduates from the Business certificate program may be eligible for a maximum of 30 credit hours towards the Bachelor of Business Administration. A grade of 60% or more must be achieved in courses for which graduates are seeking transfer credit. Graduates must maintain a minimum PGPA of 65% in the Business certificate program.
University of Saskatchewan - Edwards School of Business	Completion of SaskPolytech Business Certificate program may be eligible for a block transfer of 30 credit units towards the Edwards School of Business Bachelor of Commerce degree.

Student awards

Thanks to the generosity of donors and alumni, Saskatchewan Polytechnic gives away more than $2 million in student awards during the academic year.

Saskatchewan Polytechnic offers student awards for every certificate and diploma program at every campus. Not all student awards are based on marks - some are based on financial need or things like community or volunteer involvement.

More about scholarships

Accounting

Business (Diploma)

Human Resources Management