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Graduate Diploma in Business Administration
Transform your professional journey with the Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (GDBA), where the rigour of MBA-level coursework meets exceptional flexibility鈥攚ith no GMAT requirement.
Academics
The GDBA transforms real-world business challenges into learning opportunities through practical frameworks and collaborative problem-solving. Delivered through an interactive online platform, the program blends live and recorded sessions, team projects, and peer engagement to create a rich learning experience. You鈥檒l apply concepts to real workplace issues while building a diverse professional network that supports your career long after the program ends.
The Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (GDBA) delivers the same academic rigor as our MBA programs, with courses taught by our MBA faculty. This equivalence ensures the GDBA stands as a respected credential that provides immediate professional value while serving as an excellent foundation for further graduate studies.
Courses
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Managing People and Organizations
Gain an understanding of how individuals and teams function effectively in work situations. Learn how organizational behaviour themes, such as emotions, motivation, and group dynamics, relate to functional issues such as job design, salary structures, and recruitment. -
Financial and Managerial Accounting
Move beyond accounting fundamentals and processes. Learn to make business decisions in support of broader organizational objectives that are based on sound analysis of financial information. -
Managerial Finance
Gain a practical understanding of managerial finance and the role of the financial manager. Learn to apply financial statement analysis, valuation techniques, capital budgeting, project analysis, and other financial tools. Explore a wide variety of subjects, including maximizing shareholder wealth, agency conflicts, ethical corporate behaviour. -
Business Analytics
Explore the key concepts of probability and statistics that provide the basic tools to approach statistics critically. Focus on the use of quantitative or statistical techniques in managerial decision-making and learn to apply them in business settings. -
Marketing Management
Get an overview of the marketing process, including learning how to analyze data and make decisions on pricing, product design, promotion and distribution as part of developing a comprehensive marketing plan. The course concludes with a collaborative online marketing simulation. -
Business and Indigenous Peoples
The purpose of this course is to help students understand the issues involved when companies are operating, or intend to operate, in the traditional territories of First Nations and other Indigenous peoples. The course will also examine the role that Indigenous people play in Canada's economy including entrepreneurship and community-owned businesses. -
Operations Management
Examine the processes and methods that enable organizations to achieve better productivity, quality, time and information performance. Design and control aspects of effective operations management as they relate to service and manufacturing entities will also be discussed. -
Managing Information
An introduction to the theories and practices of managing information technology. Uses case studies to analyze complex situations and develop skills necessary to select, deploy and use information systems. -
Sustainability
Explore how businesses are realigning or reinventing their organizations toward more sustainable business models. Developments that enable organizations to reduce their firms' negative environmental and social impacts while increasing profits and competitive advantage will be discussed.
Orientation
Before your first class, immerse yourself in our interactive 14-day virtual orientation designed specifically for GDBA students. This orientation ensures you are fully equipped for success in graduate-level business education online, establishing consistent foundational skills and clear expectations across all participants. Through hands-on activities that challenge your intellect while building digital proficiency, you will:
- Connect with faculty and fellow students while mastering our online learning platform and university resources
- Complete practical exercises within the Learning Management System to develop technical confidence
- Create a personalized study roadmap aligned with your professional ambitions and potential MBA pathway
This structured onboarding experience prepares you to seamlessly transition into your graduate business studies with confidence and clarity.
Schedule
Start the GDBA program in January, May or September.
We schedule lectures, exams, and assignments to accommodate individuals working Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT. You may need to make occasional adjustments if you fall outside this time zone or schedule.
We move through the modules at the same rate, meeting the same dates for individual and team assignments. That keeps you on track and engaged with the coursework. Instructors deliver each course online in weekly or bi-weekly modules. During that time, you are free to study whenever it suits you. Expect to spend 8 to 10 hours per week on each course.
Most GDBA students complete the program in two and a half years. However, you can study at your own pace, adjusting your academic plan to accommodate your changing life and career.
MBA transferable course credits
Want to work toward our MBA program? These courses will help get you there.
GDBA courses are transferable to any of our MBA programs for up to three years after completion. Students must achieve a grade of at least 3.0 GPA (B) for the course to be transferred to the MBA.
Students proceeding to one of the MBA programs should be aware that not all courses may be waived. In particular, University policy specifies that no more than 50% of a program's credit requirements may be waived.
*Students must achieve a grade of at least 3.0 GPA (B) for the course to be transferable and subject to successful admission to an MBA program.
**GDBA courses are valid to be eligible to transfer to an MBA program for up to 3 years after completion.
*** Students who complete two of the following three courses, Financial & Managerial Accounting, Managerial Finance, or Business Analytics, may ladder to an MBA with a GMAT waiver if required.
Courses required to apply to ladder into the MBA program: 3.5 courses.
Program brochure
For admission requirements, deadline and information regarding specialized coursework, view our program brochure.
Spring 2024 cohort
- Class size: 53
- Average years of work experience: 9
- Average years of management experience: 4
- Industries represented: 15
- 39% female and 61% male
Summer 2024 cohort
- Class size: 46
- Average years of work experience: 14
- Average years of management experience: 4
- Industries represented: 12
- 48% female and 52% male
Fall 2024 cohort
- Class size: 54
- Average years of work experience: 11
- Average years of management experience: 6
- Industries represented: 12
- 35% female and 65% male
Faculty
SFU Beedie's faculty comprises distinguished scholars and educators renowned for their contributions to business research and education.
"Managing People and Organizations is about how we can work together to achieve the organization's goals. We learn about how to motivate others, communicate effectively, structure organizations and lead organizational change. Students also gain personal insights into their strengths as a team member and manager."
Melissa McCrae
Lecturer, Management & Organization Studies
"Business Analytics is the art of using data and models to make better decisions. We cover the full gamut of analytics skills required by a modern manager, namely probabilistic analytics, predictive analytics, storytelling with data, and prescriptive analytics."
Srini Krishnamoorthy
Senior Lecturer, Business Analytics
Check out upcoming events, or learn about some of our alumni.