Business Technology Management (BTM)

You know that tech is at the heart of everything that happens – within and among organizations, their customers, and, well, just about everybody. Employers need people who understand how to harness technology to meet the changing needs of this fast paced world. Tech innovators need business skills to ensure their great ideas succeed in the marketplace. This is what the BTM is all about. It’s not just a tech degree. It’s a business tech degree!

Demand is high and growing fast. Some 200,000 professionals are in business technology management jobs today – twice as many as 10 years ago! Employers – in every industry – will need 50,000 more by 2016.

Today’s leaders are business technology managers!

You want to make a difference. You know tech is at the heart of everything. You are inspired to make things happen in real life. This is what business technology managers do, in every field. For example:

• Like Avi Pollock of RBC, harness innovations like Facebook, Twitter, cloud computing, BlackBerries and iPhones to help organizations work smart, collaborate better, and reinvent everything they do.
• Like Daniela Crivianu-Gaita of Hospital for Sick Kids, team up with professionals and technical experts to design electronic heath systems, make patient care better, faster, and more effective.
• Work with hydro companies, appliance manufacturers, and consumers to bring “smart” power grids to life – reduce greenhouse gases and make a real difference on climate change.
• Like Melody Adhami of Plastic Mobile, be the CEO, sales, marketing or business leader for a startup app developer and take the world by storm.

Practical, real world experience

• BTM students learn to analyse business needs, design the best tech-based solutions, and communicate these effectively. They learn to lead teams, organize projects and change the way organizations do their jobs.
• Nearly all BTM programs ensure that students have the co-ops, internships, and other real life experiences they need to land top jobs. They also include an “integrative” final year project that tackles a real challenge faced by a nearby organization. 
• Employers are a big part of the BTM – serving on advisory councils, offering co-ops and internships, participating in competitions and conferences, and helping graduates find jobs.
• BTM takes learning beyond the classroom. It places a big emphasis on interpersonal communications, collaboration, and leadership. Graduates are in demand for jobs in business analysis, project management, sales, consulting, customer and supplier management, and marketing support.
• Graduates with one year of relevant work experience get the job-ready stamp of the BTM (Practicum) certificate.
• An exclusive national directory of co-op, intern, and graduate job candidates is in the works to link BTM students with prospective employers.

Where is the BTM?

Currently 10 universities across Canada offer undergraduate BTM degrees or certificates, with more on the way. They include:

• Acadia University (Halifax)
• Concordia University (Montreal)
• Laval University (Quebec City)
• Ryerson University (Toronto)
• Simon Fraser University (Vancouver)
• Université du Québec à Montreal (UQAM, Montreal)
• University of British Columbia (Vancouver)
• University of Waterloo & Wilfrid Laurier University (joint Computer Science & Business program, Waterloo)
• Wilfrid Laurier University (Brantford campus)
• York University

As with many professional degrees, you can expect to learn a core set of knowledge and skills no matter which BTM school you choose. But each school has its own unique teaching style, course structure and overall approach. Each also excels in particular topic areas and electives, ranging from deep computer science to marketing and entrepreneurship. So check out a few BTM options before making your choice!

►Find out more about the BTM curriculum and how it came to be