A student body
without borders
Our students come from all over the world, not just to learn, but also to contribute their knowledge, experience and global perspectives to our online classrooms.
This is what they have to say about AU.
Tilly Jensen, CMA, EdD, Assistant Professor, Accounting
“Educators have an obligation to be more creative and innovative in how they use online technology. The goal should never be to simply replicate what has traditionally been done face-to-face.”
Teang Tang, BMan Student
“What I have learned is helping me shape the strategy of my business, quantifying the results of the actions I want to take. I chose Athabasca University specifically because I enjoy the independent learning approach it takes and the ability to incorporate my studies within my schedule. AU allows me to balance everything.”
Richard Vaillancourt, DBA
“The AU Doctorate in Business Administration is more practitioner oriented than other programs. We still study a lot of theory, but we work on how theoretical approaches can be practically applied. That holds more meaning to me.”
Lyudmila Bezpala Brown, MBA
“I have this message for other women (or men!) who want to have a great career and family, and think they can’t do it all: YES YOU CAN do it. It’s tough, but you can do it!”
Maj. Brian Roach, MBA
“I chose to do my MBA with AU because it allowed me to take my studies wherever my military work took me. What the MBA developed for me was the diverse range of analytical skills that boost confidence to act. It is exceptionally helpful in dealing with my work now, and I’m sure it will be in future opportunities.”
Joyce Fortune, PhD, MBA Academic Coach
“I teach from England, but the way AU has structured the course environment allows me to get a real sense of my students and who they are. You see them working day in and day out throughout the eight weeks you are with them. You don’t just get the final assignment; you see them develop.”
Rosalie Hilde, DBA
“Previously I did research but not at this level. Now I feel like being a researcher could also be a career. This is a new discovery for me and it was possible because of the AU DBA program.”
Emma Moore, BComm Student
"The most valuable thing about AU is the flexibility. I’ve been able to balance pursuing my degree with my busy work schedule while still being able do the things I love - like travelling. The quality of the faculty and staff are second to none and despite the distance, I know that my professors are just a phone call or e-mail away."
Eric Nystrom, Student, MBA for the Business of Hockey
“The MBA CHP is making me think about other critical aspects of team success. Marketing, finance, merchandising, partnerships, facilities, and community engagement each drive the bottom line as much as what we see on the ice. I can already see how AU’s model of ‘learn it today - do it tomorrow’ is benefiting me and my future.”
Margaret Law, DBA
“The AU DBA offered two things that I needed. One was that it is adaptable for people who work and you don’t actually have to be physically there, which is important to me since I travel a lot with my work. The other one is acceptance—unlike a traditional PhD program—of a practical problem for you to research as opposed to something more theoretical.”
Simon Tran, MBA
“I wanted an MBA to answer tough questions for our company: how do we gain market share, what products should we carry, how do we measure effectiveness, can we do this smarter? Now that I’ve earned the MBA, I still ask these questions but I approach them as opportunities and know I can solve them. The AU MBA broadened my perspectives and changed the way I think.”
Louise Taylor Green, MBA
“There comes a time in your professional life when you ask ‘is this really it?’ and you start exploring possibilities of how you can get more of what you want. For me, that exploration led to Athabasca’s MBA program. I knew I’d experience a rich learning environment with mature, accomplished fellow students and that I could fit the learning into my very busy work and home life. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and completing the program has opened so many doors!”
Victor Jensch, MBA
“The AU MBA is an investment. It demands your time, thought, creativity, and even passion. You get back that investment many times over and see the difference in yourself from day one.”
John Couto, MBA, CGA
“Taking the AU MBA transformed my decision making process and introduced frameworks and tools to think more strategically and different. Having earned an accounting designation, AU gave me transfer credits, which reduced tuition costs and time to complete the program. I would highly recommend AU’s MBA to other accountants wanting to take their careers to the next level.”
Sanjesh R. Singh, BComm
“I fit school around my life instead of putting it on hold and earned my BComm while working in our family business. Next stop: a career in accounting.”
Claudia Heigl, BComm
“My professors were there to answer my questions – they always took the time and were very patient. One professor in particular was really inspiring to me…she would explain things with real-life terms, in a way that I could understand them.”
Mathew Wilson, Senior Vice President, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters
“Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters have partnered with Athabasca University to help bridge the manufacturing gap and support the growth of manufacturing in Canada by providing leadership and management that enables workers to develop and improve their skills in a flexible, online environment.”
Mohammed Shamsudeen Bello, BMan
"I realized that I needed a degree to move forward. Having a degree gives you an edge, it builds your character. With the flexibility of online learning I was still able to juggle between my personal life and my academic life, I didn’t have to give anything up that was important to me."
Wayne van Wyk, MBA
“You need the support of your family and friends to get through this, but it’s not so unmanageable that you can’t have fun along the way. Each year our family takes a vacation and I brought AU along with me. In the mornings as we sat on the Caribbean beach, there I was with my text books beside me. The rest of the time, we were on holidays.”
Bryan Delodder, MBA
“Sitting in a classroom a couple nights a week or on weekends simply wasn’t possible for me. I needed a program where I could be in China one week and in Germany the next. During the MBA, I’ve moved back and forth from Canada, and spent two years living in the Netherlands. I did homework on more flights than I can count. I was also able to put the program on ‘pause’ when work demanded more of me. Athabasca was flexible enough that no matter what life had in store, I could be successful.”
Roger Lemaitre, MBA
“We are surrounded by people, both in our personal lives and at work, who see the world similarly to us. It can be rare to come across a completely different view. Almost everyday in this MBA, I was challenged to think bigger and broader. It sounds simple to say, ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’ but when you have all these conversations about how things can or should be done differently, it changes the way you see your own career, company, industry and the world.”
Keith Fong, Certified Hockey Professional (CHP-PrEP) Student
“The hockey market in Asia is poised for enormous growth potential. Our company is building arenas across China to capitalize on this – I recognize the value in seeing beyond what happens on the ice. Earning the Certified Hockey Professional designation is an important step in my career that will position me as a leader in this emerging hockey market.”
Alex Kondra, PhD, MBA Program Director and Associate Professor, Organizational Theory
"AU’s online Executive MBA is designed to create better leaders capable of utilizing strategic competencies to turn challenges into opportunities. We do this by integrating theory and current, real business problems, often using examples from your own or your classmates organizations. By bringing diverse groups of students and faculty together from all over the world, we are able to facilitate a richer learning environment – all online so it fits into the rest of your life."
Alexander Poulton, BComm Student
“Competing for AU was a great team building experience, an opportunity to meet profs, and a great way to make great friends!”
Leah Purdy, MBA
“Perhaps one of the best and most unexpected experiences I’ve had through AU's MBA program has been learning from the many diverse backgrounds and perspectives of my classmates and program faculty. I believe the global accessibility of this program, where both instructors and students come together in a virtual community from just about anywhere, has given richness and depth to my learning experience.”
Lee Henderson, DBA
“In my opinion, the true advantage of the AU DBA is that some of the professors in the program did their own PhDs part time while working full-time in their careers. Their experience in juggling their studies and senior management positions allows them to really understand the students’ needs and challenges as part-time doctoral students. I recommend anyone in Canada’s college or university system lacking a doctorate degree to consider AU’s DBA program.”
Harriet Thornhill, MBA
“When I started my MBA, my two sons were transitioning from the teenage years, my daughter was only three years old, my husband was busy with his career, and I had to keep up with a fully charged role at RBC. Quite frankly, the flexibility provided by the AU MBA, along with the support of RBC and my family, were key contributors to my decision to pursue this MBA.”
Doug Grant, MBA
“Since taking the AU MBA, I have risen through the ranks to executive management at The Oopenheimer Group. My position is Vice President and COO with responsibilities for IT, manufacturing, quality control, operations, transportation, food safety and supplier relations. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t apply what I’ve learned from the AU MBA.”
Golnaz Golnaraghi, DBA
“I’m deeply proud of completing my DBA. The expertise and exposure gained through a rigorous DBA program have helped me build my personal brand while cultivating opportunities in industry and academia.”
Anshula Ohri, MBA Student
“Athabasca represents the best of a democratic society, where equality of opportunity is actually achieved through education for all."
Tanveer Ahmed, DBA Student
“There were academics who were very strong researchers, but when I looked at their research and compared it with real life situations, there was a disconnect. It isn’t research alone that has use for practitioners. Because I am in the industry and seeing things in real life, I wanted to be able to do my doctorate without that disconnect. Financially, I could have survived as a full-time student, but I would have been out of touch with industry and I didn’t want that.”
Hamid Shirazi, MBA
“No other scheduled class or distance MBA program could fit my lifestyle – family commitments, a three hour daily commute in the GTA, a complex and demanding career, business travel – and meet my requirements for daily access to experienced academic coaches, an excellent academic coach to student ratio, and daily interaction with peers and classmates from different industries across the county.”
Maria Metchewais, BComm
"I am a busy mom that also works full time as a CFO. Without the flexibility that Athabasca University offers I’m not sure I would have ever been able to go back to school. By being a distance learner I can remain active in my First Nation as well as further my education – both of which are incredibly important to me."
Gary Vince, MBA
“The program brings tremendous benefit, both during and after completion. While business and financial gain is certainly a critical success factor, the level of confidence you gain in your own abilities to successfully navigate through a globalized business environment is a key reason to take the AU MBA program.”
