Management of Technology
This management of technology (MOT) MBA addresses high technology business sector needs. Graduates will have a solid grounding in business fundamentals, particularly focused on topics relevant to an organization with technical core competencies. MOT MBA students work in enterprises that have advanced technology products or services. Most will have an undergraduate degree in a technical discipline; some will have an undergraduate business degree with technical work experience.
The program is for those who already have at least four years of experience working in the technology sector and who are now considering a move into management.
Students study part-time over 24 months. The program consists of six part-time terms including an industry-based final project.
Applicants should also refer to the program website .
¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Requirements
Application
Students can apply online at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV's online graduate studies application for admission, found at http://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/prosp_students/application_process.
¶¡ÏãÔ°AV is based on the following.
- MOT MBA program application essay found at http://beedie.sfu.ca/mot
- official undergraduate transcripts mailed directly from the granting institution
- a resume
- a minimum of four years of relevant work experience in a technology firm or technology position
- three confidential letters of reference mailed directly from the referees, preferably from supervisors, major clients or former professors
- graduate management admission test (GMAT) results
- applicants whose primary language is not English, or whose previous education was conducted in another language, must submit evidence of satisfactory completion of a standardized English test that is acceptable to the University (see graduate general regulation 1.3.12)
- a recent passport style photograph
- interview (shortlisted candidates only)
Program Requirements
Students will maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average (B grade) and complete 54 units (46 units if accounting and managerial economics are waived), including BUS 780, from the following list.
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to basic concepts in microeconomics and to explore the relevance of economic reasoning to managerial decision-making, both tactical and strategic. The importance of economic concepts, economic models and quantitative applications will be emphasized and applied to problems regularly encountered by technology managers.
This course deals with how technology-based firms develop and implement strategies to create competitive advantage. The module treats strategy at two levels of analysis: (a) the overall strategy of the firm and (b) the technology strategy of the firm.
This course addresses how to navigate the moral quandaries, issues and debates raised by direct participants and stakeholders in the high-tech economy. Topics include character building practices, moral stages in the high-tech career, corporate social responsibility, the role of reputation capital in the high-tech firm, and the moral and legal obligations of the expert.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Tom Brown |
Sep 12 – Sep 26, 2015: Sat, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
|
Vancouver |
What differentiates high-tech markets from more traditional ones is the environment ù shrinking product life cycles, rapid changes in information and knowledge and great uncertainty about competitors. This course is designed to teach strategies for developing and executing marketing strategies in technology-intensive markets.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Brent McFerran |
TBD |
This course will address emerging issues in international business relevant to technology intensive firms. Globalization means that cross-cultural business interactions have become more commonplace.
Negotiation is the art and science of securing agreements between two or more parties that are interdependent and who are seeking to maximize their outcomes.
The Business Operations Design course integrates organizational theory and operations management theory to provide a working knowledge of the key elements involved in designing and operating organizations. The aim is to introduce students to the best current thinking for creating effective organizational configurations that realize a desired strategy and achieve the accompanying performance.
In high technology firms, projects are a way of life. The introduction of a new product or service, the redesign of an information system, and the opening of a new warehouse are all examples of projects that the technology-driven manager may encounter. This course demonstrates how complexity can be managed in a manner that increases the probability of project success. As a course assignment, students develop their own plan for the project/internship phase of the program.
An intensive 3-day simulation where students discover what they would actually do when confronted with the reality of working in a company with multiple interdependencies, financial and geographical constraints and a complex and changing environment. Graded on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis.
The objective is to teach the foundations of applied finance with respect to the capital raising process and the creation of finance-able business plans. A company 'life cycle' approach to financial development is utilized and topics explored include the entrepreneurial process, angel and venture capital financing, legal entities and capital structure, term sheet negotiations, business valuation techniques, going public, debt financing, mergers and acquisitions, financial contracting.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Sessional Jan Simon |
TBD |
Individual study with a faculty member. A course outline must be approved by the graduate program committee.
Students will undertake a strategic business analysis and write an extended essay jointly supervised by a ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV faculty member and an industry partner. The Management of Technology program director and a faculty member will negotiate the purpose, content and deliverables of each project with the student and the sponsoring organization.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
TBD |
Courses from the other master of business administration programs or other programs may be used as substitutes for these courses at the discretion of the academic chair.
Students wishing to complete the biotechnology management stream must successfully complete four units of biotechnology specific courses as determined by the academic chair.
Biotechnology Management stream students are not required to complete the following course:
In high technology firms, projects are a way of life. The introduction of a new product or service, the redesign of an information system, and the opening of a new warehouse are all examples of projects that the technology-driven manager may encounter. This course demonstrates how complexity can be managed in a manner that increases the probability of project success. As a course assignment, students develop their own plan for the project/internship phase of the program.
Academic Requirements within the Graduate General Regulations
All graduate students must satisfy the academic requirements that are specified in the , as well as the specific requirements for the program in which they are enrolled, as shown above.