MBA Guide 2020: Programs in British Columbia

Beedie School of Business
Simon Fraser University, Vancouver

Full time: 12 months (plus 4-month internship)
Part time: 24 months
Work experience required: 2 years’ (full-time), 4 years+ (part-time)
Tuition: $42,500

Since 1968, the Beedie School of Business has been steadily growing a global reputation of excellence while maintaining an intimate, immersive experience with smaller class sizes (last year, there were just 46 students). All will complete an internship with the help of Beedie’s dedicated career management centre, which strives to integrate new talent with an impressive network of alumni, faculty and the corporate community. In 2016, a $10-million gift established the Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship to foster a new cohort of budding entrepreneurs and help them build their businesses both locally and globally.

Gustavson School of Business
University of Victoria

Full time: 24 months (no part-time)
Work experience required: 3 years minimum (plus management experience for certain streams)
Tuition: $37,500

Currently in the middle of a complete redesign, MBA programming at Gustavson is gearing up for the September 2020 launch of its much-anticipated Sustainable Innovation MBA. Designed for forward-thinking leaders with environmental and sustainability concerns, the program promises to challenge conventional thought and enable business brains to tackle modern problems with responsibility and integrity. The just-opened Design Thinking Lab will be home for about 75 students to focus on integrative learning and problem solving. Work placements are available, but not required.

UNBC
University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George

Full time: 21 months (no part-time)
Work experience required: 3 years’ work and management experience
Tuition: $36,400

For those who can study full-time, an MBA at the University of Northern British Columbia offers preparation for the region’s ever-expanding business opportunities. A crew of 35 students convenes at either of two campuses—Prince George and Vancouver—throughout the school year to network and pool resources. This year, a full curriculum review will revitalize course options, with new topics like leadership, entrepreneurship, and data analytics. An alumni mentorship program, plus career coaching, helps grads move seamlessly into the workforce.

Royal Roads University
Victoria

Full time: 18-31 months (no part-time)
Work experience required: Minimum 7 years’ relevant work experience, with 3 years at a management level
Tuition: $43,500

Blended programming at Royal Roads includes 10 online courses, an organizational management consulting project and two three-week residencies. The MBA in Executive Management at Royal Roads was the first Canadian program to partner with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and other specialization-specific affiliations include the Canadian Association of Certified Management Consultants, the global non-profit Project Management Institute, and the Grenoble École de Management in France. The latter provides a two-week overseas residence, while Royal Roads’ Asia Pacific Trade and Investment Specialization includes an eight-day field study trip to two cities in the region.

Sauder School of Business
University of British Columbia, Vancouver

Full time: 16 months
Part time: 24 months
Work experience required: Minimum of 2 years
Tuition: $49,400

Sauder was one of the first business schools in Canada to adopt coaching for EI—emotional intelligence, the strongest predictor for performance. Just under 100 full-time students (plus about half that number in part-time studies) benefit from Sauder’s focus on strengthening core EQ competencies for long-term career success. The curriculum is classroom-based, with no exclusive online option to study from afar. A four-month summer internship is optional for full-time students.

Thompson Rivers University
Kamloops

Full time: 12 months
Part time: Up to 5 years
Work experience required: None
Tuition: $22,300

Designed for students with different academic backgrounds, the TRU MBA is a flexible and customizable program that can be completed on campus or entirely online. Refreshed classroom space with advanced technology offers lessons through the Moodle platform complete with recorded lectures, screencasts, assigned readings and interactive assignments—all without synchronous components, meaning there are no specific times when students must be online. A voluntary B2B program lets graduate students learn, network and find mentors with executives, professionals and community leaders in the local business community.

Trinity Western University
Langley

Full time: 14-22 months
Part time: 22 months
Work experience required: None
Tuition: $34,200

More than 500 business students annually choose the private Christian school in Langley, B.C., for its real-life, hands-on approach to learning. TWU is one of only a few schools in Canada offering a program in non-profit management; other streams cater to students with interests in entrepreneurship and international business. Students of the latter can spend two weeks in France or Italy to visit executives of global brands such as BMW, Lamborghini and L’Oréal.

Vancouver Island University
Nanaimo

Full time: 14-16 months (no part-time)
Work experience required: 1 year of work experience
Tuition: $27,500

Almost 250 students in the past year—98 per cent of them international—chose Vancouver Island’s MBA program. In 2020, the program will be offered via an intensive 20-month, full-time format redesigned to focus on creating graduates fit for regional, national and international business. This is one of the most technologically integrated programs in Canada, with courses in accounting, economics, finance, management, marketing, research and technology, as well as a four-month internship and an applied business project. Grads also receive one year of career coaching.