Program Overview - Fast Track MBA

Students will complete a minimum of 12 courses in the FastTrack MBA program. This includes five core courses and seven electives.

Receiving a grade of B or lower in any of these introductory courses:  Business Statistics, Finance, Financial Accounting, and Marketing would increase your course requirement beyond 12 courses. 

The program begins with SEM 610: Manager as Strategist, a week-long daytime intensive course taught in mid-August. Students admitted in January would complete SEM 610 later in their program.

FastTrack MBA Program Outline

Core Courses

SEM 610: Manager as Strategist
This intensive course designed to develop critical thinking skills for executives. The course provides an overview of the substantive areas of management including human resources, leadership, organizational behaviour, and strategy skills. Restricted to students in the FastTrack MBA for Business Graduates and the Master of Accounting. Credit will not be given for both SEM 610 and SEM 502.
SEM 501: Leading People
The purpose of SEM 501 is to explore the complex and dynamic world of leading people. Using an evidence-based approach, this course offers an informed view of the practical challenges encountered by leaders at various organizational levels. Key topics include the acquisition, development, and retention of talent, building organizational culture, team building, effective knowledge exchange, fostering innovation, promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion and facilitating change. Topical issues like employee health and well-being, organizational ethics, artificial intelligence and leading in remote or hybrid work environments will also be considered.
SEM 638: Sustainability
This course examines business strategies for sustainable development. Business sustainability is defined as managing the triple bottom line - designing mission driven enterprises that provide a thriving future for business, society and the planet. To achieve this, managers must adopt a fresh understanding of the role of the business enterprise. The course will draw from successful sustainability efforts of leading business organizations, both locally and internationally, by identifying key success factors that encourage sustainable business practices. It will also place current understandings of sustainability in a wider context by exploring the historical roots of current sustainability practices and examining their implications for key stakeholders of the business enterprise.
SEM 641: Business Strategy
This course examines top management decisions and emphasizes the development of business and corporate strategy. It integrates the management principles studied in the business core using a series of business cases. Guest Faculty members and executives will participate.
International Component: BUEC 542, BUEC 646, or Study Abroad
All students are required to complete an international component as part of the FastTrack MBA program.  This can be completed through normal course registration (BUEC 542 - International Business or BUEC 646 - Global Business Environment).  This can also be completed through study outside of Canada.  This would be through one of our international study tours or study abroad at one of our global partner schools.

Career Tracks & Electives

In choosing electives, students can choose to complete their own customized program or complete the requirements for one of the UAlberta MBA Career Tracks or areas of focus. These are:

Area of Focus