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Athabasca University · Faculty of Business

Master of Business Administration

Master'sMBAEnglish-taughtMaster of Business Administration

Overview

A 48-credit online MBA for experienced managers, organized in three phases of paced courses with elective streams and a 6-credit capstone; optional in-residence electives are offered.

Official program name
Master of Business Administration
Awarded degree
Master of Business Administration
Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026
Degree level
Master's — MBA
Awarding institution
Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026
Location
Athabasca, Alberta, CanadaWhere the institution or the unit that runs the program is based. Study is online; this is not a residency requirement and does not decide whether you may enroll.
Subject
Specializations
Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026
Credits
48 creditsCanadian credits — not directly comparable with other credit systems.
Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026
Duration
As little as 1.5 years (accelerated entry route) or 2.5 to 3 years (regular route); must complete within 4 or 5 years (1.5 years applies only to the accelerated entry route for recent business graduates.)A minimum under the stated conditions, not a typical length.
Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026
Start terms
Fall, Winter, Spring
Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026
Language of instruction
EnglishEvidence: the program is offered and assessed in English as published; a module-by-module language statement is not published.
Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026
Why this program is listed

48-credit online graduate program; in-residence electives are optional; applicants must be proficient in English and AU's primary language of instruction is English.

Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026

We list English-taught online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in business subjects, awarded by institutions with legal recognition in their country. Eligibility rules

Online format and attendance

“Online” is not one format. Delivery, campus attendance, placements, schedule and time zones are shown separately, each only as the institution states it.
Academic delivery
Fully onlineAll teaching is online and the institution states no required on-site activity for this program.All teaching is online and the institution states no required on-site activity for this program.
Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026
Campus visits
Optional campus visits
Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026
Placement / internship
Placement requirement: not verified
Class schedule
Not verified
Study intensity
Not verified

Attendance, exams and travel as published

  • Residential week / residency Optional

    Optional in-residence electives with 5 days of face-to-face instruction, held in major cities across Canada and in several international locations.

    Major cities across Canada and several international locations

    Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026

Curriculum

Capstone

  • 6-credit capstone project chosen from four pathways, completed in 10 weeks and graded pass/fail.
    Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026

Specializations, concentrations and tracks

Admissions

Required, optional, waiver-available and not-required items are shown exactly as the institution states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.
Prior degree / qualification
RequiredUndergraduate degree plus at least 3 years of managerial experience; or professional designation plus 5 years; or 8 years of substantial managerial experience
Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026
Work experience
RequiredAt least 3 years of managerial experience (degree route)
Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026
References / recommendations
Required3 letters — 3 letters of reference
Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026
CV / résumé
RequiredDetailed resumé
Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026
Essay
Required1000-word personal essay
Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026
Application fee
RequiredC$238 — Program Application Fee $238 (non-refundable)
Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026

Tests

GMAT
Not requiredNot normally required; the Admissions Committee may request one.
Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate admission chances.

Start dates and deadlines

Dates are shown with the intake the institution printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

  • Application deadline

    Oct. 15 · for Winter (January)

    The institution does not print a year with this date.

    Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026
    Year not printed

  • Application deadline

    March 15 · for Spring (May) 2027

    The institution does not print a year with this date.

    Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026
    Year not printed

  • Application deadline

    June 15 · for Fall

    The institution does not print a year with this date.

    Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026
    Year not printed

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its published currency, fee category, academic year and basis. Nothing is converted; figures on different bases or in different currencies are not comparable, and tuition is not the full cost of study.
CategoryAmountBasis and year
All online students — MBA Route estimated totalC$56,804CADentire programIncludes feesSource: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026
All online students — MBA Accelerated Route estimated totalC$36,303CADentire programIncludes feesSource: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026
All online students — Core and elective course (3 credit)C$3,476CADper courseSource: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026

Other published fees

Program Admission Fee (on acceptance)
C$950 entire programMandatory
Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026
Elective in-residence course fee (6-credit onsite)
C$8,110 per course
Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026
AU Graduate Student Association Fee (per credit)
C$14 per creditMandatory
Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026

Scholarships and financial aid

Awards published by the institution for this program or for online students at this level. Loans must be repaid and are not scholarships; financial aid availability does not make a program “fully funded”. Scholarships & funding guide

Program-specific scholarships: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Recognition, accreditation and eligibility

Separate questions: is the awarding institution legally recognized to award this degree, is the business school accredited, and who may enroll in this online program?

Legal recognition of Athabasca University

  • Government of Alberta (GOA(E)

    University established by statute or charter — Comprehensive academic and research university (CARU)

    Authority in Canada

    “Listed by the Government of Alberta as one of the comprehensive academic and research universities, which provide approved undergraduate and graduate degree programs.”

    Source: alberta.ca · verified October 11, 2026

  • Government of Alberta (PLA()

    University established by statute or charter — Authorized to grant degrees

    Authority in Canada

    “Institution's own statement of degree-granting authority under Alberta's Post-secondary Learning Act.”

    Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026

Business-school and program accreditation

  • AACSB International (AACSB)

    Business-school accreditation — Accredited

    “Faculty of Business accredited by AACSB (announced Feb. 16, 2022).”

    Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026

Held by the business school. A school-level accreditation does not by itself mean that every program is covered.

Recognition in the institution's own country does not guarantee that the degree is recognized for employment, licensing or further study everywhere. Check with the relevant body where you plan to use it.

International applicants

  • Students may be of any nationality and reside anywhere in the world; a study permit is not needed for non-Canadian students living outside Canada.Source: athabascau.ca · verified October 11, 2026

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last verified October 11, 2026.
  1. alberta.ca/types-publicly-funded-post-secondary-institutions — Accreditor directory, verified October 11, 2026
  2. athabascau.ca/business/about/about-our-faculty/accreditation-and-memberships.html — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026
  3. athabascau.ca/business/programs/master-of-business-administration/index.html — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026
  4. athabascau.ca/calendar/graduate/fb/master-of-business-administration.html — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026
  5. athabascau.ca/how-au-works/accreditation.html — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026

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