Hill Programs

Concurrent (secondary) programs are other certificates or diplomas that are taken alongside a student’s degree or diploma and are a separate credential that they can be awarded.

Please be aware that students can only have one declared concurrent program at a time. To discuss further additional certificates please speak to your Academic Advisor.

Students in the Bachelor of Business Administration Degree cannot declare the Diploma in Business as a concurrent program due to laddering program rules (See the Graduation section of the UG Calendar under the heading “Awarding of Concurrent and Additional Degrees, Diplomas, and Certificates”).

Almost all other certificates or diplomas from other faculties and programs can count as a concurrent program alongside the BBA. Some popular options with business students are:

• Certificate in Economics through the Faculty of Arts
• Certificate in Nonprofit Sector Leadership & Innovation through Faculty of Arts or CCE
• Certificate in Ideation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship through the Hill School
• Certificate in International Business through the Hill School
• Certificate in Local Government Administration through CCE
• Certificate in Public Relations through CCE
• Certificate in Hospitality, Tourism & Gaming Entertainment Management through CCE
• Certificate in Sustainability through Luther College
• Diploma in Computer Science through the Faculty of Science

NOTE: The Certificate in Administration Level I or Level II through the Centre for Continuing Education (CCE) are not permitted as concurrent programs alongside Business programs.

Interested students should first speak to their Academic Advisor to see how a concurrent program would fit into their current Degree or Diploma program. Most program requirements for concurrent certificates can fit into the 120 credit hours required for a degree, but if alongside a diploma, it may go over the 60 credits needed, which is typically not a problem.

 There are two ways a student can declare a concurrent program:

1. Business students wishing to declare a concurrent Business certificate (either the IB or ICE certificate) need to submit an email request to their Academic Advisor.
2. Business students wishing to declare a certificate or diploma from another faculty should first meet with their Academic Advisor to discuss fit and then will need to submit a request to add a concurrent program through Application Management

1. 1. Start a new application and select “Undergraduate”.
   2. Open that new application, select “YES” that you are current existing U of R student.
   3. Enter your Student ID number and verify your personal information.
   4. On the next page, select “I am currently attending or have previously attended a post-secondary institution”, then “Yes” that you have attended the U of R and finally “I am studying at the U of R and wanting to add a concurrent (secondary) program.
   5. Save and continue and then verify that declaring a concurrent program is what you want.
   6. On the next page, find the program you want to add from the selection options.
   7. Fill out the rest of the required declarations that pop up.
   8. Save and continue and then finish the rest of the application for submission.

• New program effective for Fall, submit request by August 1st
• New program effective for Winter, submit request by December 1st
• New program effective for Spring/Summer, submit request by April 1st

NOTE: Undeclared concurrent programs WILL NOT show up as an option to apply to graduate with when looking at the Grad App in UR Self-Service. (See “When can or should a student declare a concurrent program?” below for more information.)

Students interested in a concurrent program can start planning for one as early as their second year of study. In fact, starting early is a good practice because the requirements are more likely to fit into your primary program better.

Business students must have at least 30 completed credit hours and a 65% PGPA in order to declare a concurrent program.

Students further along in their primary program studies who want to declare a concurrent program need to do so at least one semester before their last academic semester. This is to guarantee that both faculties have time to review the request, and to make sure that the option to apply to graduate with the desired concurrent program shows in the online Grad App through UR Self-Service.

 If a student does not inquire about or reach out to have their concurrent program declared within enough time, we cannot guarantee that the student will be able to graduate with the concurrent program during their desired graduation timeline.

The idea behind concurrent certificate and diploma programs is to complete them either before you graduate with your primary program, or graduate with them at the same time as your primary program.

 Concurrent programs that will not be completed until after a primary degree is awarded are subject to a rule that requires a lesser credential to have 50% new courses completed to be awarded after the highest credential of a degree is awarded.