Nipissing/Fanshawe partnership offers students an exceptional education

The third cohort of students obtaining their Bachelor of Commerce through a partnership between Nipissing University and Fanshawe College is getting oriented on August 30.

The BComm program is available to Fanshawe Business students who have graduated from one of the three-year business administration diplomas offered here: Marketing or Accounting. The students spend an extra year at Fanshawe rounding out their knowledge to help fill out the other areas they may not have concentrated on during their three-year diploma. After four years, students complete the program with their diploma from Fanshawe and a BComm from Nipissing University.

The orientation, which will take place in room B2029 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on August 30, is an interactive day, said Tracey Slade, Online Instructor and Course Facilitator for Nipissing and Professor at Fanshawe. "It's a general overview of the program, what the expectations are, what is Nipissing University — because most of the students have not actually been there — and going through some different policies and procedures. I also have a scavenger hunt planned on Blackboard, which is their learning management system, similar to FanshaweOnline."

The BComm program uses blended delivery, a combination of in-class and online instruction. It may be completed as a full-time program over 12 months or as a part-time program over seven or eight terms that allow students to hold a full-time job while going to school. Graduates have called it a demanding but doable program that is worth the challenge, said Herman Chang, Program Manager.

Chang said the program is an excellent choice for Business Administration grads as Nipissing provides up to 45 advanced credits for courses that students have already taken at Fanshawe. "We are blessed in Ontario; we have lots of great universities and lots of great options. Nipissing presents students with another really good option: we think that the key benefit of this program is that you have an opportunity to earn a degree in 12 months and you don't have to move."

Another component of the program is that it allows students to get professional accreditations, such as those required to become a Certified General Accountant, a Certified Management Accountant or a Certified Human Resources Professional. "To get those designations, you must have a degree. You need to satisfy some specified accounting subjects and you need to have work experience. For many students, that is critical. They come and take our program because it is an effective way for them to get their degree and also to knock off quite a few of those accounting subjects that they need to satisfy."

"These students are about to start on a very exciting journey and we certainly would like to make the rest of Fanshawe College aware of what's happening on their campus," continued Chang. "It's a pretty cool program."

For more information about the program, visit tinyurl.com/nipissingbcomm or email Herman Chang at hermanc@nipissingu.ca.