MBA Guide 2020: Programs in Atlantic Canada

Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John’s

Full time: 12-24 months
Part time: 36+ months
Work experience: 2 years
Tuition: $8,900

This September, Memorial will welcome its inaugural class in the new one-year social enterprise and entrepreneurship MBA program (MBA-SEE), the first and only in the country to prep students based on three pillars of sustainability: people, planet and profits. Memorial’s traditional two-year MBA program prepares grads to excel in all areas of business administration using a variety of teaching approaches, including case studies, role-playing and experiential learning opportunities. One of these is the newly introduced student-managed portfolio, The Fund, through which students make real investments using alumni donations of more than $150,000.

Université de Moncton
Moncton

Full time: 24 months
Part time: 30 months
Work experience required: None
Tuition: $13,200

New grads flock to Moncton’s MBA program—which requires no work experience for full-time students—at Canada’s largest French-speaking university outside Quebec. In the co-op stream, students complete two 15-week work placements, and part-time students can complete their studies entirely online. Anyone wishing to combine business and law is an especially good fit at Moncton; the school offers a joint MBA and JD (juris doctor). Classes and faculty numbers are smaller and more intimate, and women comprise 50 per cent of the student body.

University of New Brunswick
Fredericton

Full time: 20 months
Part time: Up to 5 years
Work experience required: 2 years
Tuition: $22,300

Through industry partnerships, the MBA program at New Brunswick Fredericton offers experiential learning, particularly in the finance-focused, entrepreneurship and export marketing fields. New this year is the Fraser Student Venture Fund, offered in partnership with the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, which awards real money to real early-stage start-ups. Similarly, the Venture Analyst leadership program focuses on venture commercialization, scaling and investment. Four-month internships are available but not required for an intimate cohort of 30 students.

University of Prince Edward Island
Charlottetown

Full time: 12 months (no part-time)
Work experience required: None
Tuition: $21,100

Designed for individuals bound for careers in international business, UPEI’s MBA in Global Leadership offers an immersive and intimate learning environment; last year, a classroom of eight focused on evidence-based leadership practices with an emphasis on global leadership. The program begins in late August with an orientation module and continues with three academic semesters. Twelve required courses include Global Leadership and Ethics, Negotiation Within and Across Cultures, and Strategy for the Global Organization; elective courses include the Impact of Climate Change on Business, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Global Business Environment, and the Future of Marketing.

Rowe School of Business
Dalhousie University, Halifax

Full time: 22 months
Part time: Up to 7 years
Work experience required: None
Tuition: $36,600

The Rowe School’s corporate residency program accepts students right after undergrad, offering eight-month residencies with employers in Toronto, Calgary, and across Atlantic Canada. Dalhousie also has MBA options for mid-career professionals, in which the majority of coursework can be completed online, though at the end of each semester there is a three-to-five day session in various cities across Canada. Graduates finish with a five-day final summer session on Dalhousie’s campus.

Shannon School of Business
Cape Breton University, Sydney

Full time: 12-15 months
Part time: 24-26 months
Work experience required: None
Tuition: $25,900

Though experience isn’t officially required, more than 300 MBA students at Cape Breton University typically have more than five years of work and three years of management experience. No wonder the competition’s fierce: the school offers the only MBA in Community Economic Development in the country, and prepares grads for the business, government and community sectors. Based in Sydney, the program offers weekend programs in cities from Calgary to Toronto. Cape Breton’s globally recognized programming attracts thinkers from all over the world; in July 2019, their Community Innovation and Social Enterprise conference hosted researchers and practitioners from across Canada, the U.S., and overseas.

Sobey School of Business
Saint Mary’s University, Halifax

Full time: 16 months
Part time: 36 months
Work experience required: 2-3 years preferred, but not required
Tuition: $29,500

Being in a teeny-tiny cohort of two dozen students allows for unique academic experiences such as travelling to Helsinki and Tallinn to explore commercial and cultural differences and gain critical skills in responsible leadership. Last year, a generous donation from the Sobey family funded the new Entrepreneurship & Innovation Hub, a 43,000-sq.-foot expansion dedicated to research innovation, as well a much-anticipated series of distinguished speakers and five new entrance scholarships for MBA students.