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As a hockey player, Jim Kyte knew all about chasing goals, overcoming challenges and pursuing excellence. He learned those fundamentals over 600 games in the NHL. Those same skills evolved during his time in the Master of Business Administration in Executive Management program at Royal Roads University of Victoria, B.C.
“You need tremendous self-confidence and focus to play,” he says of his hockey life. “When you’re done, if you take these things and refocus them in another area you should be successful in it. What I gained from the program was the ability to go to the next level with my career.”
A few years after retiring from the NHL, Kyte entered academia. In 2002, he created the Sport Business Management program at Algonquin College in Ottawa. Five years later, he became Academic Chair of the Marketing & Management Studies Department. To keep moving up, Kyte decided to enrol in the MBA program at Royal Roads in 2012.
Why there? He says it fit his life and learning style. The program is offered in a blended delivery system. Students partake in short, intense, on-campus residencies, but do most of the program online. That allows students, who come from all over the country, to continue to work and carry on with their lives. Kyte graduated in 2012, and two years later was appointed Dean of Algonquin College’s School of Hospitality & Tourism.
The MBA cohorts are diverse, with students coming from varied work experiences.Derek Ford
The program isn’t only blended, but is also offered in an 18-month accelerated format, with intakes in January and July each year. (There’s also a 31-month option.) That suits students who see the value of the MBA and are highly motivated, but who also want to save time given their busy careers and lives.
“It was the only program that allowed me to take two courses at a time, and this was a huge advantage for me,” says Kyte.
In today’s work world, so much of success hinges on the ability to analyze a situation, synthesize a strategic plan and implement an effective solution. That’s what a Royal Roads MBA tries to foster. The program also offers a number of specializations where students can gain additional professional credentials with more in development. Those range from international business and innovation, to supply chain management, to statistics and data science.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Royal Roads years as a public, applied-research university, and the 20th anniversary of the MBA program. Charles Krusekopf, the program head, describes the Royal Roads MBA as both rigorous and accessible. He says the mix of students is also appealing.
At Royal Roads University, MBA students benefit from a blended program that features on-campus residencies and online learning.Derek Ford
“We have people in our program that are 15 years into their career—in non-profits, in government, in finance—so there’s this huge diversity within the cohort,” says Krusekopf. “That gives our MBAs much more exposure to varied work backgrounds, and a more rounded experience of the business environment.”
That’s something that Royal Roads alumnus James McCreath remembers most. “I learned a lot from the wisdom around me,” says McCreath, a portfolio manager with BMO Nesbitt Burns in Calgary.
Like Kyte, McCreath loved the hybrid model of studies. “It allowed me to attend periodically, and get the immense benefit of in-class expertise from not only my professors, but my peers. All while being able to return to Calgary and run my business.”
At the time, McCreath had a corporate communications business, which specialized in investor relations. After getting his MBA from Royal Roads, one of his energy industry clients offered him a job. McCreath led their communications efforts, then made another change when he went into the investment business. He says these pivots were only possible because of his MBA grounding.
“Almost everyone I knew in the program, shortly after graduating, made some kind of career shift,” says McCreath. “The graduates I keep in touch with say they wouldn’t have had the courage to switch jobs, take on more responsibility, or go after that next career move if it wasn’t for the confidence they gained from attending Royal Roads.”
Located in one of Canada’s most beautiful National Historic Sites, Royal Roads University is a place of life-changing transformation. You’ll be inspired and challenged to level up your career and life, without putting either on hold. Whatever your goals are, we’ll take you up.
Advertising feature produced by Globe Content Studio. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.