JR Shaw School of Business

Trades to Degrees Pathway to BBA Degree Management Concentration

A custom business degree entry for trades professionals

Trades to Degrees is one of the first educational pathways in North America to allow recognized trade professionals the opportunity to progress from a trades credential to the third year of a degree program.

Who can apply

Qualified trade professionals who have 3 or more years of management work experience will be able to enter the third year of NAIT’s Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA - Management Concentration) program, building on their previous education and professional experience to open doors into entrepreneurship, leadership and management opportunities.

Learning options are flexible and designed to fit individual learner needs. Classes are offered in a variety of ways, online, daytime, face to face and evenings/weekends. We offer a fall, winter and spring intake.

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What You Will Learn

NAIT’s BBA degree provides an in-depth business education. Relevant theory is combined with the practical skills needed to put that knowledge to use in the workplace. Students gain hands-on expertise with leading software applications and business processes. Critical thinking, communication and teamwork skills are key learning objectives.

Required course work consists of 20 courses (Level 2, Level 3, Level 4) and 6 bridging courses (Level 1 and 2). Each course is 60 hours and 3 credits each. These courses make up the core curriculum necessary to earn the BBA degree (Management Concentration).

Program Course Map

For students admitted to the current 2022-2023 academic year.

Technology Requirements

What you will need

Business and technology are linked in today's work environment. The School of Business prepares students for success by integrating mainstream technology into our teaching tools and assignments.

The JR Shaw School of Business highly recommends our students acquire and make use of a computer (laptop or tablet*) in and away from the classroom in order to successfully engage and complete JR Shaw curriculum.

Your computer will be used to access key learning resources critical to your success in the program and therefore must be in good working order. It is also important to have a battery with sufficient life to allow for use when a plug-in is not available; as your battery should be able to last throughout your daily schedule/classes. Replacement batteries can often be purchased to improve battery life on an existing computer.

Please make sure you have a dedicated keyboard and pointing device (mouse or stylus) to complement your tablet so you will not be disadvantaged when completing online activities, assignments, and assessments in and out of the classroom.

Please make sure you have a dedicated keyboard and pointing device (mouse or stylus) to complement your tablet so you will not be disadvantaged when completing online activities, assignments, and assessments in and out of the classroom.

At minimum, your laptop must meet the following requirements:

PC

  • Windows 7 or higher
  • 10 GB free hard drive space
  • 2 GB memory (RAM)
  • Wi-Fi connection

Mac

  • OSX 10.7 or later
  • 10 GB free hard drive space
  • 2 GB memory (RAM)
  • Wi-Fi connection

Tablets

For tablets* the minimum Operating System requirements are as follows.

  • Android - KitKat 4.4
  • Apple - iOS8
  • Microsoft - Windows 10

Tuition & Fees

Tuition and fees are the same as our BBA program (calculated on a cost per credit for 26 courses x 3 credits per course). For more information, please visit Domestic  Students Tuition and Fees.

For any questions, or to speak with a Program Specialist, please contact the Business Information Centre.

How to Apply

Application Requirements

Trades to Degrees is open to recognized trades professionals who have 3 or more years of management experience. Training and career history is reviewed by NAIT as part of the application assessment. Bridging courses will be assigned upon acceptance; however, any one of these courses may be challenged within 12 months of the start of term through a Foundational Assessment. More information is provided upon program admission.

An applicant must be a Red Seal Certified journeyperson with 3 or more years of management experience in their trade. This demonstrates that applicants have already met competency requirements set forth by the Government of Alberta – Apprenticeship and Industry Training (AIT) branch.  Through their work experience, applicants will have obtained the general knowledge of accounting, human resource management, finance and project management.

Consistent with the requirements to enter the BBA through other pathways, students admitted through the Trades to Degrees pathway will have the following high school credentials or previous education credentials.

Entrance Requirements

High School Applicant: applicants who have completed less than 24 post-secondary credits

  • Minimum 55% in English 30-1 or English 30-2
  • Minimum 55% in Math 30-1 or Math 30-2 or Applied Math 30
  • Three additional 30 level courses (30-1 or 30-2 courses are acceptable) including three of Math 31, Biology 30, Physics 30, Chemistry 30, Science 30, Social Studies 30-1 or 30-2, Aboriginal Studies 30, Physical Education 30, Francais 30-1 or 30-2, Psychology 30, Law 30, any 35 level additional language course, any 30-1 or 30-2 fine arts course, or any 30-level AP course. Courses at a 30-3, 30-4, or any other 35 level will not be considered.
  • An overall minimum average of 65% in the five required high school courses.
  • Proof of  English Language Proficiency

Post Secondary Applicant: applicants who have completed a minimum of 24 post-secondary credits or 8 post-secondary courses and their most recent minimum 24 credits or 8 post-secondary courses were completed in a credit program at an accredited post-secondary institution.

Additional Requirements

  • Proof of Red Seal Trade Certification
  • Resumé detailing 3 or more years of management experience in designated trade

Applicants will be provisionally accepted which requires successful completion of 6 bridging courses within 12 months of the start of term. If this provision is not met, the application will be revoked (cancelled). To continue their studies, the applicant will need to re-apply to BBA – Trades to Degree Management and adhere to the program’s course requirements at the time of admission.

If an applicant does not meet the high school credentials or previous education credentials for BBA entrance requirements, they will still be provisionally accepted; however, they must successfully complete 6 bridging courses within 12 months of the start of term date and maintain a TGPA of 2.0 until 24 post-secondary credits have been completed. Proof of English Language Proficiency must also be met to be provisionally accepted.

If an applicant does not meet the 3 or more years of management experience requirement, there may be other business pathways such as the Business for Journeyperson Pathway to Management Diploma.

If you feel you are eligible to apply, please proceed by Starting Your Application. After applying online to BBA - Trades to Degree Management, you will need to upload documentation to your MyNAIT Portal. This documentation includes any outstanding official high school transcripts (if outside of Alberta), any outstanding post-secondary transcripts, proof of Red Seal certification and a resume detailing 3+ years of management experience. Please review the Submitting Documents webpage for more information.

Want to learn more about this program?

Thank you for your interest! We want to get you in contact with the right person to answer your questions.

Please contact the Student Service Centre for general inquiries such as:

  • Student application support
  • Program entrance requirements, tuition & fees, and how to apply
  • Program admissions process
  • Enrolment support
  • Student funding options
  • Fee and refund inquiries
  • General program and course withdrawal procedures
  • Navigating nait.ca and MyNAITPortal

Contact Student Service Centre

Please fill out the form below if you have any program-specific questions relating to:

  • Program details
  • Work-integrated learning and cooperative education
  • Advance credit and Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR)
  • Program and course withdrawal

Contact this program




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