JR Shaw School of Business

Bachelor of Business Administration Accounting Concentration

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With NAIT's Bachelor or Business Administration (BBA), your classes will have a business focus from day 1.

Because many professional associations require a degree before they will grant a designation, a business degree is a great way to further your career potential. Earn a general BBA by completing core courses and your choice of electives or declare an emphasis in the following subjects:

  • Accounting
  • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
  • Finance
  • Human Resource Management
  • Management
  • Marketing

Accounting is a skilled profession that requires budgeting, processing and reporting skills with a strong foundation of critical thinking. The Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree with Accounting emphasis is designed to advance students beyond a solid working knowledge of accounting and information systems to learn quantitative analysis techniques critical to business success. Accounting emphasis students in the BBA are taught to make effective financial decisions, analyze and plan business processes and adapt to changing economic conditions. Students also develop skills in personal and corporate taxation, external auditing and accounting information systems. All accounting-related courses have prerequisites, so it is important to carefully plan the order of studies.

Quick Facts

Credential: Degree

NAIT offers a number of business degrees and applied science and technology degrees accredited by Alberta Advanced Education. Applied degree programs offer a stronger emphasis on practical applications of the concepts learned in the classroom

Campus: Main

Any in-person components of your courses will be delivered at NAIT's Main Campus in Edmonton. View map

Delivery Options:

  • On-Campus Day - Your course activity is done in-person Monday - Friday in the daytime.
  • On-Campus Evening and/or Weekend - Your course activity is done in-person on weekdays in the evening, or Saturdays and Sundays.
  • Online Day - Your course activity is done online Monday - Friday in the daytime.
  • Online Evening and/or Weekend - Your course activity is done online on weekdays in the evening, or Saturdays and Sundays.
  • Online Flexible Delivery - Your course activity is not scheduled and therefore you can determine when to do the coursework.

Length: 4 Years

With a typical full-time course load, this program will take 4 Years to complete.

Open Studies: Available

This program has courses that are available for Open Studies. Open Studies allows you to explore credit courses without applying to a program. It is an opportunity to get a feel for school and what program you want to be in. View courses

International Students: Accepted

This program accepts international students, however, program availability may be limited. Check program availability for this term. This program also meets the eligibility for the Post-Graduation Work Permit program. Each student is responsible for maintaining their eligibility throughout their studies.

Grad Employment Rate

Employment rates are reported by NAIT alumni, are for information purposes, and do not guarantee future employment opportunities. Please note that data for newer programs may not be included within this report.

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Median Starting Salary

Salaries are reported by NAIT alumni, are for information purposes, and are not a guarantee of future income. Please note that data for newer programs may not be included within this report.

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Work Integrated Learning: Co-op

This program has Work Integrated Learning (WIL). WIL is a form of experiential learning that integrates academic studies with relevant work-based learning. Experiences are directly tied to curriculum and part of an approved program of study.

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Hands-on, industry-relevant skills 

Our degree concentration in Accounting teaches critical thinking techniques, logical analysis and problem-solving skills employers are looking for in today’s global economy. 

The BBA Accounting concentration is designed to advance you beyond a solid working knowledge of accounting and information systems to learn quantitative analysis techniques critical to business success. You will be shown how to make effective financial decisions, analyze and plan business processes and adapt to changing economic conditions.

Taught by industry practiced master accountants, you can expect to learn:

  • financial accounting
  • management accounting
  • corporate finance
  • negotiation and conflict resolution
  • corporate governance
  • advanced taxation

Students taking the BBA with Accounting concentration complete:

  • 10 common Level 1 required courses (required by all BUS-diploma/BBA students)

  • 9 required BBA Level 2 accounting courses

  • 17 required BBA Level 3 and Level 4 accounting courses * 4 elective BBA courses from Level 3 and Level 4 (which can include BBA Capstone courses, an in-depth case study with an industry partner)

Program schedule

Our course delivery is flexible, allowing you to take your classes in the daytime, evening or online to suit your schedule. We also have transfer credit and prior learning assessments for those who have done prior post-secondary or other formal training experience.

You can expect to spend on average:

  • 20 hours per week attending classes over the course of a semester
  • 20 hours per week studying and completing class assignments
Greta Wierenga

“I enjoy going into the office every day. I enjoy the challenge of accounting. It’s a great career.”

Greta Wierenga, BBA – Accounting  concentration '10

JR Shaw School of Business

The JR Shaw School of Business harnesses the power of a polytechnic providing relevant, multi-disciplinary business education integrated with industry partnerships and applied learning.

JRSSB Infographic Pathways

Common first year

In the first year of the program, all business students take the same 10 foundational courses in order to gain core business knowledge. This allows students to experience a variety of business fields in order to decide which is the best fit. In the second, third and fourth years of studies, you will take the required courses to pursue an concentration in Accounting. 

BBA degree with concentration

In the BBA career path with Accounting concentration, you will earn an concentration on your transcript showing that you graduated in a specialized field of studies. This concentration does not appear on your graduation parchment, but will be noted on your official student transcripts.

Applying

Students applying to any business administration diploma program will choose Bachelor of Business Administration when selecting the program on the  Alberta Post-Secondary Application System (APAS). More information can be found under How to Apply.

BBA Co-op

Students in this BBA concentration are also eligible to participate in NAIT's BBA Co-op program. Jumpstart your career by spending 3 semesters gaining valuable hands-on experience in real workplaces.

More information on the Co-op option can be found on the BBA Co-op page.

Career outcomes

A BBA with Accounting concentration will provide you with the training you need to start your career. You will  be prepared to enter the workforce with advanced critical thinking and problem solving skills that employers value.

Job Opportunities

  • Accountant (managerial or public)
  • Budget Analyst
  • Accounting Specialist
  • Controller
  • Auditor (external or internal)
  • Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Industries

  • Public accounting firms
  • Public and private sectors
  • Not-for-profit organizations

Median Starting Salary

The expected starting salary for individuals with a(n) Bachelor of Business Administration Degree is $50,000.
This salary information was based on graduate data from the past 3 years and reflects annual salaries for graduates who claimed they were working more than 30 hours per week. Graduates who quoted salaries below $10,000 and above $200,000 per year have been excluded. Note that NAIT publishes the median salary instead of the average to minimize the potential of outlying salaries distorting the mean. Data represented here may differ from other data sources due to differences in definition or differences in timing.

Take your career planning to the next level

This program can be used as a step toward earning higher credentials and/or certifications.

Certification(s)

As part of your studies, you will be able to enter the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) Professional Education Program

Post-secondary articulation agreements within Alberta are approved by the Alberta Council on Admissions and Transfer (ACAT). To view the details of specific agreements, please visit transferalberta.ca or contact articulations@nait.ca For questions regarding transfer agreements or to obtain a course description/outline that is no longer available on our website, please contact articulations@nait.ca.

Work Experience Placements

Courses and Advanced Credit

Current and recently admitted students can find information and updates about their program on their My Program page in the MyNAIT Portal. To monitor your course progress and the courses still needed to graduate, visit your Academic Progress Report.

Advanced Credit

You may apply for advanced credit once you have been accepted into the program. Advanced credit can be Transfer Credit (for completed post-secondary courses) or PLAR (Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition).

Transfer Credit

In addition to the common guidelines outlined on the Transfer and Credit Options section, your program has other advanced credit requirements that are applied to each request including:

  • You must have completed the course or program no more than 10 year(s) ago unless a formalized articulation agreement is in place
  • You must have a minimum mark of D in the course(s) or program

Read more about advanced credit or contact us about applying for credit for this program.

Courses

Expand each course below to see details about credits, requisites, scheduling, and more.

Tuition & Fees

Scholarships & Awards

The following scholarships and/or bursaries are available to you as a student in this program. To access your opportunities, visit the Student Portal.

Admission Requirements

Want to learn more about this program?

Thank you for your interest! We want to get you in contact with the right person to answer your questions. If you are a current or recently admitted student you can find program and course information as well as contact details for your program on the My Program page on the MyNAIT Portal.

General inquiries

Please contact the Student Service Centre for general inquiries such as:

  • Student application support
  • Program entrance requirements, tuition & fees, and how to apply
  • Program admissions process
  • Enrolment support
  • Student funding options
  • Fee and refund inquiries
  • General program and course withdrawal procedures
  • Navigating nait.ca and MyNAITPortal

Contact Student Service Centre

Program-specific questions

Please fill out the form below if you have any program-specific questions relating to:

  • Program details
  • Work-integrated learning and cooperative education
  • Advance credit and Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR)
  • Program and course withdrawal



The personal information on this form is being collected under the authority of the Post-secondary Learning Act and section 33(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP). The information will be protected by the provisions of FOIP, and will be used for the purpose of registration and administration of the event. If you have any questions or concerns about the collection, use, security or disclosure of the personal information, please contact General Council at 780.471.7664 or legal@nait.ca.

Apply to NAIT

Learn how to register through Alberta Post-Secondary Application System (APAS) or begin the application process.

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