Students who pursue the BTM certificate will be in an approved business plan that will earn a BBA or Honours BBA degree. Pursuit of an MIS concentration is not necessary for declaration of the BTM; however, five of the nine required courses for the BTM certificate are included in the MIS concentration.

The BTM certificate is focused on IT as a career choice, but there is also an emphasis on business skills (e.g. leadership, innovation) that enable the effective implementation of technologies in an organization. An MIS major has 4 fewer required courses so students often combine this with another concentration (i.e. Marketing etc.) to participate in IT work within the other discipline.

Yes. However, it is encouraged to declare the BTM certificate as soon as possible in order to begin taking advantage of the special opportunities such as meeting with the advisory board and including your candidacy for the certificate in your email signature, advance access to industry events and more!

Will my experience count towards the experiential or service learning component required for the BTM certificate? 
Experience which will be considered relevant include those that requires significant amount of work in activities such as: (i) planning, managing, and/or leading a business technology project; (ii) analyzing a business need and presenting a technology based solution or plan to address need; (iii) designing and presenting a technology enabled solution to a business problem; (iv) analyzing a business process and developing a plan to implement a technology enabled solution; and / or (iv) developing a technology based solution to a business problem.

Yes, this will happen in two ways. The BTM is a certificate program, and therefore is not part of the degree (BBA) like a major or minor. Therefore, it will not show up on a student’s BBA. However, when students complete the BTM certificate, they must apply to graduate with it, as upon successful completion they will receive an official certificate from SFU. In addition, students receive a special BTM certificate from the body that accredits the program.

There is no special designation. Although you can indicate to others that you are BTM certified.

Students can choose to attend two ceremonies once they have successfully completed the requirements for the BTM certificate. The first is SFU’s convocation, once they have applied to graduate with their certificate. Additionally, students may choose to attend the BTM Advisory Board ceremony. The BTM Advisory Board graduation ceremony will occur each Spring. Students and their families are notified and invited to attend. At each graduation ceremony, BTM graduates will receive their respective BTM certificate, and at the BTM Advisory Board graduation ceremony they will also receive a special BTM gift.

A popular BTM event is the wine and cheese networking receptions held after each BTM advisory board meeting. These receptions occur approximately every three months. All BTM students are invited by email, and have the opportunity to network one-on-one with members of the BTM advisory board. In addition, there is the graduation ceremony as outlined above. Other special events occur. For instance in 2013, the BTM advisory board chair organized a trip for BTM students to visit a technology accelerator and several technology start-up companies in Victoria.

All business students are required to learn about how to search for and be successful in obtaining jobs through the Business Career Passport workshop series. Refer to: http://beedie.sfu.ca/bba/career/careerpassport/. Students complete six one-hour workshops, including how to develop an effective resume and cover letter that meets current recruiting and industry standards. Students are also encouraged to access advising services at the Beedie Career Management Centre up until two years after graduation.

Students will be interviewed by a BTM advisory board company for positions providing there is a vacancy in the company, and providing the student is in good alignment with the position vacancy. In addition, it is important that students work with the Career Management Center (as indicated above) in order to best position and present their skills.

Students will be interviewed by a BTM advisory board company for positions providing there is a vacancy in the company, and providing the student is in good alignment with the position vacancy. In addition, it is important that students work with the Career Management Center (as indicated above) in order to best position and present their skills.

Although co-op is not mandatory, it is strongly advised. It should be noted that employers favor candidates who have co-op experience. Students will ideally declare their intention to do co-op during first year, since co-op students must complete a preparation component in order to begin applying for co-op jobs. So advance planning for co-op is more likely to result in: a) finding positions, b) finding multiple positions, and 4) fitting co-op in within your degree in a timely manner (especially if you gain employment in an 8 month co-op). Students are not required to declare the BTM program before applying to co-op. BTM (and other students) who take co-op have this additional experience highlighted on their applications to employers.

Students must maintain a minimum grade point average (please check calendar for latest GPA requirements) calculated on all courses applied to the certificate that they are completing at Simon Fraser University. Duplicate courses are counted only once. However, in order to be eligible to enroll in all upper division business courses, a minimum 2.40 CGPA is required. This extends to the courses within the BTM certificate.

No, once the BTM certificate is achieved no further action or renewal is required. It is “good for life”.

These courses are included in the BTM certificate mainly because they provide the skill sets employers tell us are important. More specifically, Leadership enables you to think about how to work with others successfully. You gain awareness of your personal skills, how to communicate and work effectively with others, and how to provide leadership in a wide variety of ways. Project Management enhances your ability to handle projects, and in the case of technical projects, to communicate the specifications and requirements to others in the organization. Understanding Technological Innovation provides students with essential skills on how to think creatively, and to innovate new projects and designs. This is essential to fast moving organizations who aim to retain a competitive advantage. Finally, Introduction to the Internet or Human Computer Interaction provides you with additional skills and insights for working in a technology focused environment. Both are central to companies in e-commerce or social networking domains – as just one example.