BC Business
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With our province now boasting at least 10 MBA options for prospective students, ambitious, business-minded British Columbians don’t have to go far to find a program to power their career trajectory.
The trick is nailing down the right one. Which is why BCBusiness has compiled the first-ever overview of MBA schools available in the province. And rather than simply reel off a list of courses on offer, we’ve given you insights into the mood and culture you’ll find in each school, so you can get a feel for how they’ll fit with your personality, goals and lifestyle. Our writers fanned out across the province for first-hand looks at sites, from Vancouver to Victoria to Prince George. If you want to get a taste of the executive ranks, there’s Simon Fraser University’s flashy new downtown campus, where students in pinstripe suits rub shoulders with visiting dignitaries from the upper echelons of the business community. At the other end of the spectrum, there’s the University of Northern B.C.’s Prince George campus, where students from all over the province hunker down once a month for intense three-day learning weekends, surrounded by lush forests and wandering moose. If it’s flexibility you’re after, options range from once-a-week evening courses at the University of Phoenix’s Lower Mainland and Victoria sites to flexible combinations of on-campus and online programs at Victoria’s University Canada West. We’ve rounded out our package with an at-a-glance table summarizing key statistics including tuition, enrollment and program length. And we’ve added tips on how to finance your return to school – and even get your MBA for free. UBC – Laid-back vibe Every day is casual day at UBC’s Sauder School of Business If you were to swing by the MBA student lounge in UBC’s Henry Angus Building on a Thursday night, you’d be greeted with a drink, snacks and an invitation to join in a game of foosball. According to Steve Champion, president of the MBA Association, Thursdays are Lounge Lizard night, a chance for students to blow off some steam and take a break from the intense pressure of the 15-month program. “The course load is heavy,” admits Champion, who, at 40, is about 10 years beyond the average age of his fellow classmates. “I was up till four in the morning last night.” Champion, former co-president and director of business and product development for DC3 Entertainment in Seattle, is one of 100 students currently enrolled in the school’s 15-month MBA program (another 50 are enrolled in the part-time 28-month program). He is not alone in coming from another country; about 50 per cent of the students hail from abroad, largely from India and China, as well as Europe, Latin America and the U.S. In a marketing class taught by popular instructor Darren Dahl, the international makeup of the students is evident. During a classroom discussion about the marketing strategy of baldness-prevention product Rogaine, one South Asian young man observes that a famous Bollywood actor shaved his head when he began losing his hair. “Now, he actually looks quite sexy. Really!” the student exclaims. Good-natured laughter ensues, led by the young, charismatic professor in jeans and a casual short-sleeved shirt. Dahl’s look may not be in sync with the corporate world, but this is, after all, a university. While the MBA program may be preparing students for a life in business, the dress code here is strictly casual, in keeping with the campus vibe. Despite the general informality, the school’s program is a rigid one that has ranked consistently well in the Financial Times annual ranking of the top 100 global MBA programs, averaging a spot of 64 over the past three years. Its “integrated core” element is an intensive 13-week foundation in finance, marketing, accounting, human resources, statistics, managerial economics and information systems. In addition to classroom lectures, students are treated to presentations from such local business luminaries as Chip Wilson, founder of Westbeach Sports Inc. and Lululemon Athletica; Bjorn Moller, president and CEO of Teekay Shipping Corp.; and Jimmy Pattison, president and CEO of The Jim Pattison Group. “The students call it boot camp,” confesses assistant dean and director of MBA programs Wendy Ma. Spending all their hours together on rigorous projects, students develop a bond that verges on tribal pride. The MBAs have their own sports teams that regularly compete against teams from other university faculties. The only thing missing, say students, is a high-end facility. The building currently housing the program looks more like an old high school, complete with dented metal lockers, than a cutting-edge business school. Thankfully, a $65-million extension and renovation has been given the go-ahead, to be completed over the next three or four years. The upgraded digs will give students a nicer playground and also help boost enrollment. “If we have more classroom space or larger classrooms, it will enable us to take more students into the programs,” says Ma. (byline)– Jessica Werb UBC – Try before you buy The Sauder School of Business has a number of specializations and sub-specializations to choose from, most of which are exactly what you’d expect on offer from a business school: entrepreneurship, finance, marketing and strategic management, for example. But this year, the school is offering a new specialization in sustainability, developed and taught in conjunction with the faculty of forestry. Dale Griffin, associate dean of academic programs, explains that there’s “a big intellectual push” for programs that examine how to incorporate social values into the business curriculum. He adds that forestry is a leader in that area, with green harvesting techniques now a big issue around the world. Because the program only began recently, just three students are currently enrolled in the specialization. Rebecca Pearson, 25 (one of the younger students), is one of them. “I became interested particularly in Sauder because I heard that they were starting this specialization this year,” she says. She adds that the school’s reputation for having a strong chapter of Net Impact, an MBA society focused on improving the world through business, was another big draw. Pearson, a University of Southern California grad, took advantage of a mentoring option and has been matched with Vancity CEO Dave Mowat, whom she recently met for the first time. “One of the things mentors offer that is incredibly valuable is their network,” notes Steve Champion, president of UBC’s MBA Association. He regretfully adds that with a two-year-old and three-month-old at home, he didn’t find time to apply. Mentors may also help students set up their internships, which have taken place at companies locally and around the globe. One student recently travelled the world on a freighter for Teekay Shipping Corp. Others have had placements with HSBC, Harmony Airways Inc. and Vancouver Coastal Health. About 20 per cent of interns receive offers of permanent employment from their internship employer. “It’s nice for the companies,” Griffin observes. “It’s like they get a chance to try before they buy.” – JW Royal Roads – Ivy league Royal Roads offers flexible schedule and multiple specialties B.C.’s richest man used to hang his hat in this ivy-covered castle – not a bad celebrity endorsement for a place where MBAs are educated. (No, it wasn’t that Jimmy, but another one: coal baron James Dunsmuir.) Thousands of officers started careers in uniform here when it was a military academy – Alex Trebek was a first-year cadet dropout years before Jeopardy fame – and it has served Hollywood in a couple of X-men comic book movies. These days, Hatley Castle is the signature building for 12-year-old Royal Roads University (RRU), which claims to be the only university in Canada that is also a national historic site. But the plain, one-storey Arbutus Building just inside the university gates, where most MBA classes are held, is a lot less imposing. The university’s marquee program attracts 90 students a year – Royal Roads uses the term learners – in spring and fall intakes. It targets “mid-career learners,” to use RRU’s term for successful people in business and government who want to move up the career ladder. They tend to be older than students in other university MBA programs, with their careers already in motion. “It’s really terrific. I’m crazy about it,” says Pat Corrigan, director of marketing and development for Pacific Opera Victoria, whose employer is covering his tuition. Chemical engineer Sudhir Lamba’s day job is at the Catalyst Paper mill in Campbell River, and he’s in the management consulting stream at RRU. “It’s very competitive. It’s not a piece of cake. They make us work very hard,” he says. Bob Davidson, sales director for a maker of scientific instruments, lives in White Rock and considered MBA programs at SFU and UBC. “Believe it or not, it’s actually easier to attend Royal Roads,” he oberves. Like most of the MBA candidates, he lives on campus for three weeks at a time. “The opportunity to hang out with a number of really smart people was really great,” he says “They really taught us how to find information, how to ask questions and think critically.” Stephen Long, acting dean for the Faculty of Management, is one of the six faculty who have been with the school since its inception. He calls himself a “late-stage academic” with varied work experience including stints at Xerox, as a federal government trainer, at a major accounting firm and as a consultant in Victoria. “We recognize that learning about business is not an academic experience,” Long says, adding that it’s more about the theory and practice of leadership: “We base admission on work experience more than academic experience.” Only 25 per cent of the course work relates to a student’s choice of specialization, and Royal Roads aims to turn out more generalists. It also claims to have a cutting edge among MBA programs with its focus on sustainability issues. “I don’t understand how anyone can be prepared for the current business world without an understanding of sustainability issues,” says Will Low, instructor for the BUSA 535 sustainability course. The health of the ecosystem and the growth of the economy don’t have to be mutually exclusive, he tells his class during a lecture. Ex-banker Mike Thompson, now an associate prof at RRU, talks of the “OCP” that is required to complete the program. Short for “organizational consulting project,” it’s equivalent to a 360-hour assignment by a consultant in the business world. “This is where the learners say, ‘Everything comes together for me now,’” notes Thompson. The MBA experience has opened up new business directions for Davidson, who has spent half his life in sales and marketing and figures on 15 more years in his career. His OCP investigated the potential of tidal power at a pilot project recently installed on Race Rocks, about 10 kilometres from the university. With an MBA, he says, “I should be able to compete for some pretty sweet jobs. It looks like there are going to be some opportunities. I wanted to do something that was a little different… to step out and grow a little bit.” (byline)– Norman Gidney RRU – The rigours of online learning Students in the RRU MBA program spend three periods at the university, totaling nine weeks of classes, with personal assignments and team projects that fill the days and crowd the evenings during their residencies. When they’re back at their regular jobs, email, phone calls and a website let them keep up with a steady flow of assignments. They say it averages 25 hours a week. MBA candidates also work out their own face time together. Residencies might appear to be a quiet time on campus, but forget the image of a calm retreat in the castle, tucked away in the square mile of surrounding forest and gardens. “It’s three weeks of hard work. It’s very challenging to keep up with the workload,” says White Rock resident Bob Davidson, who is in the management consulting stream. His employer has agreed to a four-day work week to help him balance job, family and school. “It’s certainly a lot more work than I thought it would be,” admits Pat McCormick, but “even in a short time, I find so much that’s useful in my job.” Off campus, she’s COO at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort in the Kootenays. The breadth of experience on her project teams is exceptional, she adds. Glen Doiron earned an RRU Bachelor of Commerce Degree and joined Ainsworth Lumber Co. Ltd., the engineered wood products firm headquartered in Vancouver. He talks of leaving his MBA classes to work evenings with his team on projects, then spending the last hours before bed on course readings and his own assignments. – NG [pagebreak] SFU – Button-down learning Pinstripes rule at SFU’s flashy downtown campus Entering Simon Fraser University’s (SFU) Segal Graduate School of Business feels a little like walking into an upscale hotel lobby, minus the traffic. The building, conveniently located in the core of the city’s business district, was donated by Joseph Segal to the school in 2002 and officially opened its doors to MBA students last September. Originally the Western Canadian headquarters of the Bank of Montreal, it has retained many of its opulent fixtures, including marble tile floors, a gilded gold clock above the mezzanine stairs and oak paneling and handrails. Updated with lush rugs, leather sofas and rippled glass walls dividing classrooms, the downtown campus exudes wealth, right down to the eight-foot vault doors that were preserved on the lower level, where the student meeting rooms are housed. On a rainy Tuesday morning in January, cleaning staff are tidying up in the lobby, where a local film crew had been shooting overnight. Despite the evidence of Holly-wood’s intrusion, the atmosphere is hushed. The program’s approximately 225 students, aged 25 to 40, are nestled in soundproof lecture halls, taking in lessons from profs aided by the latest conferencing technology: electronic whiteboards, video conferencing and multiple electronic projectors (although some profs apparently still prefer the faithful old overhead projector: one is being wheeled out of a classroom). Sameer Jinnah, 27, completed an MBA in Global Asset and Wealth Management in January this year. His four-month internship with B.C. Investment Management Corp. has now translated into a full-time gig there as a corporate analyst. Today, he’s dropped by the school to take in a lunchtime presentation by Don Drummond, chief economist for TD Canada Trust. “This looks like a graduate school of business,” says Jinnah of his surroundings. “When they have presentations here, it makes you want to put on a tie and come.” Today, in keeping with the business dress code required of students attending guest lectures, Sameer is in a classy pinstriped suit and red tie. Outside of guest lectures, the uniform here tends toward “business casual,” say students, but the atmosphere is clearly more business than casual. With no liberal arts or film undergrads loping around – they’re all at the Harbour Centre campus a couple of blocks away – the bohemian element you’d expect of a typical university is nowhere to be found. “We’re isolated enough from the rest of the university that we’re able to develop a bit of a distinct culture,” notes associate dean of graduate programs Ed Bukszar from his office overlooking the Granville Street Canada Line construction. Being right in the heart of the local business community makes it easy not only to bring in guest speakers, but for students to feel a part of that community as well. Students cite the sense of belonging to Vancouver’s vibrant business culture as a highlight of attending. When they aren’t attending guest lectures, the intense program keeps students plenty busy. Meaghan Taylor, 27, is currently completing an MBA in Management of Technology, and she cites a heavy workload. “We had six classes at one point,” she says. “Fourteen-hour days are not unusual.” However, it’s not all work and no play. Jinnah confides that his class, complete with professors, frequently went out for drinks at the nearby Malone’s Bar and Grill after intense classes. (byline)– Jessica Werb SFU – Specializations tailored to focused students In addition to the part-time Executive MBA, Simon Fraser University (SFU) offers MBAs in Global Asset and Wealth Management and Management of Technology/Biotechnology, as well as corporate MBA programs customized in partnership with industrial employers for their employees – all of which can be taken either full- or part-time. Judith Mazvihwa, 32, says she chose to do an executive MBA at SFU because of the school’s proximity to the downtown business core and the program’s schedule of every other weekend. Mazvihwa, originally from Zimbabwe, is also CFO and director of local junior miners Logan Resources Ltd. and International KRL Resources Corp. She says she couldn’t have taken on a full-time MBA program, as she continues to send money back to Zimbabwe to support her niece and nephew, who are AIDS orphans. While not all the students have as compelling a story as Mazvihwa, they all cite SFU’s highly specialized programs and its location as driving factors in making it their first choice. “There was nothing that offered this level of concentration in finance,” says Sameer Jinnah, a recent MBA gradate, who adds that his internship at B.C. Investment Management Corp. was everything he could have asked for. Currently, only the Global Asset and Wealth Management program includes an internship, but SFU will soon deliver its new MBA for non-business undergrad students – a 12-month program that will culminate in a four-month internship. It’s a bit of a play for the UBC’s target market, and associate dean of graduate programs Ed Bukszar makes no secret of it. “We did go out of our way to price it aggressively. It’s $27,000. That seems like an awful lot of money, but relative to UBC it’s 25 per cent less.” – JW UNBC – Weekend MBA UNBC’s three-day-a-week schedule builds lasting bonds The sign outside the MBA classroom at the University of Northern B.C. (UNBC) warns, “Moose in area, use caution.” Clearly, this is not a typical urban university. This is the north, where the people embody a hardy pioneer spirit and a closeness forged out of isolation. It’s those people, along with a stunning campus and a fourth-place spot in Maclean’s magazine’s university ranking, that is attracting students from throughout B.C. to this fledgling MBA program. “The people up north are more laid-back and easygoing,” says Clara Ng, a 24-year-old student from Vancouver who has a BA in political science and a post-graduate diploma in accounting from UBC. “Even though the other students are in high positions, they are pretty humble about it.” At Lower Mainland schools, in contrast, Ng, one of three Vancouverites in the current MBA class of 17, found students to be “a little snobbish.” The three-day-a-month schedule “fits in perfectly with my work,” says Joey Brar, a compensation consultant with the Greater Vancouver Regional District. “I can afford to take three days a month to come up here.” But don’t let the timetable fool you; this 22-month program is intense. Once a month, from Friday to Sunday, students attend classes from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. They pre-order three meals a day, which are provided in a separate, MBA-only room in order to save time in this program designed for working professionals. With a total of only 60 days of classroom time, students cannot afford distractions. That’s why all students, even those who live in Prince George, bunker down in a downtown hotel room with a classmate during instuctional weekends. “The time commitment has been brutal,” says Penny Perlotto, executive director of the Houston Friendship Centre Society in the town of about 3,700, located 300 kilometres west of Prince George. “We had three exams just before Christmas. We even had an assignment due on Christmas Day, but we got [the instructor] to move it.” Students say the instuctors, many of whom are working professionals in the community, are approachable, flexible and understanding when it comes to work and family commitments. This is obvious when you see them enjoying lunch together and sharing conversation that isn’t restricted to business. That’s because students and faculty bonded during the first week of school, at what they describe as a “Fear Factor-type” retreat, based on the reality TV show that forces people out of their comfort zones. They say the canoeing, games of trust and team-building excercises proved an invaluable experience that forged quick but lasting bonds. While most of the students are in low- to middle-management positions, many do not hold business or accounting degrees. It’s a fact that becomes painfully obvious as they try to learn a new accounting concept only days before a final exam. But they muddle through the excercise as a team, with the more experienced explaining things in layman’s terms. “We have become each other’s support group,” says Sonya Hunt, who manages a shopping mall in Quesnel, about 120 kilometres south of Prince George. (byline)– Randall Heidt UNBC – Branching out: three new programs on tap The MBA program at the University of Northern B.C. (UNBC) will undergo a significant overhaul in the next two years as it’s split into three streams. Beginning in September 2007, the current general MBA program will be transformed into an executive MBA program. Two new programs, a master of science MBA and an MBA with a Pacific Rim focus, are also in the works for 2009. The new courses are the brainchild of Mike Ivanof, who was hired in January as the MBA program director. Ivanof was the executive director of two finance MBA programs at SFU, one of which he became director of after graduating from the inaugural class. Ivanof says the two proposed MBA programs at UNBC will be full-time, one-year programs with students attending four to five days a week, compared to three days a month for the current general MBA program. “I think, in the long term, there are tremendous opportunities in Prince George,” Ivanof says. No one knows more about the opportunities the UNBC MBA can provide than Morris Bodnar, who became the first Canadian to win the Pacific Telecommunication Council’s annual graduate student essay contest. The 2006 graduate of the inaugural MBA class earned international recognition recently for his paper on marketing strategies for voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP). “My paper culminates with several recommendations for marketers to successfully sell VoIP to mainstream Canadian markets,” says Bodnar, who works as the district director for Industry Canada in Northern B.C. The paper earned Bodnar an award and $1,000 from the PTC, as well as an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii in January to present his findings. “UNBC’s MBA program offered a unique blend of formal lectures, independent study and group work experiences, which suited me and my work schedule perfectly,” Bodnar says. “UNBC’s small class size provided an intimate learning environment,” he adds, claiming it was “one of the greatest experiences of my life.” – RH [pagebreak] UVic – Go global Specialty programs draw international students Walking down the hallway of the Business and Economics Building at the University of Victoria (UVic), Chris Carmack makes sure I see the pinned-up newspaper clippings about his UVic MBA team’s winning performance in a National Post stock portfolio contest. The contest rewards teams for high returns and low volatility on an initial stake of $1 million. The UVic team scored a respectable 4.1-per-cent return in the early going, ahead even of powerhouse schools like York University’s Schulich School of Business and University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. (Among the UVic team’s best picks: Teck Cominco Ltd., Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. and several exchange-traded funds.) Carmack rounds up a diverse group of students in the cozy, carpeted MBA student lounge. It’s like an espresso place with halogen lights, round tables and several small breakout rooms; it’s affectionately known as the “fishbowl,” as passing students and faculty can see who’s around. The strong selling point of UVic’s MBA is its international focus, starting with the students themselves. The most recent intake of 41 full-time students and 11 part-timers includes students from China, India, Pakistan, Japan, Taiwan, the U.S., the United Arab Emirates, Mexico and Peru, in addition to Canada. Eddie Lilly Tafber, who earned an accounting degree in his native Mexico, appreciates the mix, which is “a more complete vision of things” in today’s world. Victoria is a depressurized place, he says, compared to Mexico City, with its population of more than 18 million. With UVic’s program, “the staff is really involved in your development. It was pretty satisfying to see they’re interested in having you here,” says Tafber. Maggie Mao, a civil engineer from China, notes UVic’s smaller class size of 40, compared to some schools that have 60 or even 80 students. And she appreciates the offer of language tutoring from a full-time assistant to touch up her English skills. Even Canadian-born engineer Bernie Sauter has used the service to improve his written English and presentation skills. Luke Barber speaks up for the close contacts with faculty: “I’ve been pretty impressed with how the profs get to know you on a personal basis.” The introductions start in August, a month before UVic is in session, when all MBA students attend a required four weeks of “essentials of business and leadership,” with meet-and-greet events such as barbecues. The program itself has a global reach. “All of our students do an international project,” explains assistant dean Pat Elemans. This year, half the class will spend 10 days with companies in Seoul and Shanghai, while the rest head to Argentina and Brazil. There’s more for those who specialize in the global MBA, which matches 10 UVic students with 10 from China and 10 from the Johannes Kepler University in Linz, Austria. The full group spends eight weeks together at each country’s host university. UVic MBAs also carry out case-study projects, which they call “integrative management exercises.” Recent IMEs looked at repositioning Molson Dry in B.C. and developing marketing strategies for the BC Lions and the Vancouver Ravens. An average of 50 MBAs graduate annually, and Elemans says about half of the grads stay on the West Coast, although Alberta beckons those newly minted MBAs too. “Right now Calgary has been hiring our grads like crazy,” she says. “Energy companies and engineering firms are looking for business analysts.” (byline)– Norman Gidney UVic – Hot profs Eric Jordan, a still-young retired tech company leader who sometimes wears a tie-dyed T-shirt, is the business school’s executive in residence. A UVic grad, Jordan spun off his research to co-found PureEdge Solutions Inc. in 1993 and sold the Internet forms software lab two years ago to IBM. The visual-arts grad guest-lectures part-time and advises students on what to expect on the outside. Jordan says he “makes sure there’s a strong connection to the real business world.” For students with a business idea, he offers introductions to experienced business types. “Early mentors” is his term for active business executives who could help out a young MBA who might fill out a fledgling board of directors. “One of the first things you need to do is build a group around you,” says Jordan. Pat Elemans, assistant dean and associate director of MBA programs, gets special mention from students for her efforts to settle them in. “She’s outstanding,” says Maggie Mao, a civil engineer from China, who figures she’ll learn as much from Elemans as from her MBA course work. The energetic Elemans is often the first point of contact, especially for the numerous foreign students in the class. Some students recall getting a personal phone call from Elemans at home, even in Mexico City or Hong Kong. Elemans resists the den-mother label with a laugh: “No, I refuse to admit that. It’s my job to make sure they have the best learning experience.” Doug Taylor is another student favourite. The adjunct professor of economics, a specialist in international business who taught in Singapore, once brought in Canada’s ambassador to the Philippines. Another of his classes featured former environment minister David Anderson. “Phenomenal” is student Chris Carmack’s assessment, adding, “He stands out for providing a forum that lets us think outside the box.” – NG Alternative programs – Take your pick New legislation overhauls B.C.’s mba landscape Choosing an MBA program in B.C. used to be simple: you’d go to one of the province’s three research universities and sign up for a two-year, full-time program. Options started to open up in the 1990s, with the establishment of the University of Northern B.C. in Prince George, and Royal Roads University in Victoria. Throughout the years, a number of private and out-of-province universities also set up camp in B.C. By the end of the 20th century, prospective MBA students were faced with a bewildering array of public, private and out-of-province options. The provincial government waded into the fray in 2002 with the Degree Authorization Act; any university already granting a degree in B.C. would have five years to meet the stringent requirements set out in the act, and any new program would have to meet the act’s criteria before offering a degree. Now all MBA programs in B.C. are covered by the act, and there are a half-dozen MBA options beyond Royal Roads and the four public research universities. Some are former two-year colleges that now grant MBA degrees, and some are out-of-province and private universities. Malaspina University-College in Nanaimo, which has been delivering an MBA program in partnership with England’s University of Hertfordshire since 2002, offers the newest addition to B.C.’s MBA programs. Thanks to authorization from the B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education, granted in January 2007, graduates will now come away with two degrees: a Master of Science in International Business from the University of Hertford-shire, and an MBA from Malaspina University College. (The degree was previously awarded only by the University of Hertfordshire.) There are two intakes annually, in September and January, and the 14-month program is delivered entirely on-campus.The program includes a f