Program overview
The Master of Science in Business (MScB) is a 16-month, thesis-based graduate degree that prepares you for industry roles that require in-depth understanding of your field of concentration or for entering into a PhD program in business.
You can complete the MSc in Business in one of 4 areas of concentration:听Finance, Management, Marketing, and Management Information Systems.
Application process
Deadlines
Application deadline for all applicants: January 6
Your application, application fee, and all supporting documents must be received by 12:00 a.m. (Atlantic time) on this date to be considered. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents are received by this deadline.
How to apply
Supporting documents
Applicants should hold a four-year bachelor鈥檚 degree (or equivalent) in any discipline from an institution recognized by 海角社区app University with a minimum 3.0 a 4.3 scale (B average) in the last two years (60 credits) of study.听If you wish to be considered for鈥痑ny鈥痚ntrance scholarships, a minimum GPA of 3.7 (out of 4.3) is recommended.
Unofficial/partial transcripts:听
- These are acceptable at the time of application. However,听official/final versions must be submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies within听90 days of starting the program, if accepted. A hold will be placed on your account if you do not meet this deadline. Please make a plan ahead of time to obtain and submit your official transcripts.
- Please upload unofficial transcripts to the听.听
Official/final transcripts:
- Must include all final marks, the degree name/type, and the date the degree was conferred (graduation date). If this is not stated on the transcript, documentation must be provided from the university confirming this information.
- Submission options are: Electronic file-transfers from the issuing institution and from services such as Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, eScrip-Safe, or TranscriptNetwork. All electronic transcripts must be sent to听mscb@dal.ca.
Important transcript details:
- Please submit one鈥痗opy鈥痮f all official transcripts from ALL post-secondary institutions attended (including transfer credits, study abroad, incomplete programs).
- Transcripts submitted with applications become the property of 海角社区app University, are subject to verification, are not available for copying, and will not be returned to the applicant.鈥
- Notarized transcripts will not be accepted.鈥
- Transcripts in languages other than English or French must be accompanied by an English translation provided by the institution issuing the transript.鈥
- Transcript grading keys must be included with the transcript.鈥
- Official transcripts are not required for any courses or degree you have completed at 海角社区app University (unless courses were taken through the Faculty of Open Learning and Career Development) or . Our office will obtain these transcripts on your behalf.鈥
Please contact your referees prior to completing your application to ensure they agree to provide a reference.
All applicants are required to submit a minimum of two academic references.
In addition to the required two academic reference letters, applicants may submit鈥one or two鈥痯rofessional references that they feel would strengthen their application:听
- Applicants who graduated 3-5 years ago may submit one professional reference in lieu of academic.
- Applicants who graduated 5+ years ago may submit two professional references in lieu of academic.
- At least one academic reference is strongly encouraged for ALL applicants.
Reference submission options
- Preferred option: E-reference system: In the references section of the online application portal, choose 鈥淣o鈥 to indicate your referee will be using the e-reference system. Enter a valid email address for each referee. Once your application is submitted and your application fee paid, the referees will receive an email request to fill out the online form. Admissions staff will be notified when the reference form is submitted. Please review the information carefully. It cannot be changed or removed once the application is submitted.
- Preferred option 2: Email:听In the references section of the online application portal, choose 鈥淵es鈥 to indicate that your referee will be submitting directly to our office. Ask your referees to fill out and sign the Confidential Reference Form听[PDF-160 KB]. They may include a separate letter, but it's not required. The reference form must be emailed by the referee to mscb@dal.ca. Referees must use their work email. The referee should not include you on the email (references must be kept confidential from the applicant).听 听听
The statement of research interests [PDF鈥 45 KB] is your chance to tell the admission committee what unique and valuable contributions you can make. Provide a brief description of your business and educational background and explain how our program will help you achieve your goals. You might want to briefly explain your research interests and state why you have chosen 海角社区app's MScB program.听You are required to identify your potential research supervisor(s) in your鈥痵tatement and justify why you would like to work with the selected faculty member(s). You do not need to receive faculty member鈥檚 approval to include their name in your application.
Results of a GMAT or GRE are optional, but those who wish to be considered for an entrance scholarship must submit a GMAT or GRE score.
English is the language of study at 海角社区app, therefore all applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate their capacity to pursue a graduate-level program in English before admission.鈥
View the complete list of English Language tests accepted by the Faculty of Graduate Studies.听
Test Taker copies of English Language reports are not accepted; they must be official documents sent from the test centre.鈥
Minimum IELTS overall score of 7鈥
Minimum TOEFL score of at least 92 鈥
鈥
Note: The language competency test may be waived if the applicant has completed a degree that meets both of the following requirements:鈥
- The degree is from a recognized university where the language of instruction is English.鈥
- The university (or campus location) where the degree was obtained is in a country where English is an official language.
听
Please contact mscb@dal.ca if you are unsure whether you are required to provide this documentation.
Some applicants will be contacted for a short interview (via video conferencing or on the phone) with a faculty member before the final decision for admission is made.
After you apply
Program and course details
The MSc is a rigorous program that runs for 4 full-time semesters. The curriculum provides a strong academic foundation to enable students to produce original research in their area of specialization and write a thesis.
Students start their journey by choosing a concentration in finance, management, marketing or management information systems.
What you will learn
Terms 1 and 2 consist of core coursework related to a student鈥檚 concentration while, with the guidance of their supervisor, they begin to carve out their thesis project.听
Courses at a glance
- : Econometrics 1 or鈥 : Econometrics for Business Research
- : Theory of Finance
- : Seminar in Corporate Finance
- : Financial Econometrics听
- : Seminar in Investment
- : Research Design and Methods
- : Behavioural Statistics
- : Research Reading and Conference Course
- : Managing People / Org Theory听
- : Seminar on Micro Organizational Behaviour
- : Research Design and Methods
- : Behavioural Statistics
- : Research Reading and Conference Course
- : Seminar in Consumer Behaviour听
- : Seminar in Marketing II
: Research Design and Methods
: Behavioural Statistics
: Research Reading and Conference Course
: MIS Theory and Research听
: Seminar in MIS Research
Additional requirements
During Terms 3 and 4, you will be mentored throughout the research process, from conceptualization to data collection, analysis, and writing of results for scholarly publication.
For more information on specialties of Faculty accepting students, see the list of our鈥faculty members.
In Term 3, with the help of your supervisor, you will choose a research topic for your thesis and work on a field study for your research topic to meet the thesis requirement.听
In Term 4, you are expected to complete and successfully defend a publishable thesis to be considered for graduation with the degree of Master of Science in Business. If necessary, you may register for additional full-time thesis semesters (up to 8) to revise and improve your thesis.
Finance
Research topics include financial theory and research methodology. You will be prepared to build a successful career in research or analysis in the financial sector.听听
Management
Research topics include organizational safety, information systems in healthcare, diversity and inclusion in organizations, leadership and business ethics. The Management concentration will provide you with expertise in the factors influencing employees, teams, and organizational success.
Marketing听
Research topics include marketing management, advertising, consumer studies, digital marketing, services marketing, or marketing strategy and globalization. If you are seeking a career as a marketing analyst, a researcher in industry and government, or plan to pursue a PhD in business, this concentration is right for you.
Management Information Systems
Research topics include business analytics, smart technologies, human-AI interaction, social media, IT & organizations, design-type research, healthcare IT management, IT-enabled decision-making and support, and e-business. This concentration helps you understand the interaction between technologies, individuals, organizations and communities.
Fees and funding
The MScB is a program-fee program. Tuition/fee amounts vary year-to-year.听Questions about tuition/fees should can be directed to Student Accounts.
Faculty-specific scholarships
The Faculty of Management offers scholarships for MScB applicants as well as faculty-wide scholarships with graduate-student eligibility.听
Employment opportunities
A successful applicant may be offered an initial research or teaching assistantship in the first semester. Renewal of the assistantship will be based on merits of coursework and research productivity.