Master of Business Administration

Applicants to an AU MBA program must have:

• an undergraduate degree from an accredited post-secondary institution, and at least 3 years of acceptable managerial experience that may include supervisory or professional experience with management-level responsibilities;
  
  OR
  
  
• an acceptable professional designation as approved by the Graduate Management Program Council and at least 5 years of acceptable managerial experience that may include supervisory and professional experience with management-level responsibilities;
  
  OR
  
  
• a minimum of 8 years of substantial managerial experience and relevant education and/or training. Applicants without a degree or designation must first apply to the AU Graduate Diploma in Management (GDM) and upon successful completion, transfer into Phase 2 of the MBA program. The GDM is identical to Phase 1 of the MBA.

Non-program admission requirements

Individuals who are not enrolled in one of the graduate programs with the Faculty of Business, may be permitted to register in an MBA course for which they have the appropriate prerequisites on a first-come first-served basis, space permitting and upon meeting minimum program entrance standards. The non-program applicant must:

• meet the qualifications for admission for either the Graduate Diploma in Management (GDM) program or the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program, or
• have an MBA degree from Athabasca University or an MBA or equivalent master degree from another accredited post-secondary institution, or
• be an active student in good standing in another AU graduate program, or
• be an active student in good standing in an MBA or equivalent master degree program from another accredited post-secondary institution and receive approval from the AU MBA program director, or
• receive special exemption from the AU MBA program director.

The non-program applicant must demonstrate:

• appropriate level of management experience required (minimum 3 years) to contribute positively to both online and in-residence group discussions/projects;
• have the system requirements to take the course online (hardware and software);
• meet any course prerequisite requirements (with the exception that STMT 500: Strategic Management as a prerequisite will normally be waived for non-program students);
• access to organizational information required for MBA course activities and assignments.

Other

Applicants must be proficient in the English language and confirm access to a computer system that meets the program's requirements. A Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) score is not normally required, but the MBA Admissions Committee may request one should they deem it necessary. Detailed instructions for assembling an application package can be found on the faculty's website.

Accelerated Admission Route admission requirements

Applicants holding a bachelor degree in business (e.g. bachelor of commerce, bachelor of management, or bachelor of business administration) from an accredited post-secondary institution may be admitted into the Accelerated Admission Route in the MBA program, at the discretion of the MBA Admissions Committee. An applicant admitted through this route will be considered to have completed Phase 1 of the MBA program but will not be eligible for the Graduate Diploma in Management (GDM).

To be eligible for the Accelerated Admission Route, the applicant must have obtained an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 in the final 60 credits of the presenting bachelor of business degree and the degree must have been obtained in the previous 10 years. At the discretion of the MBA Admissions Committee, applicants with a bachelor degree in business that is more than 10 years old may be admitted through the Accelerated Admission Route but may be required to take 1 or more Phase 1 and/or Phase 2 core courses in addition to the regular Accelerated Admission Route courses.

Applicants applying under the Accelerated Admission Route will pay the Transfer Credit Fee to have their transcripts reviewed for acceptability to the admission route. A full transfer review is conducted upon applying to the program. Applicants who lack content coverage may be required to complete additional courses extra to the program.

Transfer credit

Transfer credit means that students may apply to transfer graduate course credits earned elsewhere at recognized academic institutions into the MBA programs.

In order to apply for transfer credit, applicants must first apply and be accepted to the MBA program.

Only graduate level course credits that have never been applied toward any degree program, are eligible for consideration. Up to a maximum of 15 credits can be transferred upon approval of the MBA program director.

Courses being considered for transfer credit must be from a fully accredited institution (i.e. members of Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, Canadian Association for Distance Education, Canadian Association for Graduate Studies, etc.).

Applicants are required to complete a transfer credit form, pay a transfer credit evaluation fee, and provide official transcripts and detailed course outlines for each course (outline requirements will be provided by the MBA program director).

The MBA program director will determine whether transfer credits will be permitted into the MBA program. If transfer credit is awarded, a study plan will be provided outlining how students will integrate previous coursework with the program. 

Transfer of elective courses

Subject to the approval of the MBA program director and payment of the appropriate fee, students may take one of their required MBA program online elective courses from another post-secondary institution if such a course is relevant and equivalent to courses in the MBA program at Athabasca University. Transfer credit will not be permitted for the in-residence elective requirement.

A written request, including a detailed outline of the course, must be sent to the MBA program director at least 1 month before the course registration deadline. Upon successful completion of the course (with the appropriate passing grade), students must submit an official transcript in order to obtain credit for the course.

English language proficiency

There are minimum English language proficiency requirements allowed for admission to a graduate program at Athabasca University. It is the student's responsibility to ensure they meet the minimum requirements.

Admission to the MBA program occurs three times each year. Application deadlines are June 15 for a fall start, Oct. 15 for a winter start, and March 15 for a spring start.

Applicants must provide:

• a completed application form;
• a detailed resumé demonstrating appropriate management experience;
• 3 letters of reference, preferably 2 business and 1 academic. References from personal friends or relatives will not be accepted. It is the applicant's responsibility to notify his or her references that, in accordance with the Province of Alberta's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, the information contained in the letter of reference is not considered to be confidential. The applicant, upon request, may view the information. The letters shall normally contain full contact information for the reference, be signed on company letterhead, and be sent directly to the Faculty of Business, Athabasca University;
• a 1000-word personal essay;
• official transcripts of post-secondary education and/or professional designation(s) sent directly to the Faculty of Business, Athabasca University, from the respective institution(s). Applicants with degrees obtained outside of North America may be required to have educational qualifications assessed independently (see International Transcripts)*;
• a non-refundable application fee.

Upon acceptance to the program, students must pay the required non-refundable Admission Fee.

For detailed information on applying to the program, visit the Faculty of Business website.

Non-program application

Non-program applicants must make formal application to Student Services, Faculty of Business, and include the following:

• a completed application form;
• a cover letter stating their interest in the course(s) to be taken and why they would like to select the course(s);
• permission letter from their program director to take the course (if registered in another degree program outside Athabasca University);
• a current, chronological resumé detailing their managerial experience;
• reference letters in support of their academic and management abilities as well as their ability to work effectively in teams (if requested);
• official transcripts (if you have completed an MBA or equivalent master degree from another accepted university);
• non-refundable application fee.

Upon admission to the program, MBA students will receive a course schedule for the cohort group to which they belong. Registration information is provided to students on a regular basis. Courses are paced, with specific start and completion dates. Phase 1 and 2 core courses are offered in sequential order. Subject to the approval of the MBA program director, students may be permitted to take more than 1 course at a time, or to take courses in a different order except for:

• STMT 500 – Strategic Management, which must be successfully completed before students can progress to any other course; and
• FMAC 503 – Financial and Managerial Accounting, which must be successfully completed before taking CFIN 601 – Corporate Finance.

Program requirements

Comprehensive examination

A comprehensive examination must be written at the end of Phase 1 of the MBA program. The comprehensive examination is scheduled on at least two occasions per year as determined by the admissions committee.

The comprehensive examination is graded on a pass/fail basis, and a grade of 70% is required to pass.

The exam may be written only on the scheduled exam dates. If you are unable to write at that
time, you will have to withdraw from the exam and write it when it is next offered.

Students who fail a comprehensive examination may repeat the examination only once. A fee will be charged for repeating the examination and the student must wait until the next scheduled offering of the examination to re-write it. Students who fail the second writing of the comprehensive examination will be withdrawn from the program with no opportunity for re-enrolment.

Comprehensive examination withdrawal

A student must withdraw from the exam by 1:00 pm MT on the Tuesday afternoon before the exam starts.

Students who have not withdrawn from the exam will be failed if no exam answers are
submitted. This will show as one failed Comprehensive Exam attempt on the student's transcript.

An exam withdrawal request form must be submitted to your Graduate Enrolment
Advisor. Contact fbgradenrol@athabascau.ca.

Comprehensive exam extensions

Extensions may be granted to students in the case of extenuating circumstances that prevent completion of the exam within the exam period. Students must provide a valid reason for requesting an extension. Students who do not receive approval for an extension and who do not submit their exam on or before the deadline will receive an "F" (failure) grade.

A request for extension must be submitted as follows:
Before the start of the exam period, submit an extension request by email or telephone to
your Graduate Enrolment Advisor, who will forward it to the Exam Coordinator.
During the exam period, submit an extension request by email or telephone directly to the
Exam Coordinator.

The Exam Coordinator may grant extensions of up to 24 hours. Requests for extensions beyond twenty-four hours will be sent to the MBA Program Director for approval. Requests will either be approved or denied.

Comprehensive exam grading

The Comprehensive Exam is graded on a pass/fail basis. You will receive an overall pass for the examination if you pass all the questions required to be answered or fail no more than one of the questions. Not submitting an answer for a required question will be deemed an automatic fail for the respective question.

You are required to obtain a minimum grade of 70% in order to pass. An answer assessed to
be deserving of a grade less than 70% is marked as a fail. Students who fail more than one
question will have their answers automatically re-graded before the final result is sent to the
students.

Students will receive an email indicating whether they passed or failed the exam within 12 working days of the exam submission deadline (see Exam Feedback below for more
information).

Rewriting the exam

The Comprehensive Exam may only be rewritten once. Students who fail the second writing of the Comprehensive Exam will be expelled from their program of study with no opportunity for re-enrolment.
A retake fee will be charged for repetition of the exam, and the student must wait until the next scheduled offering of the examination to rewrite it.

Exam feedback

Students who pass will receive an indication of an overall pass. Individual feedback may be provided.

Students who fail will be sent an email by the Exam Coordinator with individual feedback
on the questions that they failed. They may use this feedback to prepare for their exam rewrite.

Applied project

The applied project is normally associated with the end of Phase 2 of the MBA program but students may receive permission to begin work on their applied projects at any time during Phase 2 of their program.

The applied project is completed in 2 consecutive phases. In the first phase, students register in a course that guides them through the preparation of their applied project proposal. Once the proposal has been approved, each student is assigned to an academic supervisor who supervises the project through to completion.

The applied project is graded on a pass/fail basis, with a grade of 70% required to pass. The course is worth 9 credits and must be completed in 5 months.

Applied project registration

Registration for the applied project is not automatic. The Graduate Applied Project Registration Form must be filled out and submitted to Student Services at fbgradenrol@athabascau.ca.

The applied project course starts every month except for the months of April and July. Registration and payment deadline is always the 10th of the month previous to the start date
(i.e. Aug.10 is the deadline to register and pay for a Sep.1 start date).

Applied project deferral process

A deferral is a request to alter the start date of your project.

If a student is unable to finish their Applied Project Draft Proposal and submit it on or before the end of calendar Month 1 from the current start date as per the instructions provided, they may defer from the Applied Project and re-start when they can make the five-month time commitment. Only one deferral is allowed. No deferrals are allowed after the end of
calendar Month 2. If you fail to defer it is assumed you intend on completing the applied
project within your current five month time allowance. Otherwise, you may find it necessary to extend or withdraw.

Scenario #1: If you are deferring your applied project prior to your current start date, please send an email requesting deferral to fbgradenrol@athabascau.ca.

Scenario #2: If you are deferring after your current start date, please follow the deferral
instructions below and indicate the month in which you would like to restart.

Applied project

I. To submit your deferral, click the pay now link below to go to the secure banking
online payment site. As this is a secure site, you will be prompted to log in with your myAU
password. If you have not set up your login information, click the "myAU Help Page for
Students" link to set this up.

Important: Once signed into the pay now link, fill out the course withdrawal to defer your applied project. Please type in the month (any month except for April or July) in which you would like to restart in the "Remain Inactive" section (do not use the drop-down menu).

Pay now

II. It is a student's responsibility to ensure that Student Enrolment Services has received your
Applied Project deferral. If you do not receive a confirmation from Student Enrolment Services within 3 to 5 business days of your request, you should immediately contact
fbgradenrol@athabascau.ca.

Deferrals will not be processed without payment of the deferral fee.

Applied project extensions

A student may request an extension to their Applied Project completion date due to extenuating circumstances. An extension adds a one month period to the end of your course contract. In such cases, the student must email the Applied Project Coordinator at aprj@fb.athabascau.ca to request the extension and provide details of the circumstances.

If the Coordinator grants an extension, there is a charge for each one month extension. A
maximum of two extensions may be granted. An extension must be requested each time it is
required and must be requested prior to your contract end date. Failure to request the extension prior to your end date will result in a fail.

An extension should only be requested if you believe you will still be fully capable of completing your applied project within the adjusted timeframe. Otherwise, you would be advised to withdraw from the course and either a) re-register for a later date or b) change to the course-based route of the MBA program.

If you are unable to still complete within an approved extended timeframe please see the
withdrawal process below.

Applied project withdrawals

If you are unable to complete the applied project, you may choose to withdraw at any time prior to the final project being submitted or your contract ending. Students must submit a request to withdraw and pay the applicable fees as per the instructions below, depending on your scenario. For any inquiries with regard to withdrawing from your Applied Project, please contact fbgradenrol@athabascau.ca.

Scenario #1: If you are withdrawing from the applied project prior to the end of month 3 of your contract start date:

I. To submit your withdrawal, click the pay now link below to go to the secure banking
online payment site. As this is a secure site, you will be prompted to log in with your myAU
password. If you have not set up your login information, click the "myAU Help Page for
Students" link to set this up.

Pay now

II. It is a student's responsibility to ensure that Student Enrolment Services has received your
Applied Project withdrawal. If you do not receive a confirmation from Student Enrolment
Services within 3 to 5 business days of your request, you should immediately contact
fbgradenrol@athabascau.ca.

Withdrawals will not be processed without payment of the withdrawal fee. Tuition will be
refunded. You will receive a grade of "W" (withdrawal) on your transcript.

Scenario #2: If you are withdrawing after the end of month 3 of your contract start date:
Fill out the Graduate Applied Project Withdrawal Form and submit to fbgradenrol@athabascau.ca. No refunds will be given. Full tuition fees will be required if you choose to attempt the applied project again. You will receive a grade of W on your transcript.

If you fail to withdraw and the project is not completed you will fail and receive a grade of
F and no refund will be issued.

Note: If withdrawing from the applied project for a length of time outside of the maximum
program length allowed a Program Continuation Fee may be required.

Applied project re-registration

Only one re-registration is allowed in the applied project.

Please fill out the registration form when you are ready to register again.

Time commitment

Most students spend about 20 to 25 hours per week on their studies while in the program.

Advanced standing

"Advanced standing" means the student is exempt from some or all of the required assignments in a particular course.

At the time of admission graduate students may, at the discretion of the admissions committee, be awarded advanced standing in specific core courses in light of the students’ combined prior education and experience. Such advanced standing only applies to core courses. Advanced standing will not be awarded for elective courses. Requests for advanced standing must be made to the admissions committee at the time of application to the program. Exemptions to these requirements must be approved by the MBA program director.

Students who are awarded advanced standing in a course:

• are provided with full course materials;
• remain responsible for full program tuition; and
• remain responsible to know and understand all components of the course and to demonstrate this knowledge in the comprehensive examinations.

Active status and continuation

To maintain active status, a student must successfully complete at least 1 course or comprehensive examination in their program of study within any given 12-month period. Students who do not maintain active status will be deemed to have withdrawn from the program. Those students will be required to pay the tuition portion for courses completed and in which they are currently registered.

A program continuation fee may be charged for those who have exceeded 12 months and apply to continue in the program.

Time to complete

Average program completion time is 2.5 to 3 years, but students must complete their MBA program studies within 5 years of their initial enrolment in the program. Students admitted through the Accelerated Admission Route must complete their MBA program studies within 4 years of their initial enrolment in the program. In exceptional circumstances, extensions of up to 1 year will be considered by the MBA program director, and will require the payment of a continuation fee.

A student re-enrolling into the program following a Graduate Diploma in Management (GDM) completion, or program withdrawal, will be expected to complete his or her program studies within 5 years less the duration of time the student was in the GDM or MBA program previously. Exceptions may be made only by the MBA program director.

Program deferrals

Students who have started the program can defer their studies should they find themselves experiencing changed circumstances in either their business or personal lives. A deferral must be requested at least 21 days prior to the start date of the student's next pre-registered or registered course.

Withdrawal from the program

Students may withdraw from any phase of the program by completing the Program Withdrawal Form. Students who wish to withdraw from the MBA without record of registration, must do so within 30 calendar days of the commencement of the program. A withdrawal occurring in this time will not be recorded on the student’s transcript.

Students who withdraw from a program after the 30 calendar-day period from the start of program will have this withdrawal recorded on their transcript and pay the tuition portion for courses completed and in which they are currently registered.

Re-enrolment in the program

Re-enrolment in the program can occur, but is subject to re-application, review, and approval by the MBA program director, and payment of all applicable fees. Students will be required to pay any fee increases that have occurred between the time of their last enrolment and re-enrolment. They will be required to contact the Student Services department of the Faculty of Business to confirm their program requirements. Credit for courses previously completed will be re-evaluated and applied to the program requirements where appropriate.

Non-program students

All non-program students must complete an online orientation prior to beginning their studies.

If a non-program student subsequently applies for MBA program admission, credit for Athabasca University MBA courses previously completed will be evaluated for credit towards the MBA program requirements, where appropriate.

Non-program students are governed by all other applicable graduate business program regulations and policies, and University appeal process.

Note: Non-program students may apply for a maximum of 9 credits in Faculty of Business graduate courses, based on approval of each course. Applications must be submitted at least 3 months prior to the course start date.

Graduation requirements

To be awarded the Master of Business Administration, a graduate student must:

• successfully complete the program course structure set out at the time of admission into the program,
• successfully complete the comprehensive examination and all required elective credits in Phase 2: either three 3-credit elective courses and an applied project, or six 3-credit elective courses,
• complete and submit an Application for Graduation form, and
• meet all other regulations.

In addition, students must have paid any fees owed to the university and have returned all library resources.

All applications for graduation must be approved by the Board of Governors of Athabasca University.

Course delivery

All online MBA courses are paced, with scheduled start and end dates, and assignment deadlines within each course. Individual course activities vary, but participation in online discussions and group projects is mandatory and forms part of the grade for every course. The learning environment is asynchronous, meaning students do not have to be online at a prescribed time.

Upon admission to the program, MBA students will receive a timetable outlining course start and completion dates for the cohort group to which they belong.

Courses are offered in sequential order, but subject to the approval of the MBA program director, students may be permitted to take more than 1 course at a time, or to take courses in a different order within a phase, except for STMT 500 - Strategic Management, which must be completed successfully until students can progress to any other course.

Athabasca University may modify the list of available courses at any time.

In-residence electives are held in major cities across Canada and in several international locations.

Course registration

Students are automatically pre-registered for Phase 1 and Phase 2 core courses according to the course schedule provided when they commence the program. Students are considered registered for a Phase 1 or Phase 2 core course 21 days prior to the start date of each course as indicated on the student's schedule.

Students register for online electives, electives in residence, and the applied project on an individual basis. Timelines for registration and withdrawal for elective courses and the applied project vary and are outlined in the schedules posted online.

To be eligible to register in a 3-credit online elective or a 6-credit in-residence elective, students must successfully complete the 6 Phase 1 courses before the starts date of the elective, with the exceptions below:

MBA students will be permitted to register for one 3-credit in-residence course following completion of MBAO 598/599 and STMT 500, subject to course prerequisites. Only one such Phase 2 course will be permitted before successful completion of the Phase 1 Comprehensive Exam. If the exam is not successfully completed, the student will be permitted to complete the Phase 2 course or elective they are currently enrolled in but then must defer the program of study until successful completion of the exam occurs. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that any course and/or exam participation and any assignments and/or exam participation and any assignments and/or exam requirements are maintained and submitted on time. Exemptions to these requirements may be made only by the MBA program director.

Dual course registration

Doubling up of courses (for example, taking two online courses at once, or overlapping an online course with the Comprehensive Exam, the Applied Project, or a six-credit in-residence elective) is very intense and not recommended unless extra time is made available to accommodate the increased workload.

Note: 6-credit in-residence electives are very intense ten-week courses with a heavy workload. It is strongly recommended that you do not overlap or double up courses or other electives with 6-credit in-residence electives.

Students who elect to overlap courses are responsible for ensuring that all course and/or exam requirements are upheld and submitted on time. There will be no leniency or considerations provided (such as graded course activity or assignment deadline extensions, or reduction in individual or group participation) due to the increased course workload.
Subject to the approval of the MBA program director, students may be permitted to take
more than one course at a time.

Please note: STMT 500 must be successfully completed before students can progress to
any other course; and FMAC 503 must be successfully completed prior to taking CFIN 601.

Successful course completion

A minimum grade of 60% is required for both the assignments and participation components in each course. The comprehensive examination, written at the end of Phase 1, is graded on a pass/fail basis with an overall grade of 70% is required to pass. Please refer to the individual course syllabi for full evaluation details.

Course withdrawal – core courses and online electives

Students are considered registered for Phase 1 and Phase 2 core courses and online electives on the 21st day before the start date for each course. If withdrawing prior to 21 days before the start date, please submit the Graduate Course Withdrawal Form (no fee is required). After this date, students can withdraw from courses in which they are pre-registered or registered subject to the following:

• To avoid academic penalty, a course withdrawal request must be received within 14 calendar days of the course start date. Withdrawals will not occur by default, and a course withdrawal fee will apply.
• Students withdrawing after 14 days from the start date of the course will receive a W (Withdrawal) grade on their transcript. Full course tuition will be required to re-register in the course.
• Click the pay now link below to access the withdrawal form and to go to the secure banking online payment site. As this is a secure site, you will be prompted to log in with your myAU password. If you have not set up your login information, click the "myAU Help Page for Students" link to set this up.

Pay now

• Payment of the applicable course withdrawal fee must be made before the course withdrawal can be processed.
• Students who do not withdraw or do not complete the course will fail the course and an F (Fail) grade will be awarded. Full course tuition will be required to re-register in the course.

The course withdrawal fee is a mandatory administrative fee charged hen a student withdraws from a course to help recover costs already associated with your course setup.

Course withdrawal – in-residence electives

If you are withdrawing from an in-residence elective prior to 60 days (or prior to 90 days for
international electives) please submit the applicable withdrawal form (no fee is required). After this date, students can withdraw from an in-residence elective in which they are pre-registered or registered subject to the following:

• To avoid academic penalty, a course withdrawal request must be received within 14
  calendar days of the course start date. Withdrawals will not occur by default, and a course
  withdrawal fee will apply.
• Students withdrawing after 14 days from the start date of an in-residence elective will
  receive a W (withdrawal) grade on their transcript. Full course tuition will be required to re-register in another in-residence elective.
• Click the pay now link to access the withdrawal form below and to go to the secure
  banking online payment site. As this is a secure site, you will be prompted to login with your
  myAU password. If you have not set up your login information, click the 'My AU Help Page for
  Students' link to set this up.

Note: Please use the drop-down menu in the section "Wish to start again" and choose "Not
applicable (Electives). Name of coach is not applicable.

Pay now

• Payment of the applicable course withdrawal fee must be made before the course
  withdrawal can be processed.
• Students who do not withdraw within 14 days of the course start date and/or do not
  complete the course will fail the course and an F (Fail) grade will be awarded. Full course tuition will be required to re-register in the course.

The course withdrawal fee is a mandatory administrative fee charged when a student withdraws from a course to help recover costs already associated with your course setup.

Incomplete status

Under extraordinary circumstances, students may receive permission for an incomplete status for a course but they must submit such a request to the academic coach before the course end date. The academic coach will seek approval from the academic area manager (AAM) to grant incomplete status.

If approved, students will have up to a maximum of 30 calendar days to complete the outstanding individual written assignments (as approved). Group assignments and participation components of the course are not included under this policy.

Exceptions to this regulation must be approved by the MBA program director.

Re-registrations and repeats

Students who have received a Fail (F) or Withdrawal (W) grade in any course in the MBA program may repeat that course only once. Full tuition will be required for each course repeated.

Students who fail to successfully complete the same course twice will be removed from their program of study, with no opportunity for re-enrolment.

Course refunds

Students will receive a refund of the full course fees if they withdraw from their course within the timeframes specified in the applicable course withdrawal regulations.

Computer system requirements

Access to a microcomputer is mandatory for the completion of assignments and contact with other students, staff and the Faculty of Business. The Faculty of Business maintains a current list of technical requirements.

Grading system

With the exception of comprehensive exams and the applied project, which are graded on a pass/fail basis, each assignment and participation component that is to be counted towards the final grade for a course shall be given a percentage grade from the academic coach. The official recorded grade will be the Alpha/4.0 grading scale. Please review the Graduate Grading Policyfor more information on grading scales.

The following fees are effective for courses starting Sep. 1, 2024 to Aug. 31, 2025. All fees are quoted in Canadian dollars and are subject to change. Academic-related fees are exempt from the Federal Goods and Services Tax (GST). GST is added to all other goods and services, for example, workshops, some publications, self-help seminars, and Athabasca University promotional sales items.

Program tuition fees*

MBA Standard Route

Course fees due upon registration.

MBA for Accountants – Standard Route

MBA for Supply Chain Managers – Standard Route

MBA Accelerated Route

MBA for Accountants – Accelerated Route

MBA for Supply Chain Managers – Accelerated Route

** If the online elective is 6 credits, the online elective fee is $6,682. If the elective in-residence fee is 6-credits, the elective in-residence fee is $7,795.

Estimated program tuition cost (2024-2025)

Total tuition costs for the MBA will vary based on how a student chooses to complete Phase 2. For a student who takes all courses from Athabasca University and chooses to complete 2 online electives, 1 in-residence elective and an applied project, tuition would be $50,843. If the student instead chose to complete 5 online electives and 1 in-residence elective, tuition would be $55,715. Application and admission fees are included in the above calculation. AU Graduate Student Association fees are not included.

Tuition fees for students in the Accelerated Admission Route will vary based on how a student chooses to complete Phase 2. For a student who takes all courses from Athabasca University and chooses to complete 4 online electives, 1 in-residence elective and an applied project, tuition would be $31,145. If the student instead chooses to complete 7 online electives and 1 in-residence elective, tuition would be $36,017. Application, admission, and applicable transfer credit fees are included in the above calculation. AU Graduate Student Association fees are not included.

Other fees

¹ The course withdrawal processing fee is a mandatory administrative fee charged when a student withdraws from a course. Refer to the information about course withdrawal under Course regulations and procedures.

Fee information effective Sep. 1, 2024 to Aug. 31, 2025.