Business - Insurance (Optional Co-op)

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Courses - January 2025

Level 1

Course details

Introductory Financial Accounting I
ACCT1030

Description: This course introduces ASPE, IFRS, accounting terminology, the accounting equation, the double-entry system of bookkeeping, the accrual basis of accounting, financial statements and the ledgers and journals making up a basic accounting system for both sole proprietorship and corporation forms of businesses.
  • Hours: 42
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  The cost is included in the course fee. View the eText fee.

College Reading & Writing Skills
COMM1085

Description: This course introduces students to the reading, writing, and critical thinking skills needed for academic and workplace success. Students will analyse a variety of texts and apply the steps of planning, writing, and revising to produce writing that meets the expectations of selected audiences and purposes. The course prepares students for college-level writing tasks, research, and documentation by asking them to produce clear, informed, and purposeful documents relevant to both academic and professional contexts.
  • Hours: 42
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  ​No cost.

Business Computing Applications I
COMP1056

Description:

During this course, the student will learn to effectively use Windows operating system, apply word processing techniques, create basic business presentations, and explore the power of spreadsheets . Students will also learn the skills necessary to operate effectively within the Conestoga College computing environment. An emphasis will be placed on the development of solutions to business problems using commonly available microcomputer tools.

  • Hours: 42
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  The cost is included in the course fee. View the eText fee.

Conestoga 101
CON0101

Description: This self-directed course focuses on introducing new students to the supports, services, and opportunities available at Conestoga College. By the end of this course, students will understand the academic expectations of the Conestoga learning environment, as well as the supports available to ensure their academic success. Students will also be able to identify on-campus services that support their health and wellness, and explore ways to get actively involved in the Conestoga community through co-curricular learning opportunities.
  • Hours: 1
  • Credits: 0
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  ​No cost.

Insurance Fundamentals
INS1005

Description:

The concept of risk, and how insurance is a mechanism to transfer risk and benefit society. The key insurance industry functions of selling/distributing insurance, underwriting insurance policies, adjusting losses, and reinsuring risk. The elements needed to form an insurance contract. The regulation of insurance in Canada, including regulation of policy wordings, licensing of insurance professionals, ethical/professionalism considerations for insurance professionals, and the role of insurance industry organizations. A full day field trip is spent at a local brokerage where students will experience hands on training and exposure to the daily life of a brokerage.

  • Hours: 48
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  Not available at this time.

Business Mathematics I
MATH1010

Description: The purpose of the course is to provide the student with a mathematical basis for personal and business financial decisions through four instructional modules. The course stresses business applications using arithmetic, algebra, ratio-proportion and graphing. Applications include payroll, cost-volume-profit analysis and merchandising mathematics. This course stresses logical reasoning and problem solving skills. A Texas Instrument BAII “Plus” calculator is required for the course.
  • Hours: 42
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  $42.00

Marketing I
MKT1040

Description: Marketing is about knowing the customers and the creative and strategic processes to meet their needs, wants and desires. This highly interactive course introduces you to the world of marketing from both a societal and organizational perspective. You will participate in a variety of hands-on practical activities and projects to immerse yourself in the fundamentals of marketing.
  • Hours: 42
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  The cost is included in the course fee. View the eText fee.

Level 2

Course details

Organizational Behaviour
BUS1021

Description: This course is a study of workplace behaviour at the individual, team and organizational level. The course explores theories of motivation, perceptions, emotions, team effectiveness, decision making, leadership, power, culture, and change. The concepts and application explored will guide students in their application of best practices to strengthen organizations and their overall effectiveness as global citizens.
  • Hours: 42
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  The cost is included in the course fee. View the eText fee.

Co-op and Career Preparation
CEPR1020

Description: This series of modules will prepare students for job searching for their co-op work terms with the guidance of a Coop Advisor. Students will familiarize themselves with the co-operative education policies and procedures and will learn the expectations, rules, and regulations that apply in the workplace regarding social, organizational, ethical, and safety issues while developing an awareness of self-reflective practices. Students will reflect on their skills, attitudes, and expectations and examine available opportunities in the workplace. Successful completion of these modules is a requirement for co-op eligibility.
  • Hours: 14
  • Credits: 1
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  ​No cost.

Introduction to Economics
ECON1080

Description:

Students will learn basic principles that are essential to an understanding of contemporary economic issues facing Canadian society. It will include both microeconomic issues and macroeconomic issues. Topics of study include principles of economics, market demand and supply, firm production and cost, and business behaviour and decision making in a market; macroeconomic indicators - gross domestic product, unemployment, and inflation - aggregate demand and aggregate supply, international trade, exchange rates, and the impact of domestic and international influences, and of government policies.

  • Hours: 42
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  Not available at this time.

Applied Ethics
ETHS1080

Description:

Applied Ethics will allow the students to explore the important ethical issues facing the insurance industry today; issues which typically arise in the areas of catastrophe insurance, claims investigation, autonomous vehicles, information asymmetry, compensatory justice and conflicts of interest, to name only a few. Students will be introduced to the concepts that are relevant for resolving ethical problems and given an opportunity to develop the necessary reasoning and analytical skills for doing so.

  • Hours: 42
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  Not available at this time.

Essentials of Loss Adjusting
INS2010

Description: The course focuses on insurance knowledge and conduct required of claims professionals. Students examine both the soft skills and technical skills which enhance the handling of insurance claims. Through a step-by-step process, students move from understanding claims situations and evaluation of policy coverage to determining how much of a claim is payable. Managing relationships in order to obtain critical information is discussed and students will also learn the fundamentals of investigation, evaluation, negotiation and settlement within the claims process. The types of claims examined include property, automobile and liability insurance.
  • Hours: 48
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites: INS1000 OR INS1005
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  Not available at this time.

Underwriting Essentials
INS2020

Description:

This course focuses on the essential skills required of an entry-level underwriter. Students begin with an overview of an underwriter's role as an investor of shareholder capital on behalf of an insurer and discuss the process of accepting and rejecting risk within parameters set by the insurer and imposed by the external environment. Hard skills, soft skills, and underwriting temperament are profiled and specifically applied in the analysis of individual property, automobile, and liability risks.

  • Hours: 36
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites: INS1000 OR INS1005
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  Not available at this time.

Essential Skills for the Insurance Broker and Agent
INS2030

Description: This course is an overview of insurance business practices from the broker/agent’s perspective and concentrates on the needs of both personal lines and small commercial risk clients. Students are given insights into the skills that a typical intermediary uses to perform effectively from initial contact with a client through the evaluation and application process, to binding and policy documents. All major insurance product lines and common policy transactions that a broker/agent may handle are reviewed.
  • Hours: 48
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  Not available at this time.

Level 3

Course details

Co-op Work Term (Insurance-Property/Casualty)
COOP1460

Description: This co-op work term will provide students with college-approved work experience in an authentic, professionally relevant work environment. Students will be provided the opportunity to connect theory and practice by leveraging their academic training to develop a broad base of vocational skills. The practical applications of this work term will promote students’ awareness of key concepts and terminology in their field, cultivate their problem-solving and decision-making capabilities, encourage their development of professional autonomy and collaboration, and enhance their capacity to analyze and reflect on their demonstrated abilities in the workplace.
  • Hours: 420
  • Credits: 14
  • Pre-Requisites: CDEV1020 OR CEPR1020
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  Not available at this time.

Level 4

Course details

Introduction to Personal Finances
FIN1100

Description: This course will focus on providing students with the knowledge required to effectively understand and manage their personal financial situation. It will provide a foundation for students to develop personal financial goals and to avoid many common financial problems. Topics covered will include personal cash flow and budgeting, establishing and maintaining a good credit rating, the effective use of credit, understanding group benefits, RRSPs, TFSAs and pension plans. The course will also address various types of insurance coverage and investment products.
  • Hours: 42
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  The cost is included in the course fee. View the eText fee.

Insurance On Property
INS1015

Description:

Insurance on Property is an introduction to property insurance. As one of the building blocks of your CIP Program, this course lays the foundation for many types of property insurance, with explanations of the legislative framework that governs them and of their principles, doctrines, and other characteristics. Insurance on Property shows how that framework and those common features are reflected in the most common commercial and especially personal lines insurance policies. Insurance on Property also discusses applications of property insurance in the work of brokers and agents, underwriters, and claims adjusters. A full day field trip is spent at a local brokerage where students will experience hands on training and exposure to the daily life of a brokerage.

  • Hours: 52
  • Credits: 4
  • Pre-Requisites: INS1000 OR INS1005
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  The cost is included in the course fee. View the eText fee.

Personal Automobile Insurance
INS1025

Description:

Automobile Insurance— is a detailed study of automobile insurance in Canada. The course covers legislation related to automobile insurance and policies and regulations, concentrating mostly on personal coverages. Insurance professionals taking Automobile Insurance will get an overview of the different provincial approaches to automobile insurance and some of the problems related to it. You will deal in detail with Owner’s Policies or coverages specific to your own province. Automobile Insurance is one of the building blocks of your CIP Program . A full day field trip is spent at a local brokerage where students will experience hands on training and exposure to the daily life of a brokerage

  • Hours: 52
  • Credits: 4
  • Pre-Requisites: INS1000 OR INS1005
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  The cost is included in the course fee. View the eText fee.

Insurance Against Liability
INS2000

Description: To understand liability insurance, you must first know something of the law and the Canadian legal system and the differences between the common law and the Civil Code of Quebec. This is not a law course but it does introduce you to those legal principles that affect liability insurance. It discusses common ways people become liable to each other and explains how this liability may be insured or why it cannot be insured.
  • Hours: 48
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites: INS1000 OR INS1005
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  The cost is included in the course fee. View the eText fee.
Electives: General Education
Student must pass one course, selected in the Student Portal from available course options.
Electives: General Education
Student must pass one course, selected in the Student Portal from available course options.

Level 5

Course details

Introductory Financial Planning
FIN1020

Description: This course is an introduction to the areas of financial planning and financial services. Topics covered include: financial planning, financial markets, investment portfolios, securities regulations, consumer debt, retirement and estate planning.
  • Hours: 56
  • Credits: 4
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  ​No cost.

Fraud Awareness and Prevention
INS1030

Description:

This course focuses on learning how fraud may arise with respect to insurance policies and what initiatives the insurance industry has advanced to fight such fraudulent practices. The dollar cost of fraud to individuals and the industry is discussed, as well as the laws that affect how insurers must handle claims adjustment and settlement. Property, automobile and liability claims are covered. New business and renewals and the underwriting of each are discussed from the perspective of “red flags” which may indicated potential fraud at the beginning stages of an insurance contract.

  • Hours: 36
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  Not available at this time.

Integrated Insurance Applications
INS2050

Description: The course is designed to provide the student with an appreciation of the purpose and meaning to the insurance industry’s existence. It exposes students to the challenges confronting senior management and moves into philosophical issues related to the insurance industry, such as the role of insurance in society and the manner in which business is carried out. Students examine the structure of the industry, the interdependence of its members, the forces which shape the marketplace and the way in which insurance is regulated. Economic issues surrounding insurance and pricing of product & service are also studied. The financial management of insurance companies is discussed and concludes with the importance of ethics and professionalism at all levels of the insurance industry.
  • Hours: 36
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites: INS1000 OR INS1005
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  Not available at this time.

Bodily Injury Claims
INS2061

Description:

This course introduces the basics of human anatomy and physiology and how they are important to the insurance adjuster. The investigative process is outlined and the factors involved in claim evaluation and negotiation are considered. Key topics include injuries that are likely to be encountered and the medical treatment normally prescribed, interpretation of medical reports, as well as rehabilitation and the role of the adjuster in the process.

  • Hours: 36
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites: INS1000 OR INS1005
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  Not available at this time.

Advanced Underwriting
INS2135

Description:

You will review the nature of an underwriter’s work and the types of knowledge, skill and temperament an underwriter needs. Advanced Underwriting examines how these characteristics must be broadened and deepened to analyze the needs and loss experience of larger, more complex risks. You will be exposed to some more unusual or specialized lines of insurance. You will consider the broader perspective a more experienced underwriter needs in dealing with the legal and regulatory environment, manuscript wordings, alternative risk transfer, reinsurance and international risks.

  • Hours: 48
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:
  • Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs:  Not available at this time.
Electives: General Education
Student must pass one course, selected in the Student Portal from available course options.

Please note:

Estimated required text and/or learning resource costs are based on the most recent available data through the Conestoga Campus Store.

Program outcomes

  1. Distinguish the organization, structure, and roles and responsibilities associated with property and casualty insurance companies and intermediaries
  2. Analyze the coverage and policies currently available through companies providing property and casualty insurance to inform client communications, recommendations and underwriting
  3. Apply the processes and procedures used in adjusting losses, settling claims and explaining and completing documentation specific to property and casualty insurance
  4. Evaluate the factors affecting the acceptance and underwriting of property and casualty insurance risks
  5. Use common technology and software towards the completion of property and casualty business tasks
  6. Model ethical and appropriate working relationships using knowledge of property and casualty insurance, customer service skills, and interpersonal communications
  7. Illustrate how basic economics and property and casualty insurance market cycles affects brokering, underwriting, and claims
  8. Distinguish how the legal system and legislation affects the property and casualty insurance businesses
  9. Apply marketing and sales techniques to property and casualty insurance scenarios
  10. Research the issues, concerns, and potential solutions regarding business corporate responsibility in a property and casualty insurance environment
  11. Apply the appropriate use of, endorsements, coverage, contracts, and policies associated with property and casualty insurance