Communication and Business: International Year One (ELC Pathway Entry)

Strong English is the first tool of any communicator, and this route starts exactly there. ELC Entry to International Year One in Communication and Business starts in the English Language and Culture programme run by SFU, then continues at FIC on the university’s Burnaby campus. You spend sixteen weeks on English before three FIC terms.

The full-time ELC-FIC Pathway Program lasts sixteen weeks and develops conversation, everyday English, writing and critical thinking; you then take the FIC Language Assessment Test to show you are ready for FIC. The academic year covers BUS200 Business Fundamentals, communication theory in CMNS110 and CMNS130, design practice in IAT102, and suggested electives including accounting (BUS251) and macroeconomics (ECON105). Advertising and social media engagement are recurring themes in the communication courses.

SFU shapes the course content and signs off on every FIC instructor, which keeps the academic stage in line with first-year study at the university. Transfer needs ten academic courses, a minimum of 30 units, no grade below C- and a GPA of 2.50, after which you continue into year two of a Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology BA with minors in communication and business. SFU Co-op Education lets you add paid work terms. Once at FIC, you can also draw on SFU’s Bennett Library and the Student Learning Commons.

Graduates move into roles such as event manager, media relations coordinator, marketing assistant, human resources officer, social media coordinator and advertising coordinator. This row is best for students who want to strengthen their English in a dedicated programme before starting degree-level business and communication courses.