Students registered in four or five level programs can receive a Minor designation on their transcripts following graduation if their chosen Minor program is successfully completed.
DeGroote offers Minors for students in other faculties.
Your Commerce degree can give you a head start in earning professional designations, including CPA, CHRP, CFA, CFP, and QAFP.
Minors consist of at least 24 units of coursework (normally with no more than six units from Level I). Specific course requirements for Minors are set out in the program description in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Please note that some Minors may have enrolment restrictions and may be open only to students within certain programs. A full list of Minors can be found here.
To apply for a Minor, you must complete the Minor/Certificate Application in addition to completing your profile in the graduation tile in Mosaic. Your faculty will verify that the requirements have been met and, if successful, your transcript will indicate that a Minor has been obtained.
For more information about each minor, please refer to the Academic Calendar: Minor in Business
For more information about each minor, please refer to the Academic Calendar: Minor in Accounting and Financial Management Services
To apply for a Specialty Minor, please complete this form.
The form will be open from March 20 (9am) to April 30 (11:59pm).
For more information about each minor, please refer to the Academic Calendar: Minor in Finance
To apply for a Specialty Minor, please complete this form.
The form will be open from March 20 (9am) to April 30 (11:59pm).
For more information about each minor, please refer to the Academic Calendar: Minor in Information Systems
To apply for a Specialty Minor, please complete this form.
The form will be open from March 20 (9 am) to April 30 (11:59 pm).
The Specialized Minor in Commerce for Humanities students completing a single Honours B.A. in Humanities is administered by the DeGroote School of Business. For more information about each minor, please refer to the Academic Calendar: Specialized Minor in Commerce for Students Completing a Single Honours B.A. in Humanities
A designation is even required for some careers. Courses in the Commerce program can help you meet the requirements for a variety of professional designations. Some examples of designations and how you can work toward them in the Commerce program are given below.
DeGroote is recognized by the CFA Institute for membership in its University Affiliation Program. You can obtain a solid grounding in the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge (CBOK) and be well prepared for the CFA exams.
The DeGroote Commerce program offers all the courses required to fulfill the academic requirements of the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation. These courses have been accredited by the Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario. Students who satisfactorily complete the courses are qualified to write the National Knowledge Exam (NKE).
For further details on the CHRP, please refer to the Certified Human Resources Professional website.
| Human Resources Management | Commerce 2BC3 |
| Organizational Behaviour | Commerce 1BA3 |
| Finance & Accounting | Commerce 1AA3 & 2AB3 |
| Compensation | Commerce 4BE3 |
| Training & Development | Commerce 4BI3 |
| Labour Relations | Commerce 2BC3 & 4BC3 |
| Occupational Health & Safety | Commerce 4BL3 |
| Human Resource Planning | Commerce 4BM3 |
| Recruitment and Selection | Commerce 4BB3 |
Specific courses in McMaster’s Honours Commerce program are recognized as equivalents in the CPA Prerequisite Education Program (PREP). Graduates who have successfully completed these courses will be eligible to enter Core 1 of the CPA Professional Education Program (PEP).
McMaster’s Honours Commerce program (with specific courses) and the Graduate Diploma in Professional Accountancy program (when combined) constitute a CPA Accredited program.
DeGroote graduates who have completed all the CPA accredited courses (including the graduate diploma program) with a minimum of 60% in each and an average of 70% will gain direct entry into CPA PEP at the Capstone 1 (Integrative) Module. Candidates then complete the Capstone 2 (Preparatory) Module and write the Common Final Evaluation (CFE) to complete the CPA program requirements. Visit the CPA website for more information.
To succeed in your CPA journey, we encourage you to:
CPA Ontario offers Professional Education Program (PEP) Core and Elective modules up to four times per year.
Questions about the Graduate Diploma in Professional Accountancy (GDPA) at DeGroote? Contact dpainfo@mcmaster.ca
Commerce 1AA3 – Introductory Financial Accounting
Commerce 1DA3 – Business Data Analytics (or Commerce 2QA3 – Applied Statistics for Business)
Econ 1B03 – Introductory Microeconomics
Econ 1BB3 – Introductory Macroeconomics
Commerce 2AB3 – Managerial Accounting I
Commerce 2DA3 – Decision-Making with Analytics
Commerce 2FA3 – Introduction to Finance
Commerce 2FB3 – Managerial Finance (or Commerce 3FA3 – Managerial Finance)
Commerce 2KA3 – Information Systems in Management
Commerce 3AB3 – Intermediate Financial Accounting I
Commerce 3AC3 – Intermediate Financial Accounting II
Commerce 4AA3 – Managerial Accounting II
Commerce 4SD3 – Commercial Law
Commerce 4AC3 – Advanced Financial Accounting
Commerce 4AD3 – Introduction to Auditing
Commerce 4AF3 – Accounting Theory
Commerce 4PA3 – Business Policy: Strategic Management
Commerce 4SB3 – Introduction to Canadian Taxation
Commerce 4SC3 – Advanced Canadian Taxation
The CFP certification is the world’s most recognized financial planning designation and is offered only by FP Canada. CFP professionals have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, experience, and ethics to examine their client’s entire financial picture at the highest level of complexity required of the profession and work with their clients to build a financial plan.
The following courses, offered through McMaster’s Honours Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Commerce program, meet FP Canada’s technical education (Core and Advanced Curriculum) requirements on the path to both QAFP certification and CFP certification.
Please note that due to enrollment levels, not every CFP-required course will be offered each year. The following courses will be offered once every two years.
Commerce 4FM3: Winter 2025, Winter 2026, Winter 2028
Commerce 4FR3: Fall 2024, Fall 2026, Fall 2028
Commerce 4FS3: Winter 2025, Winter 2027, Winter 2029
As Commerce 4FL3 is a prerequisite for Commerce 4FM3 we recommend you enroll in it during the Fall of your third year.
