Business Administration (Financial Services Specialization)

Banks, credit unions and insurers all need people who can explain money in plain words. Assiniboine College’s Business Administration (Financial Services Specialization) is a two-year diploma delivered at the Victoria Avenue East campus in Brandon, with September and January starts.

The Financial Services specialization starts from the common Business Administration first year, which covers Financial Accounting 1 and 2, Economics 1, Marketing Principles, Human Resource Management, Organizations and Management, Math for Business, Communications, Personal Management and Software Applications. Year two then turns to money management with Personal Finance, Corporate Finance, Taxation 1, Canadian Investment Funds, Financial Planning and Life License Qualification, alongside Professional Selling, Economics 2, Research and Report Writing, Canadian Business and Society and Business Capstone.

Three of those year-two courses are delivered with industry education bodies: Life License Qualification through the IFSE Institute, and Canadian Investment Funds and Financial Planning through the Canadian Securities Institute. This means students complete recognised course work for insurance and mutual fund roles inside the diploma. An optional 16-week co-op placement gives experience with a financial employer before graduation. The two-year Business Administration programme is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), and credit can move into further study through Assiniboine’s articulation agreements with other institutions.

Graduates of the financial services specialization work as financial services representatives, banking advisors, insurance agents, credit analyst assistants and wealth management assistants. The stream suits students who like both numbers and people, and who want a Business Administration diploma that ends with investment, insurance, planning and tax knowledge rather than a general business finish.