Automotive Business

Description

In this program, students are prepared for professional and essential support positions in the automotive industry by receiving a general business and specialized automotive education. Upon completion of the program, students have the skills, knowledge, and experience to build a career across a broad range of sectors in the automotive industry. Students have the opportunity to gain eight months of co-op work experience and are able to network with industry professionals to explore the various sectors within the industry.

Career Opportunities

The automotive industry is one of the largest industries in Canada and globally, consisting of a variety of sectors: retail (dealerships), manufacturing, distribution, aftermarket, finance, marketing, and media. This program is designed to prepare students for entry-level to mid-level management business positions throughout all sectors of the automotive industry in Canada. Graduates have applied for careers in a variety of business-related professions, in areas such as marketing, sales, operations, customer service, finance, and accounting.

Program Learning Outcomes

The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

1. discuss the historical, current, and future aspects of the automotive industry and its impact on automotive business culture;
2. explain automotive products and services using the appropriate terminology to support customer comprehension and service channels;
3. apply relevant regulatory legislation and ethical practices within the Canadian automotive industry to meet the required professional and industry standards;
4. examine the impact of economic, social, political, environmental, technological and cultural trends in the automotive industry to address changing market needs;
5. identify entrepreneurial opportunities to respond to business trends in the automotive industry; 
6. use equitable and inclusive approaches to customer service and quality improvement to meet the needs of diverse stakeholders;
7. describe and apply marketing and sales concepts to support the operations of an organization;
8. use accounting and financial information to support the business operations of an organization;
9. employ technologies, systems, and applications in the automotive industry to manage information used in decision-making and customer service strategies;
10. discuss the impact of domestic and global trends challenging the automotive industry and how they affect short and long-term business operations;
11. develop personal and professional strategies to enhance performance, business relationships, and career opportunities;
12. employ sustainable practices to minimize the impact of the auto industry on the natural environment; and
13. use appropriate and respectful strategies to serve and effectively work with populations currently underrepresented within the automotive industry. 

Practical Experience

All co-operative education programs at Georgian contain mandatory work term experiences aligned with program learning outcomes.  Co-op work terms are designed to integrate academic learning with work experience, supporting the development of industry specific competencies and employability skills.

Georgian College holds membership with, and endeavours to follow, the co-operative education guidelines set out by the Co-operative Education and Work Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL) and Experiential and Work-Integrated Ontario (EWO) as supported by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities.

Co-op is facilitated as a supported, competitive job search process. Students are required to complete a Co-op and Career Preparation course scheduled prior to their first co-op work term. Students engage in an active co-op job search that includes applying to positions posted by Co-op Consultants, and personal networking.  Co-op work terms are scheduled according to a formal sequence that alternates academic and co-op semesters as shown in the program progression below.

Programs may have additional requirements such as a valid driver’s license, strong communication skills, industry specific certifications, and ability to travel. Under exceptional circumstances, a student may be unable to complete the program progression as shown below. Please refer to Georgian College Academic Regulations for details.   

International co-op work terms are supported and encouraged, when aligned with program requirements.

Further information on co-op services can be found at www.GeorgianCollege.ca/co-op

Program Progression

The following reflects the planned progression for full-time offerings of the program.

Fall Intake

• Sem 1: Fall 2025
• Sem 2: Winter 2026
• Work Term 1: Summer 2026
• Sem 3: Fall 2026
• Work Term 2: Winter 2027
• Sem 4: Summer 2027

Winter Intake

• Sem 1: Winter 2026
• Sem 2: Summer 2026
• Sem 3: Fall 2026
• Work Term 1: Winter 2027
• Sem 4: Summer 2027
• Work Term 2: Fall 2027

Summer Intake

• Sem 1: Summer 2026
• Sem 2: Fall 2026
• Sem 3: Winter 2027
• Work Term 1: Summer 2027
• Sem 4: Fall 2027
• Work Term 2: Winter 2028

Articulation

A number of articulation agreements have been negotiated with universities and other institutions across Canada, North America and internationally. These agreements are assessed, revised and updated on a regular basis. Please contact the program co-ordinator for specific details if you are interested in pursuing such an option. Additional information can be found on our website at https://www.georgiancollege.ca/admissions/credit-transfer/

Admission Requirements

• Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or mature student status
• Grade 12 English (C or U)
• any Grade 11¹ or 12 Mathematics (C, M, or U)

¹

Minimum of 60% in Grade 11 College or University level Mathematics (MBF3C or MCF3M) 

Mature students, non-secondary school applicants (19 years or older), and home school applicants may also be considered for admission. Eligibility may be met by applicants who have taken equivalent courses, upgrading, completed their GED, and equivalency testing. For complete details refer to: www.georgiancollege.ca/admissions/academic-regulations/

Applicants who have taken courses from a recognized and accredited post-secondary institution and/or have relevant life/learning experience may also be considered for admission; refer to the Credit for Prior Learning website for details:
www.georgiancollege.ca/admissions/credit-transfer/

Graduation Requirements

19 Program Courses
2 Communications Courses
3 Program Option Courses
3 General Education Courses
2 Co-op Work Terms

Graduation Eligibility

To graduate from this program, the passing weighted average for promotion through each semester, from year to year, and to graduate is 60%. Additionally, a student must attain a minimum of 50% or a letter grade of P (Pass) or S (Satisfactory) in each course in each semester unless otherwise stated on the course outline.

Program Tracking 

The following reflects the planned course sequence for full-time offerings of the Fall intake of the program. Where more  than one intake is offered  contact the program co-ordinator for the program tracking.

Plan of Study Grid

Semester 1		Hours
Program Courses
ACCT 1000	Financial Accounting Principles 1	42
AUTO 1018	Concepts of the Automotive Industry	56
AUTO 1019	Introduction to Automotive Technology	56
BUSI 1001	Introduction to Organizational Behaviour	42
MKTG 1000	Introduction to Marketing	42
Communications Course
Select 1 course from the communications list during registration.		42
	Hours	280
Semester 2
Program Courses
AUTO 1009	Introduction to Fixed Operations	42
AUTO 2000	Dealership Management Service: Parts and Service	42
COMP 1003	Microcomputer Applications	42
MATH 1002	Mathematics of Finance	42
MKTG 1003	Principles of Sales	42
Communications Course
Select 1 course from the communications list during registration.		42
General Education Course
Select 1 course from the general education list during registration.		42
	Hours	294
Semester 3
Program Courses
ACCT 2012	Applied Excel	42
AUTO 2002	Introduction to the Canadian Automotive Aftermarket	42
ECON 1000	Microeconomics	42
HURM 1000	Human Resources Management Foundations	42
MKTG 1017	Digital Marketing and Analytics	42
General Education Course
Select 1 course from the general education list during registration.		42
Program Option Course
Select 1 course from program option list during registration.		42
	Hours	294
Semester 4
Program Courses
AUTO 2008	Dealership Sales Operations	42
ECON 2000	Macroeconomics	42
FNCE 2008	Dealership Financial Statements	42
LAWS 1009	Automotive Law and Ethics	42
General Education Course
Select 1 course from the general education list during registration.		42
Program Option Courses
Select 2 courses from the available list during registration.		84
	Hours	294
	Total Hours	1162

Plan of Study Grid

Co-op Work Terms		Hours
COOP 1001	Automotive Business Work Term 1 (Fall intake - occurs after Semester 2, Winter Intake - occurs after Semester 3)	560
COOP 2005	Automotive Business Work Term 2 (Fall intake - occurs after Semester 3, Winter intake - occurs after Semester 4)	560
	Hours	1120
	Total Hours	1120

Course List

Code	Title
Program Option Courses
Program options may include:
ACCT 1001	Financial Accounting Principles 2
ADVE 1001	Advertising Design
ADVE 1004	Introduction to Advertising
BUSI 1002	Consumer Behaviour
BUSI 1011	Professional Business Practices
BUSI 2005	Customer Service
BUSI 2021	Auto Event Planning
BUSI 2024	Global Business and Culture
BUSI 2025	The Business of Esports
BUSI 3006	Investments
COMM 2020	Technical Communication
ENTR 1002	Introduction to Entrepreneurship
ENTR 1003	Entrepreneurship Opportunity Analysis
ENTR 2000	Business Planning
ENTR 2006	Managing the Family Owned/Operated Business
ENTR 2009	Entrepreneurship and Small Business
ENVR 2016	Transportation Ecology and Energy Systems
ETHC 3002	Business Ethics
FNCE 2000	Business Finance
MGMT 1000	Retail Management
MGMT 2000	Production and Operations Management
MGMT 2001	Principles of Management
MGMT 2002	Project Management
MGMT 2012	Introduction to Project Management
MGMT 3001	Managerial Decision Making
MKTG 1001	Planning the Marketing Strategy
MKTG 2002	Global Marketing
MKTG 2004	Introduction to Logistics
MKTG 2033	Professional Edge
MKTG 2036	Case Analysis and Presentations
STAT 2000	Statistics 1

Graduation Window 

Students unable to adhere to the program duration of two years (as stated above) may take a maximum of four years to complete their credential. After this time, students must be re-admitted into the program, and follow the curriculum in place at the time of re-admission.

Disclaimer: The information in this document is correct at the time of publication. Academic content of programs and courses is revised on an ongoing basis to ensure relevance to changing educational objectives and employment market needs. 

Program outlines may be subject to change in response to emerging situations, in order to facilitate student achievement of the learning outcomes required for graduation. Components such as courses, progression, coop work terms, placements, internships and other requirements may be delivered differently than published.