SFU Beedie School of Business helps students prepare for the future through online learning

(This story is sponsored by SFU’s Beedie School of Business.)

Education is more than a means to a stable job with a comfortable salary. Through postsecondary learning, you’ll better understand the world, be exposed to unique opportunities, and gain confidence—you can expect to impress potential employers during all future interviews.

“You are your most valuable asset, invest in yourself” says Anthony Chan, lecturer and academic director of the Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (GDBA) program at Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business.

The GDBA program is a two-year online program that can boost your career by giving you a greater understanding of the different functional areas of a company. “The program will complement the skills, experience, and education that you already have,” says Chan.

SFU Beedie has been delivering the GDBA to students entirely online for more than 20 years, allowing them to further their education while working full-time. In terms of prerequisites, applicants should have an undergraduate degree and at least two years of relevant work experience.

Despite the uncertainty that has been brought upon us by the COVID-19 pandemic, Chan advises prospective students that now is the time to learn. “Recessions always end and happier times will return,” he says. “Picking up the right skills during a downturn is the best thing you can do to prepare for an upturn.”

Instead of rewatching episodes of The Office or reorganizing your entire closet by colour, consider advancing your education.

Students can use the GDBA as a pathway to enter one of the school’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs. Several of the course credits that students obtain while in the GDBA program can be transferred toward their MBA. Additionally, students who complete the GDBA program don’t need to take the graduate management admission test (GMAT) to move onto an MBA.

The faculty at SFU Beedie School of Business strive to make the GDBA program accessible to all, which is why they will consider applicants with an atypical educational background. “We will occasionally have an experienced applicant that has achieved a lot of success in the business field but they don’t have a formal postsecondary education,” he says. “It makes for a diverse class because we’ll have students with academic training and also some mature students with business experience.”

The GDBA program has had students with undergraduate degrees in criminology, communications, and even performing arts. “People often want to learn about the business side of their discipline or passion,” says Chan. “For example, the performing arts are an artistic field but there’s also a business side that needs to be managed in order to keep the creative side working.”

Chan has found that the majority of his students prefer the e-based GDBA program opposed to attending classes on campus. Students are able to avoid commuting and can complete the coursework and listen to the lectures when it is convenient for them. “Some of my students feel more comfortable behind the screen, which makes participation easier and less intimidating than in the classroom,” says Chan. SFU Beedie’s online learning system is user-friendly so don’t let your reservations about modern technology hold you back from advancing your skillset.

“Your education will be with you for the rest of your life, it never goes out of style,” says Chan.

The application deadline for the September 2020 intake is July 17. For more information about the GDBA program, click here.

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