TORONTO, November 22, 2016 – The Bachelor of Administrative Studies (BAS) degree offered by York University’s School of Administrative Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies (LAPS) since the 1970s has been officially renamed as a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree. Students will now be able to receive a BCom degree beginning in 2018. Beginning October 2017, BAS alumni will be able to have their degree converted. The change was approved by the Ontario Universities Council on Quality Assurance and the Ontario Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development.
The drive to change the BAS program name has been building for years; the final momentum was created by York students and alumni, in the form of 3,000+ signatures on a petition to rename the program as the BCom. This important change is welcomed by students, alumni and employers because it is more easily recognized as a business-focused degree.
“With the creation of the BCom degree, we will be ensuring that our students, who are graduating into a highly competitive global workplace, are provided with a degree that is clearly understood locally and internationally,” said Ananya Mukherjee-Reed, Dean, Faculty of LAPS. “The BCom represents the aspirations of our alumni and students more closely, and we are delighted that this change can help to achieve their goals.”
The current program, including the number and groupings of credits, courses, GPA requirements, and professional accreditations, remain the same.
“We are truly proud of the accomplishments and successes of our students and alumni, and our business program is well respected in industry. We want to ensure our graduates enter or advance in their field from a position of strength and confidence, and the degree name change will help accomplish that,” said Adriano Solis, Director of the School of Administrative Studies.
The BCom degree is one of the two most popular management-focused undergraduate degree types in Canada. York’s BCom program is consistent with other commerce degrees offered in Ontario and across Canada.
For more information on the change, visit: sas.laps.yorku.ca/bcom/faq.
York University is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. York students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. York U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 26 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, York is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 295,000 alumni. York U's fully bilingual Glendon campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.
Media contact:
Anjum Nayyar, Media Relations, 416 736 2100 ext. 44543, anayyar@yorku.ca.
