NSCC cuts business program at two campuses, cites low enrolment as reason

NSCC is cutting the business program in Cumberland County.

Students looking to take the Business Administration Diploma program at the Nova Scotia Community College’s (NSCC) Cumberland Campus next year will have to make new plans.

NSCC announced the program is being cancelled for the upcoming academic year due to low enrolment numbers.

“It’s been trending that way for a while, and that’s one of the factors that we take into consideration when we’re looking at our program mix on an annual basis,” says Scott MacPherson, the dean for the School of Business and Creative Industries. “We want to make sure that we’re not just making a knee-jerk reaction to maybe some type of situation that is a one-off.”

Only five students were confirmed for the upcoming year at this point, but MacPherson says the program is “historically a late-filler.”

The college says over the past five years, there’s been an average of 30 students enrolled in the two-year program.

Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin, the independent MLA for Cumberland North, says at a time of “economic crisis,” business programs should be strengthened, not reduced.

“We need to be investing in business programs, looking for ways to increase productivity and output in companies,” says Smith-McCrossin. “Removing skill development for entrepreneurs and for business people is not the right path.”

NSCC says the program will still be offered online, meaning people can take the program remotely.

But nothing replaces the classroom experience, says Madison Terfry-LeBlanc, a 2021 business administration graduate who learned online for one year of her studies.

“You don’t get the same level of education, you don’t get the same level of participation,” she says. “I’m sure the teachers and the professors thought the same thing. Nobody wants to stare at a screen with a bunch of black cameras all day.”

“It’s very sad, it’s very disappointing,” she says of the decision. “A lot of the small businesses around here rely on local Nova Scotia Community College business administration grads to do their co-op experiences and fill positions.”

The impacts are not just being felt in Cumberland County.

The Strait Area Campus in Port Hawkesbury, N.S. won’t be taking any new students in the fall of 2027 – and 30 seats are being eliminated at the Pictou and Kingstec, in Kentville, N.S., campuses.

MacPherson says since the programs are seeing reductions – not suspension – they “could be brought back in subsequent years without a formal approval process.”

Smith-McCrossin is calling for the decision to be reversed.

“The business administration program is relatively healthy across the province,” says MacPherson. “Unfortunately, (there are) low enrollments in a few areas.”

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