BCBusiness

product operations, jumped to start the MBA he had contemplated for years. The school location was important for him, and he thought learning alongside a like-minded cohort of students would be crucial for a better experience. So when MacKinnon decided on where to attend, he settled on Beedie's management of technolo•y MBA—a 24-month, part-time program held at the school's downtown Vancouver campus. Beedie also o‚ers two general- ist MBA degrees: a 12-month full- time program and a 24-month part-time program. That's in addition to a 20-month executive MBA degree, a 25-month executive MBA in Aboriginal business and leader- ship, and an MSc in ‡nance. MacKinnon thought the tech-focused MBA suited him best. "I work in a technolo•y ‡rm," the 2017 grad explains. "I felt it would be more relevant to me. I felt it would attract the kind of cohort members that I wanted to work with." Thompson Rivers University OFFERING: Full- and part-time mbAs; master in environmental economics and management TARGET MARkET: Those who want to study in Kamloops or online; specialists in environmental economics Janelle Zimmer thought about pursu- ing a traditional, generalist MBA, and she works as an IT business analyst and studies at TRU in Kamloops, where she could earn one. But Zimmer decided that she's committed to a career that combines environmental stewardship with business practices. She's among the ‡rst cohort of students enrolled in TRU's master in environmental economics and management program, which started last fall. Zimmer believes her degree will give her specialized skills and knowledge that will become increasingly in high demand. "It really sets me apart from other MBA students," she says. The program offers two degrees: a course-based master's (MEEM) and a research-based master of science (MScEEM) that gives students a step toward a PhD. Both share foundational courses with TRU's MBA program. The business world needs the skills that Zimmer is learning, says TRU asso- ciate economics professor Laura Lamb: "There an increasing demand for man- agers who have expertise in not only the traditional areas of business like ‡nance and HR, but who have an understanding of managing the environmental aspects as well." TRU's MBA is a generalist degree with full-time and part-time options; students can customize which classes they take on-campus or online. Part-time stu- dents, who create individualized course loads for themselves, have up to ‡ve years to ‡nish. UBC, Sauder School of Business OFFERING: Full- and part-time mbAs; Joint JD/mbA; Shanghai-based part-time mbA; three non-mbA business master's degrees (master of management; master of business analytics and mSc in business administration) TARGET MARkET: A wide variety of stu- dents, depending on degree type UBC o‚ers a breadth of graduate busi- ness programs bežitting B.C.'s larg- est universit y. A lthough Sauder's 16-month, full-time MBA may be fore- most in people's minds, the school has four di‚erent MBA programs and three master's-level non-MBA degrees. In addition to its full-time program, Sauder o‚ers a part-time, international MBA based in Shanghai; a dual JD/MBA jointly administered with the univer- sity's Allard School of Law; and a recently revamped part-time o‚ering built for working professionals that it calls a Professional MBA. The school's non-MBA business mas- ter's programs include master of man- agement, master of business analytics and MSc in business administration degrees. The Professional MBA, whose žirst cohort began in January, is Sauder's newest program. It's a 24-month, part- time degree with classes delivered every two or three weekends. Sauder reworked the scheduling based on stu- dent feedback on its previous part-time program, to better suit students work- ing full-time. Gone are the Friday-night classes: "They were not optimal learning times," says Michael Holaday, director of recruitment and admissions. New are three eight-day, full-time residencies at the beginning, middle and end of the program, designed to help students engage and bond with one another. Still remaining are the biggest draws of a Sauder MBA: the school's professors, academic reputation and network. n Vancouver Island University OFFERING: Full-time mbA; dual mbA/mSc in international management TARGET MARkET: International students pursuing full-time studies; domestic students in the nanaimo area nanaimo's viu is home to the biggest mBA program in B.c. that most people have never heard of. With about 300 stu- dents in class or on internships at any given time, the school's mBa candidate population rivals sauder's. viU's mBa remains a rela- tively well-kept secret at home because the school targets international over domestic students, aiming for an 85–15 split. the mix varies from cohort to cohort depending on the number of domestic applicants, but up to 90 percent of a cohort can come from abroad. the classes take a global perspective, with as many as 45 countries represented in a cohort. students build strong bonds across cultures thanks to the team-based projects they work on. "you can see by the end of the program, people have very strong networks they rely on," says david Woodward, viU's mBa internship coordina- tor. "from an educator's perspective, it's very rewarding." the program is delivered in a full-time, 14- to 16-month format that requires students without an undergraduate busi- ness degree to take a two- to three-month foundational program at the beginning. students have the option of earning a dual degree combining a viU mBa with a master of science in international management from the University of hertfordshire in the U.k. if they complete an applied, research- based project. BcBUsiness.ca march 2018 BCBusiness 53 2018 MBA GUIDE

• Cover