Program Overview - Full-Time MBA

The Full-Time MBA is a 20 course (60-credit) program completed over two-years. In Year One, you will begin the program with Orientation and the completion of our core curriculum. After completing a summer internship, year two begins. In year two, you will be able to tailor your MBA education to your own interests by choosing electives within our general MBA, participating in international exchange, or completing one of our Career Tracks.

Degree Requirements

Students will need to complete 10 core courses (30-credits), the MBA Capstone course, and 9 electives.  A more detailed breakdown of what the two years of the program will look like is below.  

MBA Program Outline

Year One

Orientation

The UAlberta MBA begins with orientation in August each year. Orientation launches the career experience for students and provides a starting point for reflection of your career journey. During the week, you will interact with your cohort to learn more about yourself and your team. The community that is built endures well beyond the week into the school year and beyond.

Following orientation, the MBA Association organizes a weekend retreat to the Rocky Mountains.

Core Curriculum

Year one of the MBA program is focused on business fundamentals. Over the Fall (September - December) and Winter (January - April) terms, you will work within a team of four or five students to develop the functional business knowledge and critical thinking skills. These core MBA courses are the building blocks for the second year of the UAlberta MBA. You'll complete 10 courses, with 9 common to every student and your choice of one of three core electives.
Core Courses
ACCTG 501: Financial Reporting and Analysis
Accounting information's role in recording and reporting on economic and business events including the primary financial statements: balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow. Concepts and purposes underlying financial reporting. Selection of accounting policies and their informational effects for external users. The course begins to develop students' abilities to evaluate and interpret financial information through basic financial analysis.
ACCTG 523: Accounting Information and Internal Decision Making
Accounting concepts used by managers in planning and decision-making. The course introduces concepts of cost and profit behavior, contribution margin, and activity-based costing, as well as relevant costs and revenues for production, marketing and capital budgeting decisions. The course also introduces students to the management planning and control system and its components - budgets, variance analysis, performance evaluation in centralized and decentralized organizations, and management compensation plans. The importance of designing a system to fit the organizations' strategy is emphasized. Prerequisite: ACCTG 501
BUEC 503: Economic Foundations
This course focuses on economic decision making at the level of the firm and consumer, utilizing demand and supply analysis to help understand a variety of economic and managerial issues. Formal models of managerial economic problems will be developed and used for purposes of analysis. The course will also deal with public economics, regulatory economics and introduce issues of information economics and strategic behavior. The theory of public choice and public goods will be used to analyze a variety of public economic issues. The course will also cover macroeconomic issues including: measuring macroeconomic variables, sources of economic growth, business cycles, interest rates, exchange rates, government debt, and other topics.
BUS 505: Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
This course focuses on the application of moral principles and models for ethical decision making to individuals and businesses in the 21st century. Contemporary ethical and social issues will be examined through the use of case studies, class discussions and presentations. Topics include concepts of individual ethics, workplace issues, corporate compliance and social and environmental responsibility. While examining ethical issues, emphasis will be placed on improving students' proficiency levels in verbal and written business communication.
FIN 501: Managerial Finance
Fundamental concepts in asset valuation are discussed within the context of simple asset pricing models and efficient financial markets. This course introduces the valuation of financial assets such as bonds and stocks. Further topics include the issuing of financial securities, leverage, dividend policy, cash management, and derivative securities. Credit will not be given for FIN 501 when FIN 503 has been completed. Prerequisites: ACCTG 501, BUEC 503, and MGTSC 501.
MARK 502: Principles of Marketing Management
This course commences with an examination of core marketing concepts, including strategic marketing planning, segmentation and the marketing mix (product, price, place and promotion) and the integration of these concepts into a marketing plan. Specific focus is then provided to developing pragmatic skills regarding marketing effectiveness.
MGT SC 501: Data Analysis and Decision Making
This course begins with a survey of graphical and numerical techniques available for studying and describing data. Following an introduction to probability distributions, an overview of statistical inference for means and proportions is provided. Regression, analysis of variance and decision analysis are then utilized to analyze data and support decision making. Time series models are also briefly discussed. The data and decisions analyzed throughout the course will be representative of those commonly encountered by managers. During the required lab sessions, spreadsheet analysis of data, Monte Carlo simulation and the use of software for statistical analysis will be presented
SEM 500: Managing People
Introduces students to organizational behavior (OB) and human resource management (HRM), and how to generate energy and commitment in employees. Examines options relevant to staffing, performance management, reward systems, leadership, motivation, decision making, communication, labor relations, and current issues in the field of management.
SEM 652: Leadership Skills
The purpose of this course is to increase the student's understanding of leadership roles and skill in exercising those roles. These include team building, mentoring, managing conflict, delegating, managing participative decision making, creative problem solving, and time and stress management.
Core Electives
BUEC 542: International Business
Provides students with an introduction to the tools they will require to succeed in the increasingly international business world. Serves as a basis for other more advanced courses in International Business, covering such topics as Country Differences, International Trade, Foreign Direct Investment, Regional Economic Integration, The Foreign Exchange Market and International Business Strategy and Operations. This course will also cover selective topics in international macroeconomics.
BUEC 646: The Global Business Environment
Examines the changing global business environment and how it impacts international business decision-making. Covers such topics as Trends in Globalization, International Business in Canada, Managing Multinational Corporations, Importing and Exporting, International Labor Markets and the Market for Skills, International Financial Markets, Financial Crises, and Corporate Governance in Different Countries.
OM 502: Operations Management
This course focuses on (1) the competitive advantage that a business unit can derive from innovative and efficient production and delivery of its goods and services and on (2) analytical approaches that are useful in understanding and improving an organization's operations. Specific modules include process diagramming and analysis; measuring and managing flow times; inventory control and optimization; supply chain coordination and operations strategy. Cases will be used to illustrate operational efficiency and its significance to the profitability of a firm. Prerequisite: MGTSC 501.
SEM 502: Organization Strategy - Managing Organizations
The first part of this course examines the formation of business strategy. It recognizes the complexities and messiness of strategy formation and explores how organizations actually develop strategies. The second part examines the evolution, determinants, and relevance of alternative ways of organizing. Contemporary ideas (e.g. re-engineering, the learning organization, virtual organizations) are critically reviewed. Not open to students who have completed SEM 610. Prerequisite: SEM 500.

Summer Internship

In between the first and second year of the MBA program (May-August), you have the option to complete a summer internship. You are encouraged to work closely with the MBA Career Management Centre to secure an internship.

Year Two

MBA Capstone: Real-World Experience

Apart from our MBA Core Courses, students will be required to take the MBA capstone course, SEM 641: Business Strategy. You will work with an outside organization on a strategic issue they are facing. Your team will identify the issue and potential solutions, recommend a course of action, and develop an implementation plan for your client. This provides an opportunity to apply what you've learned in the Alberta MBA in a real-world setting and gain experience during your studies.

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