Dalhousie Corporate Residency MBA

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The Dalhousie Corporate Residency MBA (CRMBA for short) is a new MBA program located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The main elements of the program include an 8-month paid work term (dubbed the 'Corporate Residency') as well as a focus on Corporate Social Responsibility, solid business skills and personal and professional effectiveness. Dalhousie University's Faculty of Management enlisted the help and advice of several Canadian business leaders when developing the curriculum and overall strategy of the program.

Program Outline

Duration: 22 months

Students begin in early July, which is atypical of many MBA programs (they will often start in September). The first week is spent in Orientation, where on-campus activities take place to help get the students accustomed to Dalhousie and their new classmates. In 2009, students were brought to Liscombe Lodge, a private lodge / conference centre located along Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore for "off-campus" orientation.

Following the orientation are 2 months of condensed summer "intensive" courses. In 2009 these courses were Economics, Accounting and Quantitative Decision Making (Statistics).

Core Courses (Summer - Fall)

After the summer intensives, the regular fall season starts with the bulk of the student population returning to Halifax and Dalhousie. This period lasts 6 months (until December). CRMBA students must take a full course load of "core" classes, which include: Financial Management, Marketing Management, Management of Operations, Managing People (Organizational Behaviour), Global Business and a course called Managing Without Borders, in which CRMBA students work alongside other graduate students in the Faculty of Management (e.g. MPA, MREM, MLIS).

Corporate Residency (Winter - Summer)

From January to the end of August is the Corporate Residency portion of the program (8 months). During this time students also partake in two online courses.

Elective Courses (Fall - Spring)

From September to April of the following year (8 months), students are back in school and must take a Corporate Social Responsibility course as well as a Business Strategy course. The remainder of the classes are electives, to be determined by the student with help from their Corporate Residency employer if that employer has offered them a position upon graduation. These electives can be tailored so as to pursue a certain (but not mandatory) concentration.

Personal and Professional Effectiveness

Throughout this entire 22-month process students partake a personal and professional development component, named Personal and Professional Effectiveness, or PPE. PPE Allows students to explore and hone skills and behaviours related to leadership development and career management. The format and delivery of PPE is constantly being developed; it may change every year depending on the students in the group. Indeed, as the program evolves, this entire outline is subject to change as the employers, faculty and students discover what works best.

2010 Corporate Residency Employers

The following companies have provided a corporate residency position for at least one student for 2010 (January to August). Total: 39 placements.

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