Business Administration Diploma - Integrated Marketing Communications Major

Program Overview

This two-year marketing degree program equips students with the creative and technical abilities needed for the digital marketing landscape. The curriculum emphasizes the practical application of skills, preparing graduates for roles in marketing and advertising fields, such as marketing analysts, account coordinators, and marketing executives.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

Embrace an exciting career as a marketing professional by learning the creative and technical skills needed for the production and management of marketing and communication content. This major focuses on the evolving digital space where learners use a variety of digital and social media tools, analyze data, create and implement marketing strategies, coordinate and maintain projects, create cohesive and compelling brand messages, and develop skills in client relationship management. Graduates develop an integrated marketing and communications approach that effectively plans, implements, monitors, and evaluates an organization’s brand and promotional activities.

Outline:

The Business Administration diploma program consists of core business courses and major specific courses. Core courses are available both in class and online. Most major courses are available in class and/or online.

Required Courses:

• ACCT1103 - Introduction to Financial Accounting (Credits 3): This course provides an introduction to the fundamental principles and concepts of accounting with an emphasis on decision-makers' objectives and use of financial information.
Key concepts explored include accounting principles and standards, the complete accounting cycle, recording and reporting business transactions, and preparing and analyzing financial statements.
• HRES1101 - Organizational Behaviour (Credits 3): The central theme of the course focuses on the relationship between thinking, human behaviour, and organizational effectiveness.
Opportunity is provided for learners to experience incidental learning as they evaluate their own behaviour. Learners explore how concepts and ideas pertaining to human behaviour can transform self, relationships, and the workplace. Utilizing business scenarios, learners transition through the employment cycle adhering to legal requirements, ensuring health and safety in the workplace, and building positive work culture initiatives.
• MGMT1102 - Introduction to Organizations and Sustainability (Credits 3): Introduction to organizations and sustainability articulates a management approach to integrating economic, ethical, and environmental responsibilities into all aspects of organizations working to benefit society.
Learners examine ethics of business and constructs of morally appropriate behavior concerning decision-making and businesses' relationship with the community. Concepts and practical approaches are used to discuss and integrate sustainability criteria with business requirements, including performance management and evolving strategies as business needs change.
• MGMT1201 - Business Communication (Credits 3): This course enhances a learner's confidence in business communication skills, preparing them for a professional career.
Learners use strategies and techniques to develop effective communication while using digital tools. Through practical exercises focused on real-world dynamics, learners also develop interpersonal skills essential for today's workforce. Learners are required to participate in groups for developing collaborative competence.
• MGMT1401 - Microeconomics (Credits 3): This course introduces the fundamentals of microeconomics and creates the foundation for economic analysis and thinking.
The course starts with the study of individual choice and opportunity cost, then proceeds to introduce supply and demand and the market adjustments leading to equilibrium, and addresses the use of market price and the sources of market failure. It transitions to consumer behaviour focusing on how consumers make decisions, while creating a framework to understand how firms optimize production under different market structures. The course concludes with the application of microeconomic theory to more advanced topics such as international trade, marginal analysis and the trade-off between equity and efficiency.
• MGMT1601 - Business Law (Credits 3): A basic understanding of key elements of the law is an essential factor in successful business management.
Learners apply legal fundamentals useful in today's fast-paced, rapidly changing business environment.
• MGMT2401 - Macroeconomics (Credits 3): Learners critically evaluate day-to-day economic subjects in a personal and business context.
Throughout the course the economy is examined at the aggregate level with an emphasis on the determination and measurement of national income in the short and long run. The role of households, businesses, government, financial intermediaries and the international sector in influencing national income is examined. Learners analyze business cycles, money and banking, inflation, unemployment, exchange rates, and fiscal and monetary policies.
• MKTG1101 - Introduction to Marketing (Credits 3): Learners are introduced to concepts aimed at providing a solid foundation of marketing principles and the role marketing plays in business.
Emphasizing a holistic approach, learners have the opportunity to analyze and apply the marketing mix. Key concepts include product, price, placement, and promotion (4Ps), the Integrated Marketing Communications Mix (IMC), market research, and consumer behaviour.
• MGMT2998 - Business Strategy (Credits 3): This course covers the fundamentals of business strategy theory and application of the frameworks.
Learners integrate the knowledge gained in previous business courses and demonstrate how the various pieces of the business puzzle fit together. A pragmatic approach to developing a strategic analysis skill set is followed. Learners work in multi-disciplinary teams from across the business majors to focus on building long-term strategies for organizations.
• MKTG2203 - Selling and the Customer Experience (Credits 3): This course explores the sales process from business concept to post sales follow-up with an emphasis on trust-based relationship selling and developing a loyal customer base.
• MKTG2303 - Integrated Marketing Communications (Credits 3): The focus of integrated marketing communications is making sure that an organization's brand identity and messages are consistent and credible across all communication channels.
This approach creates a competitive edge for an organization and improves brand loyalty. For consumers and stakeholders, this continuity creates a seamless journey across the different components of the marketing mix and the many communication channels. Learners explore the various promotional approaches including advertising, direct marketing, interactive communication, sales promotion, and public relations.
• MKTG2103 - Applied Marketing (Credits 3): This course builds on the applications and skills learned in MKTG1101 Introduction to Marketing.
Learners further expand on the various aspects in marketing including consumer behaviour, strategic marketing plans, market analysis, and marketing models. Students will apply this knowledge to establish a competitive positioning, branding and marketing strategy in diverse markets.
• MKTG2304 - Digital and Emerging Media (Credits 3): Digital media has changed how customers search, buy, and interact with organizations.
• MKTG2402 - Brand, Content and Copywriting (Credits 3): The ability to write engaging, quality content is a critical skill for the integrated marketing communications professional.
Learners research audience needs to develop compelling, targeted content to increase brand awareness and build relationships with audiences. By applying best practices, learners focus on writing clear, concise, and relevant content for various digital and traditional mediums. Learners use the writing process and constructive feedback to evaluate their own writing, as well as their peers.
• DATA2301 - Fundamentals of Digital Marketing Analytics (Credits 3): In this course, learners apply marketing principles using various digital analytic platforms to address data-driven organizational contexts.
Learners analyze sample data sets to draw correlations between consumer behaviour, media, and campaign strategies as the basis for the formal presentation of performance and metrics. These activities lead to the evaluation of types of engagement through the customer lifecycle and how those engagements evolve to address changing consumer behaviour.
• DESN2201 - Introduction to Web Design for Digital Marketing (Credits 3): Websites and website design are important in the field of digital marketing.
• DESN1201 - Introduction to Digital Media Production (Credits 3): The "image" in interactive design, interface building, and web publishing is central to digital production.
This course covers key tools, filters, and layers in the creation and manipulation of images, building foundational skills in the use of creative production software. A combination of photography, typography, drawing, computer graphics, brainstorming techniques, and production methods are addressed, as well as interactive design. Learners explore techniques combining photographic and illustrative material using imaging software to produce digital based visuals, collages, and conceptual mock-ups with both bitmap and vector elements.

Time Commitment:

This is a two-year (four term) diploma program. A standard course load is five courses per term. Students can maintain full-time status with at least three courses. Taking less than five courses per term will take longer to complete the program.

Tuition & Fees Domestic: CAD $13,783 International: CAD $34,338