Queen's Puts the Focus on Teams
Associate Director Shannon Goodspeed talks about the Science & Technology MBA at Queen's University
Q: What's the draw of your MBA program?
A: The one-year option. And while our [students] often don't stay in their pre-MBA careers in science and technology -- some switch to investment banking or consulting, for instance -- they're in class with high-caliber students.
Q: Are certain science or engineering backgrounds more impressive to you than others?
A: No. In fact, we like the breadth. This year we're going to target nurses and physiotherapists, because we don't have enough women in the program. Some nurses also want to change their careers, just as scientists do, or want to go into management within hospitals.
Q: Just 22% of your class is female, a percentage well off the average of your peers...
A: We're working at it.
Q: How is David Saunders, the school's dean of one year, faring?
A: MBAs love him. If we have a function, he's there until the very end, talking one-on-one with students. He's got a great vision for the school and is looking to do a lot of work abroad.
Q: When new MBAs arrived at Queen's in May, 55% of them were from outside of Canada, up from 30% in 2003. Why did that international figure grow?
A: We're looking for a high quality student who can handle our program. We kept standards high, and whoever met those standards was in. We have eight countries represented in the class, not including Canada.
