Department
Credits
30.00
Length of Program
Four semesters
Credential Type
Diploma
Office Administration
Campus
Coquitlam
New Westminster
Learning Format
Full-time
Part-time
Admission Type
Limited Enrolment
Offered
Fall
Summer
Winter
Overview
The Office Administration Diploma offers extensive training in office management. You’ll take courses in accounting, mathematics, economics and marketing, as well as elective courses from different departments.
Upon graduation from the Office Administration program, you’ll be fully qualified for positions such as senior secretary, executive secretary, administrative assistant, supervisor, coordinator, office manager, junior accountant, payroll administrator, and benefits administrator.
By selecting the appropriate courses, you can work toward attaining the professional designations of Certified Bookkeeper, through the Canadian Institute of Bookkeeping, or Qualified Administrative Assistant, through the Association of Administrative Assistants. Relevant work experience in addition to coursework is a requirement for both designations.
International students are not currently eligible for this program. For more information, contact Douglas College International.
Program Requirements
Curriculum Framework
Graduation Requirement:
- Successful completion of 30 credits
- 25% (7.5 credits) of all coursework must be completed at Douglas College
- A minimum program GPA of 2.0
Course Requirements:
| Course Number | Course Title | Credits |
|
Select one option of the following two options: |
||
|
ACCT 1110 and |
Principles of Accounting I Principles of Accounting I and II |
6.00 |
|
ACCT 1235 and Elective |
Principles of Accounting I and II and Elective |
6.00 |
|
Select two courses from the following ten courses: |
||
|
Computer Applications for Accounting |
3.00 |
|
|
Fundamentals of Business |
3.00 |
|
|
BLAW 1320 |
Business Law I |
3.00 |
|
Organizational Management Skills |
3.00 |
|
|
Human Resource Management |
3.00 |
|
|
Organizational Business Decision Making |
3.00 |
|
|
Systems Analysis and Design |
3.00 |
|
|
Critical Thinking |
3.00 |
|
|
Business Ethics |
3.00 |
|
|
Behaviour in Organizations |
3.00 |
|
|
Required Courses: |
||
|
Management Essentials |
3.00 |
|
|
Practical Writing |
3.00 |
|
|
Principles of Microeconomics |
3.00 |
|
|
Principles of Macroeconomics |
3.00 |
|
|
Commercial & Financial Mathematics |
3.00 |
|
|
Introductory Marketing |
3.00 |
|
|
Total Credits |
|
30.00 |
Admissions Requirements
Applicants must meet the admission requirements listed below:
- General College Admission Requirements
- Completion of a 30 credit Office Administration Certificate from Douglas College or other public community college. Credentials from other educational institutions will be considered and credit assigned on a course-by-course basis
- Foundations of Math 11 or Pre-calculus 11 with a "C" or better, or MATU 0410 or MATU 0411
Cost
You can get an average cost for your program - tuition and student fees, books, uniforms, lab fees etc - on the Program Cost page.
Only programs approved for student loan funding are listed on the Program Cost page. For all other programs, refer to the Tuition Fee page.
Career Pathways
Graduates of the Office Administration Diploma Program may qualify for such positions as senior secretary, executive secretary, administrative assistant, supervisor, coordinator, office manager, junior accountant, payroll administrator, or benefits administrator. With experience and initiative, graduates may progress into jobs in the areas of administration, human resources, payroll, accounting, or computer systems.
Professional Designations
By selecting appropriate courses in the Diploma Program, students may work towards the professional designations of Certified Bookkeeper through the Canadian Institute of Bookkeeping, or Qualified Administrative Assistant through the Association of Administrative Assistants. Relevant work experience in addition to course work is a requirement for both designations.
Program Guidelines
Program Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this program and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the program, consider the previous version as the applicable version.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are starting in the Fall semester, your classes will start the day after the Labour Day holiday. If you are starting in the Winter semester, your classes will begin in the first or second week of January.
If you start in the Fall semester and are registered for a full course load, the program ends with a four-week practicum that begins in early May. If you start in the Winter semester and registered for a full course load, the program ends with a four-week practicum that begins in early January.
There are short breaks between the semesters. The Fall semester usually ends mid-December, and Winter semester classes don’t start until early January. The Winter semester usually ends mid-April and you won’t start Summer semester or work experience until early in May.
Full-time students must apply before the deadline, meet the English and keyboarding requirements and pay a $350 deposit. This gives full-time status students priority enrollment. When the Registrar's Office assigns registration times all full-time status students complete their registration before the part-time students begin registering. This ensures that full-time students have the opportunity to register in all of the courses that they need and allows us to guarantee full-time students that they will be able to obtain a seat in all required classes and successfully complete the program within a nine-month time period. However, part-time students in Office Administration programs may also register in up to five courses (15 credits) per semester. Therefore, part-time students can take a full course load.
If you’re taking a full-time course load, you’ll complete five four-hour classes per week. Class time is twenty hours per week. If you’re studying part-time, the hours you spend in class per week will vary depending on how many courses they have registered in.
It is generally expected that every hour of instruction will be matched with an hour of study or preparation by you. If you’re studying full-time, you can expect twenty hours of homework per week.
All classes are scheduled from Monday through Friday; there are no weekend classes. Classes are scheduled as early as 8:00 am and end as late as 4:30 pm; there are no evening classes.
All students are required to complete a four-week practicum. A three-week practicum is completed on the job site in early May or January. You will then return to the college and present either an oral or written report during the following week.
You are expected to find your own practicum placements; however, the practicum supervisor will monitor your progress and provide assistance as necessary.
This is largely determined by the conditions in the prevailing job market. Generally, between 80-90% of our graduates are working within one month of graduation. Currently, 90-100% of our graduates are using their acquired skills on the job. Many gain employment through their practicum placement.
This is also largely determined by the conditions in the prevailing job market. Currently, salaries for these job-entry positions range from $2,000-$3,000 per month.
Yes, T2202A forms are provided once per year through a secure website.
More Information
Tuition deposit
When offered a full-time seat in this program a non-refundable, non-transferable $350 tuition deposit is required.