Retooled MBA program to offer more for less

Gord Reid, Toban Staff

The faculty of management's refurbished MBA program: "MBA Manitoba," at the University of Manitoba, is expected to lead the move towards shorter and more intense graduate business education in Canada say industry leaders.

The program is the first to be offered in one continuous 11-month session. Two other Canadian universities are preparing to launch their own one-year MBA programs next summer.

"I think UBC is going to a 15-month program. Harvard is going to a fifteen month program," Dean of management Jerry Gray pointed out.

Twenty three students enrolled in the program's first year, which began last summer. The students, largely in their early thirties with extensive work experience in managerial positions, were faced with an extremely high tuition of $16,000.

While seemingly expensive, the 11-month format is much more affordable in comparison to the old two-year format. Previously, MBA candidates were forced to take two years off from their positions which, after tuition and lost wages are calculated, can cost nearly $70,000. The single session system totals up to almost $50,000 after wages are considered.

"In this job market, people don't want to leave for two years," explained Gray.

"Both professionals and their employers increasingly reluctant to accept the cost and length of career interruption required by two-year programs,"

"We're not going to be the same people on the other side," stated Joe Novak, 26, who took one year's leave from a managerial position at a British Columbia distribution company.

"We're only about a third of the way through and already there are many things I would do quite differently in my organization."

"The big emphasis here is team learning."

Despite the reduced time frame, the program actually runs six more credit hours than its two-year predecessor. MBA Manitoba makes use of lectures, professional development seminars, case studies, student presentations and group work to push the students to the "demanding standards" of the courses. The program draws from the traditional two- year MBA, the two-year weekend video conferencing MBA and from European one-year models which have been in place for decades.

All of the students are taught in the same classroom and complete assignments in four subject groups, thereby further emulating the business environment.

"There is no teacher like practical experience," remarked 35-year-old student Scott Baldwin. "We're learning from our instructors and peers."

This year will be the last for the traditional two-year MBA at the U of M. However, the university's part-time MBA program will continue.

This article first ran in The Manitoban, Vol. 83, No. 19 (January 10, 1996). Unlike most of the artciles that I've archived on this Web site, I do not remember writing this story. I have no recollection of interviewing Gray or Novak, and I only know Baldwin from my time at the campus radio station (which he helped re-establish and manage).

I should point out a few things that the copy editors missed. "15-month program" and "fifteen month program" were used in the same paragraph. Pick one or the other, dammit! Also, a formatting error rendered what should have been "actually runs six more credit hours than its two-year predecessor" (I think) as "actual actually six more creore credit than its two-year predecessor." Not my fault!