Carleton University offers Canada's First Program in International
Development Management

OTTAWA, Oct. 20 /CNW/ - Carleton University's Sprott School of Business has launched Canada's first program focusing on the management side of international development.

The Sprott MBA International Development Management concentration was created to address a critical shortage of management and leadership skills in the planning, organization and delivery of international development and aid projects and programs. 

In the current environment, it has been assumed that technical expertise in program areas sufficiently equips an individual to co-ordinate and direct international development and aid efforts. However, the success of these projects and programs is often compromised due to inadequate or inappropriate management training and poor leadership skills. The failure to deliver the expected results is costly, in both human and economic terms.

"This program is unique and innovative, global and interdisciplinary," says Roseann O'Reilly Runte, president of Carleton University. "The combination of economics, management and policy will enable our graduates to make an invaluable contribution to organizations with an international focus."

The Sprott MBA International Development Management concentration is a partnership among Carleton's Sprott School of Business, the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, and the School of Public Policy and Administration. Drawing on the expertise within each school, the program combines the appropriate business practices, management capabilities and leadership skills with in-depth understanding of international development goals and processes. The program can be completed in 16 months and includes an internship program that is mandatory for students with less than two years of relevant management experience.

"Our MBA concentration in international development management was created in direct response to requests from the field," says Jerry Tomberlin, dean of the Sprott School of Business. "There is a clear need for the expertise to develop strategic plans and the skills to put them into action."

"In the for-profit world, you seek to maximize return on investment through an MBA," says Craig Kielburger, founder of Free The Children, an international children's charity. "It's the same in the non-profit world, except your investment is donor dollars and government grants. At Free The Children, our goals are to maximize the number of children in school, the number of lives saved and the number of women who are empowered through alternative income programs and microenterprise."

Graduates of the Sprott MBA International Development Management concentration will be equipped to manage and lead international development programs and projects in a variety of sectors for government, non-profit and private organizations in any region of the world. Other opportunities could include: translating policy objectives into relevant programs and projects; assisting the start-up, financing and growth of sustainable, locally-based enterprises in developing regions; and working in private-sector companies to ensure they operate in fair and sustainable ways in their work with and in developing countries.

The Sprott School of Business also offers MBA concentrations in financial management, international business, and management and change.

Details of the program are available at: sprott.carleton.ca/mba/idm .

About the Sprott School of Business:
Carleton University's Sprott School of Business explores complex business issues through its innovative programs, interdisciplinary research and collaborative partnerships, which are aligned along three core strengths: international focus, innovation, and responsible management. The school delivers academic programs at the undergraduate through to doctoral levels, as well as a range of professional development certificates and courses.

About Carleton University:
Located in the nation's capital, Carleton University is a dynamic research and teaching institution with a tradition of leading change. Its internationally recognized faculty, staff and researchers provide more than 24,000 full- and part-time students from every province and more than 100 countries around the world with academic opportunities in more than 65 programs of study, including public affairs, journalism, film studies, engineering, high technology and international studies. Carleton's creative, interdisciplinary and international approach to research has led to many significant discoveries and creative works in science and technology, business, governance, public policy and the arts. As an innovative institution, Carleton is uniquely committed to developing solutions to real-world problems by pushing the boundaries of knowledge and understanding daily.

For further information:

Kimberley Swartz
Media and External Relations Officer
Sprott School of Business, Carleton University
[email protected]
613-520-2600 ext. 1573

Lin Moody
Media Relations Officer
Carleton University
[email protected]
613-520-2600 ext. 8705