Career Paths

The Business & Society Degree program is very flexible in its design and, thereby, allows students to pursue a range of general and specific career paths. There are four general career paths that students may follow with a Business & Society degree, viz., the for-profit sector, the non-profit sector, the public sector or graduate school. In each of these general areas, one would typically have a further specification.

Private (For-Profit) Sector

The private (for-profit) sector includes a variety of business types that can be grouped by size (small and medium sized businesses, large corporations) or sector (manufacturing, retail, financial, natural resource industries, etc.)

Large corporations typically require personnel to fulfill positions in specific functional areas (e.g., accounting, marketing, human resources, public relations, finance, etc.). The streams you that choose will largely determine the areas for which you will be able to apply. Students interested in the private sector should consider supplementing their BUSO degree with one of the business-related certificates offered by York.

Non-Profit Sector

The non-profit (or not-for-profit) sector includes a diverse range of organizations such as foundations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs such as the Green Peace, the Red Cross, Amnesty International, the World Wild Life Fund, etc.), labour unions, and producer, financial and consumer and co-operatives.

These organizations, like for-profit business firms, have a range of functional needs and the streams you that choose will largely determine the jobs for which you will be able to apply. Students interested in employment in the non-profit sector should seriously consider applying for the Certificate in Non-Profit Management or, possibly, one of the (undergraduate or graduate) public administration programs at York.

Public Sector

Students may wish to consider employment in the public sector (viz., national, provincial, local government). Governments employ people in a range of functional areas. Again, the streams you choose will largely determine the areas for which you will be able to apply. Depending upon the jobs, you may be required to write examinations.

Those interested in employment by the federal government should consult the Public Service Commission of Canada website for more information. Students interested in the public sector might also consider applying to the Public Policy and Administration Program or one of the other (undergraduate or graduate) public administration programs at York.

Graduate School

Some students may want to consider going on in their academic careers to do a gradate degree. There are two basic options for students considering further study.

Master of Arts Degree - To apply for an MA program, students need to have completed an honours (4 year) degree. Typically, BUSO graduates would apply for an MA in one their streams (e.g., political science, economics, etc.). BUSO students interested in applying for an MA program, however, may need to take additional credits in order to be eligible. Most honours degree programs require 42 credits in the major field, whereas the BUSO honours degree requires only 24 credits in each stream. For this reason, students interested in applying for an MA program will probably need to use 18 of their elective credits to take courses in the discipline in which they intend to apply for the MA (e.g., political science, economics, etc.).

Professional Degrees - Students may also wish to apply for a professional graduate degree upon the completion of the BUSO degree. Common options are a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) and a Masters of Public Administration (MPA). Admission to these programs is typically based upon a combination of test results (e.g., GMAT), academic background (GPA) and work experience.