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Growing the wealth
of our nations

IBL EMBA

Indigenous Business Leadership Executive MBA

This program is not eligible for international students at this time.

Our international students are encouraged to explore our Full Time MBA, Graduate Diploma in Business Administration or Master of Science in Finance programs.

The Indigenous Business Leadership Executive MBA (IBL EMBA) program at SFU Beedie is designed for mid-career Indigenous leaders who strive toward community economic development, growth, sovereignty, and nationhood within the context of the modern-day economy.

This business and leadership program is an internationally accredited MBA grounded within Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing. The IBL EMBA learning journey encompasses Indigenous business, strategy, decision-making, governance, entrepreneurship, and leadership. The cohort program weaves together Indigenous worldviews with business theory to provide you with the tools and skills to create economically sustainable communities.

The IBL EMBA program is designed to honour your full- time working, community, and family responsibilities while you study. Using a blended program delivery model, this program requires you to be connected online twice a week and to travel for a one week intensive in-person each semester to different locations across the country. The IBL EMBA program starts each September for a duration of 20 consecutive months.

Join our community of Indigenous leaders who have earned their MBA and are continuing to grow the wealth of our nations.

2022 marks the 40th anniversary of the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University and the 10th anniversary of the Indigenous Business and Leadership Executive MBA. Today, we are proud to recognize 177 Indigenous community leaders who have earned their Indigenous Business and Leadership Executive MBA and are advancing Indigenous business management, economic development, Nation-building, and self-determination.

Who it’s for

IBL EMBA students are leaders who share a vision for economic development, Nation-building, collaboration, and partnership.This program is designed for leaders dedicated to advancing their strategic and decision- making skills.

Your classmates include:

  • Community and organisational leaders in the private and not-for-profit, government, and corporate sectors
  • Entrepreneurs
  • Trustees
  • Board directors 
How it works

The IBL EMBA schedule allows you to study while you continue working. The blended learning experience takes place over five semesters. Each semester you will gather with your classmates in community for a one-1 week intensive in-community learning experience in addition to the eight weeks of online classes per semester, meeting online twice a week.

In addition to in-person and online learning, you will be required to devote time for reading, writing, critical thinking, and teamwork.

Plan to prepare for 10 to 15 hours of school work a week.


EXPLORE THE CURRICULUM

Where it can take you

The IBL EMBA program develops an in- depth view of how business and organisations are structured and managed. This program expands your business mindset and conceptual frameworks, giving you the skills to achieve greater levels of responsibility. You will learn to apply a strategic and collaborative perspective to changing environments and diverse challenges.


The program will provide you with strategic management skills and will prepare you to take on new responsibilities at work and within your community. You will gain new perspectives and ideas, learn business theories and applications, and develop the skills to implement meaningful projects for your organisation. 


Our Indigenous Business Leadership Executive MBA is designed for those who are working full- or part-time, so you can expand your skillset, without pausing your career.

  • August start date
  • 5 consecutive semesters (20 month duration)
  • 4-day in-person orientation during the first week of September
  • 5 day in-person intensive class per semester
  • 3.5-hour Zoom classes twice per week for 8 weeks per semester
  • Study tours to Indigenous communities, businesses, or institutions
Tuition

Domestic students (citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada): $63,112* (includes all course materials, off-site orientation and workshops)

*Subject to Board of Governors approval.

Fees and other costs

Student fees per year (health insurance, transit pass, recreational/athletic facility pass): approximately $2,997.

An additional cost of $2,000 - $4,000 may be required for the study tour.

Funding

Sponsorship from your Nation or other Indigenous organizations:

For students who may receive full or partial financial support from their Nation or community to help with the costs of their education, SFU has a process for invoicing and receiving these payments. Please direct your sponsor to visit our instructional page here and complete the “Indigenous (First Nations) and Métis Student Sponsorship Authorization” form before the start of your program. This form must be received by our Student Accounts department by the tuition deadline each term. The completed form can be emailed to student_accounts@sfu.ca.

For more information on funding opportunities, visit Fund Your Degree.

SFU Beedie’s Segal Graduate School campus is located in the heart of downtown Vancouver’s business district in a heritage building with 60,000 square-feet of classrooms, meeting rooms, and study spaces.

The campus is centrally located with easy access to public transit, as well access to the vibrant local cafes, shops, and restaurants.

SFU Beedie’s Segal Graduate School campus respectfully acknowledges that the Beedie School of Business resides on the traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), sə ̓lilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), peoples.

Program Brochure

Download PDF

The learners I work with are 95% Indigenous, and I find that they become more interested and retain information more, when we speak and learn from an Indigenous lens. The Indigenous content integrated into the program has been very beneficial to me in terms of how I can incorporate Indigenous information into the curriculum I currently teach.

Wanda Rockthunder, EMBA IBL

Business Instructor, Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies

Cree, a citizen of the Muskowekwan First Nation, Saskatchewan

I always saw myself working beyond clinical pharmacy. I felt that I could also shine on the business side of healthcare. I knew that with my strong clinical training an MBA would help open more doors and give me the mobility I was looking for in my career.

Morenike Akinyemi, FT MBA

Senior Project Manager, Transformation Delivery

Provincial Health Services Authority

My key lessons from the program were learning how to effectively frame and structure a problem or situation, manage a tight schedule, know what to prioritize and how to prioritize it, and identify core problems quickly and addressing them.

Bobbie Dhillon, EMBA

Senior Vice President, Marketing & Planning

G&F Financial Group

The immediate impact of the GDBA has been a change in the way I approach my day professionally. I am equipped to make better decisions. My confidence level has been elevated significantly, and I am enjoying a new sense of optimism in my career.

Percival Chang, GDBA

Manager & Investment Funds Advisor

PH&N Investment Services

The i2I program is perfect for people like me who are deeply involved in science, and who want to look for opportunities in the business world. A program like this opens your mind and teaches you that there is another world of possibilities outside of the lab.

Elena Groppa, i2I

Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Faculty of Medicine

University of British Columbia Biomedical Research Centre

The comprehensive simulations provided the greatest learning for me. They helped change my mindset and connect the different areas of learning into a comprehensive view of how an organization runs.

Matthew Grunert, MOT MBA

Sr. Director, Digital Operations & IT

Motorola Solutions

The MSc Finance program gave me the technical foundation that I couldn’t function without. I work with clients in very senior roles, and it’s important to demonstrate your technical knowledge to gain their trust.

Christine Jakshoej Sangha, MScFin

VP of Customer Success - Capital Markets

FINCAD

The Part-Time MBA was excellent. It gave me exactly what I expected to receive, and I think that is the highest compliment you can pay a program. It met all my expectations and provided a solid grounding in business skills and strategies.

Oliver Zihlmann, PT MBA

Director of Development and Alumni Engagement

UBC Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

EMBA IBL: Wanda

FT MBA: Morenike

EMBA: Bobbie

GDBA: Percival

i2I: Elena

MOT MBA: Matthew Grunnert

MSc Fin: Christine

PT MBA: Oliver