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The convenience
of online study.

Graduate Diploma in Business Administration

Learning

Ca

This online program is open to international students but does not qualify for a study permit or post-graduate work permit. Please see program requirements for more information.

 
Anchored in the real world

The answers you need aren’t all “in the book.” Create new knowledge through the application of conceptual frameworks to real-world problems. You’ll bring problems from your workplace or industry into the classroom, and will work with your instructor and peers to propose practical solutions. The result: Apply what you learn in real-time.
In addition to live and recorded streaming sessions with your professor and other students, you’ll also participate in online study groups, getting to know your classmates by working on projects with them.

Interactive and collaborative

Although the GDBA program is delivered entirely online, you won’t be alone. Instructors and students often connect more closely than they do in face-to-face classes, where a few students can sometimes dominate discussions. Our goal is to keep you connected and on track at all times.

You’ll join a supportive network of students, staff and faculty, many of whom will remain life-long friends and business associates. Your fellow students bring a wealth of opportunity for exploration, team building and exchange of knowledge. During the program, you’ll always have a direct link to GDBA instructors, wherever you are.

Instructors bring course material to life through multimedia learning objects, print material, virtual seminars, online conferencing and shared discussion boards. You can easily download assignments and upload papers.

Diverse learning community

In the Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (GDBA), you will study in a class of about 35 people. Often you'll work on assignments in small teams, and many of your fellow students will become life-long friends and business associates.

Students in the program come from a wide variety of educational and career backgrounds. Some are just starting out, while others have a lot of experience but want to consolidate that with a solid business foundation.

Some work for large companies and are preparing for roles in management. Others are self-employed and want to improve their business know-how. Everyone brings something different to the table.

Class profile

  • Average class size: 35
  • Average age: 32
  • Average work experience: 8 years
  • Students come from a variety of educational and career backgrounds. Some work for large companies and are preparing for roles in management. Others are self-employed and want to improve their business know-how.
  • Class ratio is approximately 50:50 male to female

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 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 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

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

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

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 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

EMBA: Bobbie

MOT MBA: Matthew Grunnert

MSc Fin: Christine

GDBA: Percival

FT MBA: Morenike

PT MBA: Oliver

i2I: Elena

EMBA IBL: Wanda


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