ACC joins forces with Nova Scotia university to offer MBA

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This article was published 12/06/2018 (2991 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Assiniboine Community College has partnered with Cape Breton University to offer a Master in Business Administration program in Brandon, starting in January 2019.

In addition to CBU’s campus in Sydney, N.S., the Wheat City will be the seventh community across Canada to offer its MBA program. It joins Kingston, Toronto, Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton and Whitehorse.

“I think for the people of Brandon, in general, it’s a great opportunity to advance their education in business without having to leave home,” said Bobbie Robertson, dean of Assiniboine’s School of Business. “It just offers more opportunity here and that’s really why we’re doing it.”

CBU’s MBA in Community Economic Development blends curriculum found in traditional MBA programs with an emphasis on economic development, leadership, change management and governance.

Robertson said there has been an interest in offering an MBA program in Brandon for quite some time.

“After the joint school of business idea fell apart, there was a desire to still pursue the MBA,” she said, referring to the abandoned plans for a joint business school between Brandon University and Assiniboine.

“We can’t get it up and running just by ourselves, so the idea of bringing in an organization that already offers the MBA was very attractive to us.”

The concept of a joint BU/Assiniboine school of business was announced in November 2015, but encountered opposition and ultimately failed to get off the ground. Representatives from both schools told the Sun early this year that timing was not right for the venture.

“I’m personally disappointed because I was looking forward to working with BU,” Robertson said.

George Karaphillis, dean of the Shannon School of Business at CBU, said Assiniboine was a good fit for the program as it is passionate about helping the local community in economic development.

Karaphillis said this program will be available to students with any undergraduate degree. It will give them access to a “quality masters program that’s heavy on management, managing change, and creating opportunity in the local community.”

Students can complete the program part-time within two-and-a-half years through a combination of self-study and face-to-face weekend classes at Assiniboine. Karaphillis explained there are 15 courses plus a final applied research project.

“Typically our program does very well in preparing people for change,” he said. “We find a lot of communities now are going through a lot of change, the economy’s going through a lot of change. That’s where we have a lot of interest, and I think Brandon’s going to be the same as other communities.”

He noted that the program is paced in a way so that it does not interfere with a student’s career. Karaphillis said each course costs approximately $2,000, and overall, the total program cost would be approximately $33,000.

“The whole design is around making it work for mature learners, people who are … working and they’re trying to improve themselves,” he said. “So because of that, they’re able to register and pay one course at a time.”

Tami-Rae Rourke, past-president of the Brandon Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement that this program will benefit the education community, as well as local and surrounding business region.

“Graduates will apply the education and confidence to assist or create businesses in our community, as well as organically contributing to the local economy,” she said.

Rourke said earning her own MBA allowed her to “not only confirm what my current abilities were, but allowed me to expand, learn and create a confidence that has benefited me personally, financially and career-wise tenfold.”

Mayor Rick Chrest said it is always positive to see new educational options offered in Brandon.

“I would commend ACC on creating this partnership, which will undoubtedly benefit students who are about to enter post-secondary or for those already in careers looking to add an MBA to their skills,” he said. “Each new stream definitely enhances Brandon’s stature as a major education hub.”

A free information session will be held June 20 at5:15 p.m.at the college’s Victoria Avenue East campus in the lecture theatre. Karaphillis will be in attendance, along with Barrie Riome, director of the MBA program.

“What I will try to get across, is the opportunity that we’ll offer to students,” Karaphillis said. “That they’ll be able to get a real high-level management degree right in their own community. It’s going to be high quality. It’s going to be a national program. We fly people in from everywhere, so they will see professors from different parts of Canada coming in to teach … It’s a very rich learning experience.”

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