SFU’s Beedie School of Business launches first MBA for Surrey

Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business has announced another first with its MBA program at Surrey, one of Canada’s fastest-growing major cities and an important economic hub for the south Fraser region and British Columbia.

The part-time Surrey MBA program will meet the needs of a growing number of managers, entrepreneurs and business leaders seeking to enhance their business skillset without skipping a beat in their professional careers. Featuring the same curriculum as SFU’s full-time MBA offered in Vancouver, the primarily evening program is taught by leading faculty from the Beedie School of Business.

“The implementation of the Beedie School of Business’ part-time MBA program provides the City of Surrey’s growing business community a new opportunity for growth and progression, as well as reflects Simon Fraser University’s dedication to our City,” said Dianne Watts, Mayor of the City of Surrey. “The astonishing amount of new businesses that have started up in the City of Surrey over the past six years, over 13,000, is a testament to the spirit of ingenuity and hard work that resides here, making the establishment of the part-time MBA program a perfect fit.”

“The establishment of a part-time MBA for Surrey reflects SFU’s ability to respond to the changing requirements of the business world,” said SFU President Andrew Petter. “This development further demonstrates SFU’s commitment as an ‘engaged university’ to deliver programs that enhance the social and economic well-being of the communities we serve.”

Students will learn the fundamentals of business and management with an eye to the big issues of the future through a combination of theoretical learning and practical application.

SFU’s Beedie School is home to Canada’s first Executive MBA program, established in 1968, and has a longstanding history of creating customized programs to the meet the needs of individual students.  These include the EMBA in Aboriginal Business and Leadership and the Management of Technology MBA programs. Additionally, the school has offered its Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program at the SFU Surrey campus since 2002.

“The Beedie School of Business is proud to build upon its existing presence at SFU Surrey with the establishment of the part-time MBA,” said Daniel Shapiro, Dean of the Beedie School of Business. “This program is ultimately a reflection of our business school’s commitment to serving Surrey and the surrounding region, which is not only one of Canada’s fastest growing population centres but is also home to global-class organizations and entrepreneurs.”

Classes will begin in January 2014. The two-year, part-time evening program is expected to serve experienced working professionals who live or work in in the eastern portion of Metro Vancouver – Surrey, Langley, Delta, New Westminster, Abbotsford, Maple Ridge, and Mission.

The program will bring together students from highly diverse educational backgrounds across a wide variety of industries and functional experience. Utilizing a cohort model, students will build a collaborative learning environment by working together as a class through the entire program.

Dianne Cyr, Professor of Management Information Systems at SFU, will serve as Academic Chair of the program. An award-winning scholar, Cyr has an extensive background in both academia and industry, as well as a history of business education program development.

The program will be hosted at SFU’s award-winning Surrey campus, designed by acclaimed architect Bing Thom and located adjacent to the Surrey Central SkyTrain station.

For more information on the SFU part-time MBA, visit https://beedie.sfu.ca/MBA-Part-Time/

Photos of the SFU Surrey campus and the part-time MBA are available at the Beedie School of Business Flickr page.