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MBA Student Research

Graduate project stream

In addition to the eight core courses of the MBA, students in this option enrol in the research methods, preparation and presentation course (BUSN 6950/6951) and then enrol in the graduate project course (BUSN 6970 — nine credits), which provides the opportunity to address an applied management issue or problem. Please note, students must complete an application for the project option. Students must also find their own supervisor.

This option provides situational experience and allows the student to focus in a specific area of management of relevance to their interests, future goals, or organization. The MBA project should involve applied research or synthesis research on a business topic. The MBA project can be tailored to the professional interests of the student.

Preparing an MBA project helps strong students gain experience in secondary research, analytical thinking, developing recommendations, synthesis, and communication. Students must work closely with a supervisor to select the topic. The student must also be able to work independently to produce the project, with regular consultation with the project supervisor.

In this stream, the MBA program should be expected to take longer than 12 months of full-time study for completion. Please note that BUSN 6950 is only offered twice per year in September and January and is a pre-requisite to enrolling in the project, while BUSN 6951, the online version, is offered only in January.

Graduate thesis stream

In addition to the eight core courses of the MBA, students in this option enrol in the research methods, preparation and presentation course (BUSN 6950/6951) and then enrol in the thesis course (BUSN 6960 — 12 credits).  Please note, students must complete an application for the project option. Students must also find their own supervisor.

This option provides students the opportunity to prepare and defend a thesis, further developing critical thinking skills as well as academic research skills. Increasingly, doctoral programs in business require applicants to have a strong research background at the masters level.

Students contemplating a doctorate are advised to pursue the thesis option. An MBA thesis should involve original research on a business concept, which ideally could later be published in a summarized form in a scholarly journal.

Students must work closely with a supervisor and a three-member thesis committee to select the topic and prepare the thesis. The student must also be able to work independently to produce the thesis, with frequent consultation with the thesis supervisor.

In this stream, the MBA program should be expected to take longer than 12 months of full-time study for completion. Please note that BUSN 6950 is only offered twice per year in September and January and is a pre-requisite to enrolling in the thesis, while BUSN 6951, the online version, is offered only in January.