Diverse, collaborative and experiential: Haskayne's new Master of Management program is underway

Roberta Stinn always pictured a career in health care. After graduating from university, she worked as kinesiologist in a clinic and started her own business as a side-hustle. But it didn’t take long before she found herself gravitating toward the business aspects of her job and she knew she needed to make a change.

Enter the new Master of Management program at the University of Calgary's Haskayne School of Business. The inaugural cohort officially started classes earlier this month.

For Stinn, the course was an opportunity to take her career in a different direction and explore what truly interests her. “I worked as a kinesiologist for about two and a half years and then realized it wasn’t the area I wanted to be in,” says Stinn. “I didn’t want to invest another four years in an undergraduate degree, so this intensive program was the perfect fit.”

Stinn is pictured above with Patrick Ma, both part of the inaugural cohort in the new master's program.

Experiential learning meets academic knowledge

The 29 students currently enrolled in the program will spend the next 10 months studying business in a full-time capacity. Topics covered include: marketing, finance, accounting, business communications and law, digital transformation, entrepreneurial thinking, operations and supply chain and human dynamics.

Sprinkled throughout the courses are a plethora of experiential learning opportunities. “From a program perspective, co-creating learning opportunities are critical to students’ future success. Positive classroom experiences translate to learning beyond the classroom. We want students to develop a love of lifelong learning and reflect on potential failures as an opportunity to grow,” says program director, Catherine Heggerud.

Within the first two weeks of the program, students had the chance to visit the City of Calgary waste and recycling facility where they applied principles already learned in business communications, business technology management, strategy and analytics.

Students also have access to extensive career support and guidance by way of a dedicated career adviser. The adviser coaches students one-on-one to support their career, offers workshops to help with career mapping and direction, résumé writing, interview and networking skills, personal brand and much more. They also connect students to industry through events.

Diverse cohort makes for enriched learning environment

What’s the typical background of a Master of Management student at Haskayne? In short, there isn’t one. All students accepted into the program are recent graduates from non-business fields. Our first cohort boasts students from a number of disciplines including animal biosciences, physical education, urban studies, nursing and history.

“We believe that essential skills for the future include collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. Students from diverse backgrounds create opportunities to develop these skills as they learn to interact with different perspectives,” says Heggerud.

Part of what makes the program unique is the high level of faculty and staff collaboration. Students are taking notice.

Student Patrick Ma, a UCalgary political science and psychology graduate, remarks that it was one of the first things he experienced. “I am amazed at how much support is offered by Haskayne. Everyone is here to help you navigate the program successfully. I’m especially grateful for the career development opportunities and guidance they are able to provide.”

In the year leading up to the program launch, Haskayne faculty and staff have been meeting on a regular basis to ensure the courses, including assignments and field trips, are a co-ordinated effort. For example, students might analyze the same business case from multiple angles including marketing, business technology and finance. This gives them a well-rounded perspective on the business challenges and potential solutions.

Next up: May 2020 cohort

Interested in the Master of Management program? Visit the website for information on admission requirements and the application process. Or email amanda.ramsey@ucalgary.ca to book a one-on-one appointment.