Program Content

A snapshot of the UBC PMBA Program: The UBC PMBA Class of 2025 starts in January 2023.

• January 7-14, 2023: Professional Residency I Attendance mandatory
• January - November 2023: Foundation courses. All students complete the same foundation courses.
• January 13-20, 2024: Professional Residency II Attendance mandatory
• January - November 2024: Advanced courses
• December 7-14, 2024: Professional Residency III Attendance mandatory
• May 2025: Graduation!

Key terms you should know:

The structure and components of the PMBA program are described using a few terms that students should become familiar with:

• Foundation Courses: Courses covering the basic business and management subjects, required for all students to take.
• Advanced Courses: All other courses offered in the second year of the program. Each student chooses their own mix of courses to earn 13.5 Advanced Course credits; can only be taken after ALL Foundation Courses have been completed.
• A course is generally worth 1.5 credits, which is the equivalent of 20 classroom hours taught over 2-3 weekends.

Courses will cover a variety of key subject areas. Not only will students learn the language of business, but they will also develop the skills to understand business problems, make managerial decisions, and communicate solutions, both as an individual and as part of a team.

Your first Professional Residency is the official start of your PMBA program and runs from Saturday, January 7th to Saturday, January  14th, 2023. Please ensure that you have made arrangements with your place of employment as attendance is mandatory on all days of Residencies. There will be a full program each day and some evening commitments as well. A detailed schedule of the first Residency will be posted in November.

You CANNOT miss the first Residency and still attend the UBC PMBA program. It is designed to provide information about the program and services available, build a strong foundation for class activities and teamwork, and introduce you to fellow classmates, faculty, and staff.

This first Residency will focus on Leadership & Competitive Strategy by providing a graduate-level foundation in these two essential business topics and will enable you to understand the connections between them. During these 8 days, you will enhance your communication skills and achieve specific professional development goals.

Program Schedule (including exam dates):

PMBA Class of 2025: January 2023 - May 2024 Program Schedule - Updated Jan 19, 2024

Courses and Class Dates: The course dates have been set as per the PMBA Class of 2025 Program Calendar  that you were given at the time of your offer of admission.

Course Pre-requisites: As students progress through the program, some courses will have prerequisites. A prerequisite is a course that has content which is integral for students to learn prior to taking the listed course. For example, in order to take some of the more advanced Finance courses, students need to have a good foundation in certain Finance content. Consequently many of the advanced Finance courses will have pre-reqs, which will be listed on the program schedule and the course record on the  Student Service Centre (SSC).

Please note that outlines are posted prior to the start of each set of courses in order to help you with your registration choices, but the most up-to-date outline will be found on each course's respective Canvas site.

Click here to access course outlines.

Grade Requirements: The PMBA program has strict grading requirements for all courses, which may differ from what students are used to from previous degree(s). Students must familiarize themselves with these grading requirements prior to the start of the PMBA to understand the differences.

As an example, students are only permitted a limited number of "failed" (59% and below) and/or "minimal pass" (60-67%) grades in the PMBA Program. If this limit is exceeded, students will be withdrawn from the program. To ensure students are on track, we regularly review grades and as needed, we will issue a grade review letter each time students receive a failed or minimal pass grade. The letter indicates an individual student's current standing in detail and advises that the student speaks with her/his Program Manager for clarification.

To find out more about PMBA program policies, please visit the Academic Regulations page on the UBC Calendar. Transcripts (SSC): Official UBC transcripts can be ordered via the Student Service Centre (SSC). You can have your transcript mailed to you or pick it up at Brock Hall. More information on how to obtain your official transcripts can be found here.

Unofficial transcripts can be printed from the the SSC under Grades & Records > Your Grades Summary but unofficial transcripts from the SSC do not include course names (only course numbers). Please note: the RHL Graduate School and the Business Career Centre are not able to issue official or unofficial transcripts. Course fees: Some courses may have a course fee in lieu of a textbook. If this is the case the instructor should let students know this. Students are required to pay the course fee in order to receive credit for the course. Grades will be withheld from any students who do not pay the course fee. Payment can be made on the Class and Lab Fees site. Course packages & textbooks: Should be available at the UBC Bookstore or online, and instructors will usually specify this on the course outline. From the bookstore homepage click on Textbooks > Order Today. From here students can choose which courses they are registered in and see the materials available at the bookstore. If the course is not on this list and the outline says that there are textbooks/course packs please contact askpmba@sauder.ubc.ca so that we can follow up.

Program Requirements - PMBA 2025

Any materials posted on Canvas course sites will be available for you to access and download for four weeks after the final exam. As you will be using the intellectual property of external authors and/or UBC professors in your own studies, please be aware of the following rules around the handling and distribution of those materials:

• Cases and readings are protected under copyright law and therefore you must not share these documents with anyone. Any official publications that are posted on a Canvas course site have copyright clearance for students enrolled this specific course only.
• Class slides are the instructor’s property and most instructors do not want their slides to be distributed. If you have questions about this, please approach your instructor directly.
• Exams/assignments/feedback must not be shared with students who may subsequently take the same course.

It is your responsibility to avoid copyright infringements and the distribution of materials that are intended for your use only.

RHL students should use the designation "MBA in progress” or "PMBA in progress" on resume, LinkedIn, email signature, business signature, etc. The term "candidate" should not be used based on UBC policy.