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Requirements

The Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (GDBA) is an online graduate-level program that equips you with essential business acumen and skills to give you a competitive edge in the workplace. As both a standalone qualification and a pathway to the SFU Beedie MBA, it paves the way for those aspiring to further their academic and professional journey with an MBA.

Who Should Apply?

The GDBA is perfect for those seeking to explore graduate-level business education or for laddering into an MBA. Whether you're starting your journey or advancing your career, the GDBA offers a flexible and robust platform for career growth. We welcome applications from international students. However, this part-time, online program does not qualify for a Canadian study permit.

  • An undergraduate degree with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.5/4.33 (B) or a grade point average of at least 2.67/4.33 (B+) based on the last 60 credits of undergraduate courses from a recognized university. Please review the academic requirements for the country where you completed your degree.
  • Applicants with extensive work experience may be considered without an undergraduate degree. Each applicant under this category will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Candidates can upload unofficial transcripts during the application stage to expedite the process.
  • Applicants should have at least two years of full-time professional work experience after completing an undergraduate degree.
  • Submit a current resume that includes academic experience, work experience, memberships in professional associations, and volunteer and community activities.
  • You must submit contact information for two professional references on the online application form.
  • Ideal references include your current supervisor or any individual with whom you have a professional relationship who can attest to your professional and educational journey.
  • References must be submitted from their professional email addresses.
Please review the Appraiser Form.

The essay questions are designed to help us get to know you. There is no “right” answer. Essay prompts are provided in the application system.

  • Once you have started your application, you will be provided with a link to the KIRA Platform to complete these five random questions.
  • The questions allow the Admissions Committee to get to know you better.
  • Please review the language requirements for your country of citizenship and/or the country in which you completed your degree.
  • Below are the seven tests and minimum score requirements the University accepts.

Internet-based TOEFL

Score of 93 with a minimum of 20 in each category. To satisfy the requirement, applicants must achieve at least the minimum scores on a single test date. TOEFL MyBest (super-scored) results will not be used.

Paper-based TOEFL

580 and TWE 5.

IELTS (academic)

Overall band score of 7.0 on the academic (NOT general) test with a minimum of 6.5 in each section.

CAEL

Overall score of 70; minimum 60 in each section.

Pearson Academic (PTE)

Overall score of 65; minimum 60 in each section.

Cambridge English Qualifications

C1 Advanced - minimum score of 193
C2 Proficiency - minimum score of 200

Duolingo English Test

130 overall score with a minimum of 120 in each section.

Candidates below the English Language requirements will be asked to retake the test.

Transcripts

  • Official transcripts for credit courses from the Registrar of each post-secondary institution you attended must be sent directly to the SFU Beedie Graduate Programs office. If the transcripts are issued to you, they must be signed and sealed by your post-secondary institution.
  • An official translation for transcripts not in English or French must be supplied. As part of their translation, a declaration that they received an official, sealed copy of the transcripts that they then proceeded to translate.

Transcripts may be sent electronically via a secure delivery service such as Parchment or directly from official institutional email addresses to gradap@sfu.ca. Otherwise, please arrange to have your transcript sent to the following address:
SFU Beedie Admissions Team
Segal Graduate School – 3rd Floor
500 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC V6C 1W6

Each transcript must be reviewed before acceptance.

English Scores

  • For TOEFL, SFU's Institution Code is 0999. A departmental code is not required. Code for TOEFL results: Department code 01; Institution code 0999.
  • For IELTS, log in to the IELTS test centre website and click 'Apply for additional TRFs' in the left-hand menu of your results page. Fill out the application form online.
  • In India, the British Council can transmit electronically to SFU. Please use the following information when submitting your test scores.

Organization ID 2036 - Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive
Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6

  • For professionals who have completed eligible SFU Continuing Studies certificates and have 8+ years of work experience, taking the next step and earning a valuable business credential became more accessible.
  • If you have completed one of the identified Continuing Studies non-credit certificates, you could be eligible for admission even if you have not completed an undergraduate degree. To determine your eligibility, review this self-assessment checklist.

The GDBA is a competitive credential that offers the rigour of MBA-level courses with more flexibility. Delivered 100% online, your GDBA course credits can also be applied toward the MBA at SFU Beedie. Completing 14 GDBA credits allows prospective students to apply to the MBA program, and a 3.5 GPA allows for a waiver of the GMAT requirement. The GDBA CGPA will also be considered when applying to the SFU MBA program.

For more information, please refer to our Application Process.

Connect with our team

Our admissions team is more than happy to answer your questions so you know what to expect before, during, and after your program.

Connect Now

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