Adding Minors or Certificates

Adding a Minor

Minors are an optional opportunity to add a secondary area of study to your major. If you are interested in adding a minor, please note the requirements listed below:

1) You are permitted to double-count (or share) a maximum of 50% of the required courses between your major and minor. Minors are 5.0 credits so the maximum number of credits that can be double-counted is 2.50. If the number of double-counted required courses between the major and minor exceeds 50%, you cannot add the minor. The courses from your major that apply to the double-counting requirement are your required and restricted elective (if applicable) courses. Liberal Education and Free electives are not considered in the double-counting requirement and can be used towards your minor.

Given the requirement outlined above, the following major/minor combinations are not possible:

  • B.Comm students cannot complete the Business, or Business Economics Minors
  • You cannot complete a minor in the same subject as your major, e.g., Accounting.
  • Management Economics & Finance and Public Management/Government, Economics & Management students cannot complete the Economics Minor. It may be possible for Food & Agricultural Business and Real Estate Students to complete the Economics Minor--please contact Professor Eveline Adomait (eadomait@uoguelph.ca).

2)  Some major and minor combinations may require you to complete more than 20 credits to graduate, given the number of required courses for most B.Comm majors. Depending on the timing of course offerings, you may also need to complete additional semester(s) to satisfy the requirements of your minor.

3) As most minors require courses to be completed in sequence, the sooner you declare a minor the better. Familiarize yourself with prerequisites and the timing of course offerings. Minors, unlike majors, do not have a schedule of studies, so we recommend that you map out all the required courses for both your major and minor. Note that some minors may also require the completion of additional prerequisites in order to access courses required for the minor. Any questions should be directed to the Faculty Advisor for the minor.

4)  Should a required course for your major be scheduled in the same time-slot as a required course for your minor, we strongly suggest that you give preference to the course required for your major. Failure to complete your major courses when specified in your schedule of studies may extend the length of time required to complete your degree.

5)  After your minor has been added to Student Planning you may notice that some of your courses do not display properly. This is due to system limitations given the large variety of major/minor combinations available. You are welcome to meet with a Program Counsellor to confirm your required courses.

6)  It is possible to add a minor to your degree after you graduate. Please contact our BComm Programing Counsellors for details.

All available minors are listed below; they have been grouped according to the degree program that offers the minor. For pages that list both major and minor, the minor requirements are listed at the bottom of the page.

Note: the links below are for the 24/25 calendar only. To access past calendars, visit Undergraduate Calendars.

Bachelor of Commerce

Bachelor of Science in Agriculture

Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Science

* addition of these minors requires approval of the Faculty Advisor for the Specialization.

Procedure for adding a minor

To add a minor, complete the following steps:

  • Meet with a B.Comm Program Counsellor - we will review the requirements for your minor and how it could fit within your major. 
  • If approved, we will outline the steps to add your minor. 
  • Any questions about your minor should be directed to the Faculty Advisor for the Specialization

*For International Development and Studio Art, you must obtain permission from the Faculty Advisor for the Specialization before meeting with a Program Counsellor.

Adding a Certificate

Certificates are awarded only after all required courses have been completed so you do not need to register for a certificate.

  1. You are permitted to double-count (or share) a maximum of 50% of the required courses between your major and a certificate. Certificates are typically 2.5 credits (5 courses) so the number of credits that can be double-counted is usually 1.0 (2 courses). The courses from your major that apply to the double-counting requirement are your required and restricted electives (if applicable). Liberal Education and Free electives are not considered in the double-counting requirement and can be used towards your certificate. Note that the Certificate in Leadership is exempt from the double-counting requirement.
  2. B.Comm students cannot complete the Certificate in Business. Students in Leadership and Organizational Management cannot complete the Certificate in Leadership. The Certificate in Hospitality Studies has several restrictions—please contact the Office of Open Learning for details.
  3. As certificates are awarded by the Office of Open Learning, they do not appear on your undergraduate transcript or Diploma.

To view a list of available certificates, visit the Special Study Opportunities--Certificates and Diplomas section of the current Undergraduate Calendar

Any questions about certificates should be directed to info@opened.uoguelph.ca, ext. 56050.