Overview
Alpha College of Business & Technology connects international students seeking a quality post-secondary education with one of the leading colleges in Ontario. The Academy is affiliated with St. Lawrence College, who provides oversight over all curriculum, faculty, and operational quality for college-level programs delivered at Alpha’s Toronto campus. Students can learn how to apply through Alpha at alphacollege.ca/how-to-apply and are considered enrolled at St. Lawrence College once admitted. Graduates receive a St. Lawrence College diploma or graduate certificate, depending on their course of study.
St. Lawrence College and Alpha College of Business & Technology have partnered to enable international students to earn a diploma in Toronto. Curriculum is set and delivered by St. Lawrence College, and is designed to meet the unique challenges faced by international students. The program helps students meet their academic goals by offering quality education in a challenging yet student-friendly environment. Lessons are designed to combine theory with practical experience, and the program provides a metropolitan experience to international students. In addition to easy access to highly qualified faculty, dedicated staff, and impressive facilities, small class sizes ensure a supportive and social community for all students.
Additional benefits include studying in a city and environment with rich cultural diversity, multiple job options upon graduation, and access to the wealth of conveniences and culture that Toronto has to offer. The program offers flexible instruction hours and affordable tuition fees with convenient payment options are available to cater to students’ financial needs.
Program Details
Program Highlights
Programs offer flexible intakes, with classes beginning in January, May, or September. Lessons are designed to combine theory with practical experience, and studying at Alpha provides a metropolitan experience to international students. In addition to easy access to highly qualified faculty and dedicated staff, small class sizes ensure a supportive and social community for all students.
Additional benefits include studying in a city and environment that is rich with cultural diversity, multiple job options upon graduation, and access to the wealth of conveniences and culture that Toronto has to offer. Alpha also offers flexible instruction hours and affordable tuition fees with convenient payment options to cater to student’s financial needs.
Visit the Alpha International Academy website for more information: alphacollege.ca
Program Outline
Important:
- Semester 4: Electives
Choose one of the following: WORK 40 or ADMN 2005
- Restricted Elective: Students require one HUMA and one MARK course to graduate
2023-2024
Through the perspective of both the Canadian and global business environments, this course will provide students with a foundational knowledge of the current state of business and an opportunity to consider what the future may hold. Learners will develop their business vocabulary, understanding of business concepts, and engage with current and relevant issues in both a Canadian and global context. Students will learn the foundations of teamwork as a component of successful business operations. The functional areas of business and their relationship to management, leadership, and the future of work are discussed.
This course is designed to help students develop and practice the communication skills needed to succeed in college and workforce environments. Emphasis is placed on improving foundational communication strategies-reading, writing, listening, and speaking—and on developing research and critical thinking skills.
This course is designed to familiarize the student with basic computer operations and applications through instructor-led exercises, activities, and case studies. It explores various concepts of effective computer usage with a hands-on introduction to the Windows operating system, file management, and working effectively and collaboratively in an online environment. It also provides in-depth exploration and application of various features of the current version of Microsoft Office software including Word, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Teams. Microsoft Excel is covered briefly in this course in relation to integration with the other Microsoft Office Suite products.
Introductory Business Math prepares students for success in business and financial mathematics. This course emphasizes the development of business-related numeracy and the fundamentals of the time value of money. Topics covered include basic numeracy, percent applications, payroll, tax, and time value of money.
In this course, students benchmark their norms and behaviours for professional and personal development. Students develop self-awareness utilizing formalized assessments to give language to the application of emotional intelligence and personal behaviours that could otherwise mistakenly be described as strengths or weaknesses. Students describe the impact of the their behaviours and further strategies to develop skills and compensate for barriers. Students practice using related terminology to better express their development progress. Students learn about high-functioning teams and practice those skills through teamwork activities. Students develop strategies for setting and implement goals.
This introductory financial accounting course provides learners with an overview of the accounting process. Using generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), and industry standard accounting software, learners gain the foundational skills and knowledge required to complete the accounting cycle, process adjusting entries and closing processes, and prepare a rudimentary set of financial statements for service and merchandising entities. Learners discuss the fundamental elements of accounting and their impact on business operations, business ethics, and regulatory practices
The economic environment is the theater in which contemporary managers plan, organize, lead, and control. This course introduces the language and navigational skills that condition students for success in this environment. Students learn microeconomic principals including supply and demand, the themes of scarcity, productivity, efficiency and effectiveness, the concept of opportunity cost, and the relationship between these fundamentals and the Canadian economy. Employing a practical approach to the Canadian macroeconomic environment, the course examines choices by individuals, businesses and governments and their effects on Gross Domestic Product, unemployment, the money supply, and exchange rates. The course addresses factors influencing both the supply side and the demand side of the economy including productivity, consumption, savings, and investment.
In this course, the emphasis is on the development of professional communication. Students develop communication and teamwork skills through the preparation and delivery of a range of professional documents and presentations utilizing current workplace technologies.
Principles of Human Resources Management is intended to provide students with an understanding of human resources management functions within organizations. The course introduces the purpose and the application of Human Resources activities which will assist organizations in achieving their goals and objectives. As such, this course is designed to lay the groundwork for more advanced studies in Human Resources and related subjects.
Marketing Essentials introduces students to the basic principles and practices of marketing management in the modern business setting. This course examines the consumer market for goods and services and the major decision areas of marketing: identifying and selecting target markets, product, price, distribution, integrated marketing communications and customer relationship management. Key concepts including value creation, marketing mix, marketing strategy, and marketing best practices are introduced and explored. Data and the application of metrics and analytics in decision making are discussed and applied.
This course provides an overview of the mathematics of business financial management. Annuities are studied and applied to various business applications and financial decision-making such as bonds, sinking funds, investments, loans, mortgages and net present value.
This course expands on the student’s introductory level knowledge of spreadsheets and databases. Using Microsoft Excel, students learn advanced Excel features such as charts, logical functions, pivot tables, goal seek, data tables, macros, multiple worksheets, lists, look-up tables, and financial functions. The focus is on using advanced spreadsheet functions accurately and effectively to analyze problems that arise in business.
Graduates are entering the world of work just as it is being radically transformed. While technical skills remain crucial, organizations are now looking to hire a workforce with the human skills to thrive in the modern workplace. In this course, students will cultivate and apply knowledge for the contemporary workplace. Driven by case studies and real-world context, students will develop an understanding of the impacts of equity, diversity, and inclusion, social responsibility, ethics and sustainability, and client service. Students will work in diverse teams throughout this course, ultimately applying the course learning in a culminating capstone project where they will propose recommendations to an organization.
With the pace of change in businesses today comes the increasing need for projects and the need for people to understand how projects work. This course is designed for those wanting to understand the basics of project management according to a logic model or plan. Students learn the major concepts, processes and tools of project management in business projects and apply these processes and techniques to significantly improve the efficiency with which business goals can be achieved. Each step in the process is examined including goal setting, project scope, charter, risk management and evaluation. Students also experience first-hand the communication challenges that can make or break a project. Learning occurs primarily through class/small group discussion, individual/group activities and case studies.
This introductory course is designed to help students develop persuasive communication skills, build self confidence in making presentations and provide a sound grounding in the field of professional selling. Students learn about the principles of professional selling which are essential to most career-oriented or entrepreneurial opportunities. Students develop skills in building rapport in a sales context, navigating buyer-seller relationships throughout the decision-making process, and executing an effective sales presentation.
In Administrative Law students review the legal environment for businesses and identify its impact on operations. Students analyze legislation, statues, regulations, and company policies to identify compliance requirements, mitigate risk, and determine strategy. Exploring contracts, the law associated with business relationships, and various special legal rights and relationships students learn to consider the complex regulatory context in which businesses operate.
In Introduction to Managerial Accounting non-accounting majors learn about the uses and limitations of financial and managerial accounting in the decision-making processes of an organization. Students learn the principles and practice of management accounting as a professional discipline. Management accounting is both a process and a function of supplying managers and employees in an organization with relevant information, both financial and nonfinancial, for making decisions, allocating scarce resources, monitoring, and evaluating performance.
Students learn the differences between financial and managerial accounting. Emphasis will be placed on how financial information is used in forecasting, budgeting, management and the measurement of business operations. The course includes an introduction to routine reporting to management for planning and controlling current operations, special reporting to management for long range planning and the framework for preparing both capital and operating budgets. Students study a variety of analytical techniques that can be applied to financial and operational data to support management decisions.
In this course, students explore theoretical frameworks related to leadership, culture, and management in order support the successful development or organizations. Through self-reflection, students evolve their own leadership practice and identify opportunities for continued growth. Students practice leading coaching conversations and develop strategies for effective mentorship and mentee relationships. Students analyze situations in order to contribute successfully to change initiatives and support the development of an organizational culture that values diversity and equity.
This course explores the range of skills, knowledge and competencies required to become a successful entrepreneur or to work in a small - medium sized enterprise that expects these skills to develop the venture. Fundamentals of business planning, feasibility analysis, debt / equity financing, financial management, business growth and productivity concepts are explored. Students utilize entrepreneurial techniques, opportunity identification, resource allocation and profit planning and embed these skills through written business plans, oral presentations, discussions and decision-making scenarios. Business planning activities, guest speakers, and articles help to develop an integrated understanding of the importance of entrepreneurship, business building and venture development.
This course introduces students to business intelligence tools and emerging technologies. The course focuses on problem based, real world applications. Learners solve novel challenges for businesses or non-for-profit organizations using current industry problem-solving frameworks within interdisciplinary teams.
In this course, students examine foundational international business theory and seminal scholarly works to extend their knowledge of how contemporary global issues impact the operations of a business. Students will demonstrate the impact and influence that core global business concepts such as fiscal and monetary policy, risk management, and trade agreements can have on an organization, an industry, or a country. Finally, students will investigate contemporary global issues from a variety of perspectives, including small to medium size businesses, provincial, and national economies.
In this course, students complete a placement experience at an organization. By contributing to identified projects and tasks identified by the organization, students apply the knowledge, skills, and values developed during the business program.
Working with a community partner or in a simulated experience, this course provides students with the opportunity to integrate their learning throughout the program and propose solutions to a specified complex business challenge. Working in project teams as consultants, students develop and prepare business solutions to authentic problems. Upon conclusion of the project work, students reflect on their experience to identify how the skills developed and experience help prepare them for their next professional opportunity.
This course provides students with an opportunity to explore the Logistics and Supply Chain industry. Course content focuses on SCM theory, Just-in-Time delivery, the Lean Supply Chain, and the analysis of business practices using a variety of tools and methodologies including supply chain risk management, ethics in supply chain development, working with suppliers, inventory analysis and planning, and site selection variables.
Students learn the ways in which marketing communications are utilized by marketers to inform, educate and enable customers. Specifically, students explore the strategies and work through the implementation challenges of direct marketing, public relations, sponsorship/event marketing, and social media marketing across a range of products, concepts, good and services. Students develop an integrated marketing communication strategy for a consumer product or service.
This course covers the basic requirements for the development of visual communication materials for the marketing industry. The course's main goal is to use design thinking and to build foundational skills for crafting and managing visual communications materials. Students use industry standard tools and template-driven online platforms to create simple visual communications. Further, students study design documentation and learn about the collaborative nature of the design process. At the conclusion of this course, students are able to think creatively and objectively to create marketing communication materials in graphic formats that meet client objectives.
This course provides marketing students with an in-depth understanding of consumer behaviour principles. Students explore why consumers make certain purchase decisions, why they pay attention to some marketing stimuli and not others, and how their personal attributes, self-perception, surroundings, social and cultural influences impact their choices.
The study of organizational behaviour is the study of three separate, but interrelated, processes. The course begins with the study of individual behaviour in organizations, including such topics as perception, attitudes and work motivation. The study of group dynamics is also addressed, including such topics as team building, leadership, and decision-making. Finally the course explores the study of organizational structure, culture and change.
This course is designed to examine the theories, concepts, instrumentation, and processes related to making occupational choices and plans. Coverage will include such issues as: the role of work in ones life; personal and vocational development; vocational interests, aptitudes and personality; occupational information; vocational decision-making; career planning; and counselling skills and techniques. The primary objective of the course is to develop the necessary knowledge / skills to perform effectively in a career planning role within a business setting.
Students examine the issues that are currently facing Human Resources practitioners. Students study business challenges such as demographics, cultural issues, technology, economic, and legal issues. Students apply critical thinking models and strategies to address on-going challenges in the Human Resources field.
Requirements
Admission Requirements
Equivalent of an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (30 credits), or mature student status. Graduates of a system based on the British model will need a General Certificate of Education with no less than “D” or “4” in five academic subjects.
If you enter St. Lawrence College with credits from other post-secondary institutions you may be eligible for advanced credit. Under a Prior Learning Assessment Review (PLAR), students may also be granted course equivalency if they have worked extensively in a particular field.
Applicants must submit transcripts verifying previous academic qualifications and experience from recognized institutions. All documentation must be submitted in English.
Applicants must be fluent enough in English to understand the instructors and technical language used during each course. An acceptable score on an English proficiency test is required to be considered for admission:
TOEFL – A minimum score of 550 on the paper-based test, 213 on the computer-based test
IELTS – Required score of 6.0 overall with minimum 5.5 in each section
CAEL – Overall score of 60 is required for admission
Fees
2023-2024
Fees are estimates only. Tuition is based on two semesters.
Tuition fees are subject to change pending confirmation of provincial Ministry Funding rates for 2023-2024.
Fees for this program are set by Alpha College and are available by contacting them at info@slc-alpha.ca or by visiting their website at: alphacollege.ca/st-lawrence-programs/.
