Bachelor of Commerce (Digital Marketing) - Postsecondary ...

professional certifications. The degree programs would also help raise the status and profile of
Fanshawe College.
As degree programs bring in more funding from the government, the offering of the business degrees
would also help Fanshawe College enter the top funding level for colleges, leading to an increased
reputation as a “Top Tier” college.
“Good for college from the funding perspective.”
“The other huge issue is the direction by the ministry, the move towards a differentiated status
system, where they expect to have three tiers or three funding levels for colleges. Fanshawe is
pretty eager to be in that top funding level. We need ten or 12 degree programs to qualify for
what we used to call polytechnic status.”
“And as more and more of the business professional credentialing partnerships are moving to
degree based requirements there is more and more pressure for us to remain relevant, to offer
the diploma, the advanced diploma, certificate and the degree suite of products. We need the
full suite.”
“We hope that provides a benefit for us in terms of enrollment, we may have students stay
longer. Certainly it will be more in line with industry certifications that are moving towards
degrees. This gives us a product that maintains that good relationships. International students
know that degrees are better than diplomas. Generally enhanced image for the college that we
have a degree. In many minds, a degree is a minimum for some employers. We can offer it in a
new flavour that is in keeping with employers needs too, in terms of practical skills.”
Importantly, the business degrees would benefit students in the community, offering a more
accessible and affordable program, as well as one that is based in practical skills learning and training.
As the Richard Ivey Business School’s high standards of admission and high tuition costs are often cited
as barriers to accessibility for many local students, the majority of Stakeholders noted there is an
opportunity for Fanshawe College to provide students, who wish to stay in the area and study in
business, a more accessible and affordable educational package.
“I see it as a tremendous opportunity to better support post secondary opportunities for students
in our region. There is a demand for degree programs in business. A lot of our students do not
have access to the University of Western Ontario, which is our home university... and our home
students are really disadvantaged by the high entrance marks required by UWO, and our
students are even more disadvantaged coming from a lot of small communities, Woodstock ,
Simcoe, in accessing a degree program in business.”
“Price will make us attractive. We are located in a city with a university with a strong reputation
and they just can’t accept [all] the students that want to attend university in this community. We
are hoping that our entry requirements will be just slightly lower than theirs. We’re hoping that
students from London won’t have to leave the city to get a business degree.”
LKSB Degree Program Feasibility Study • 2011
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