Let's talk about career growth
Career growth looks different for everyone. For some, it’s about a specific title, salary or number of direct reports. For others, it’s influence, impact and the chance to lead. Whatever your definition, advancing your career will require a plan – and likely new skills.
Whether you want to climb up the corporate ladder or simply want to take on higher-profile and more fulfilling projects, upskilling will help you reach your goal. When you’re on top of emerging trends in your field, you’ll be better equipped to contribute more effectively. Similarly, expanding your business and leadership knowledge will support your successful transition to management and leadership roles, while also making you a stronger project lead or team contributor.
One of the best ways to keep your options for the next stage of your career is to pursue a professional master’s degree, like UBC’s Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) or Master of Health Leadership and Policy (MHLP). Unlike a specialized graduate degree or a broader business-focused degree, the MEL and MHLP offer an integrated curriculum that combines technical and business courses. (Read about the key differences between the MEL and an MBA and between the MHLP and the MHA.)
It's a unique combination that sets you up for career growth, however you define it.
Career growth doesn’t need to mean management
There’s often an implicit assumption that career advancement means moving into a management position. And it certainly can. But as a June 2025 article in Forbes describes, a more fulfilling career with greater impact and responsibility doesn’t always come with a management title.
“Maybe you’ve seen managers spending their days in back-to-back meetings or putting out fires,” writes author Diane Hamilton. “Maybe you’ve watched one of them shift from being energized by their work to feeling drained by people problems. That doesn’t mean leadership isn’t for you. But it might explain why you’re hesitant. The truth is, a lot of people turn down management roles because they want to protect the parts of their work that bring them joy. They want to keep learning, solving problems, and building things without getting pulled into performance reviews or constant status updates.”
The kind of career growth the Forbes’ author offers as an alternative includes leading projects, being the in-house expert in a particular domain, mentoring new employees, or presenting at conferences and writing articles in your subject area.
The MEL and MHLP set you up for these kinds of rewarding roles. You’ll deepen your knowledge of your industry through sector-specific courses taught by leading experts in their fields. And you’ll gain new confidence as a leader and strategic thinker through business courses taught by faculty from UBC Sauder School of Business, one of Canada’s top business schools.
As demonstrated by the career evolution of our alumni, these new perspectives lead to measurable career advancements, whether graduates are returning to their previous employers in more fulfilling positions or embarking on a new professional path.
Building leadership and management skills
Maybe you would like to move into a management or leadership role (or at least keep your options open for the future). Being an effective leader or manager requires a very different set of knowledge and skills than what has enabled you to succeed in your career to date.
To lead with confidence, you’ll need to acquire new knowledge, strengthen your communication skills and broaden your understanding of fundamental business topics, from accounting to project management.
MEL and MHLP students come together to take the business courses that make up approximately 40% of the curriculum in each of the sector-specific programs. Students review case studies, engage in animated discussions, and work on group projects alongside classmates with professional backgrounds in engineering, architecture, urban planning and health care.
These group projects – and their associated presentations – empower students to learn how to lead and contribute to an interdisciplinary team working towards a common goal. Students report a significant growth in confidence in their communication, teamwork, leadership and negotiation skills as a result of these projects.
“Learning how to give presentations, understanding different leadership styles and learning how to manage projects are all very useful tools,” says Janille Wingson-Gore, an MHLP alum.
A time for reflection and personal growth
There’s another distinct benefit to pursuing a master’s degree: the opportunity to step aside from your current day-to-day professional practice (even if you do choose to continue working while pursuing one of the part-time options). Many students find it a transformative experience to be able to explore new ideas and follow their interests and curiosity in ways that are often impossible to do in a 9 to 5 job.
You’ll have opportunities to apply your new knowledge and skills to real-world scenarios. Capstone projects, industry-focused initiatives, practicums, and opportunities like Creative Destruction Lab and the Sustainability Scholars program enable students to gain resume-boosting experience and grow their networks. (Learn more about these opportunities.)
Within the courses themselves, there’s lots of time to test out different styles of leadership, finetune your ability to navigate group dynamics, and learn how to influence outcomes even if you are not in a defined leadership position. These are all valuable skills for when you return to full-time work.
“It’s not easy to change your career path, but the MEL gave me a solid foundation to do so,” says alum Wanying Shi, who completed the MEL in Clean Energy Engineering. “I gained the knowledge and skills I needed to pivot into a job where I can use my technical skills and interest in sustainability to make a difference. I really appreciated the freedom I had to explore different areas and learn many new things.”
Adds Peter Sun, an alum from the MEL in Urban Systems, “the focus on systems thinking – both in the sector-specific courses and Sauder courses – is very helpful and applies across many contexts. Being able to understand different perspectives and how and why organizations make decisions enables you to provide information and support to decision-makers or make better decisions yourself.”
The credential matters
A National Graduates Survey from Statistics Canada shows that job applicants with master’s degrees are more likely to find jobs directly related to their field of interest. In the health-care sector, a master’s degree is often a prerequisite for being considered for a management position. For those in STEM, a graduate degree is valued by employers as an example of a commitment to staying current with the latest technical advances and lifelong learning, on par with practical experience and technical skills.
While it is possible to upskill through certificates or microcredentials, a master’s degree will set you apart from other job candidates as someone who is rigorously committed to professional development and learning. Where you study also matters. UBC is internationally recognized as one of the world’s best universities and our graduates are sought after by leading companies from around the world.
Expand your scope of opportunities
Jon Mikkelsen, program director for the MEL in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, summarizes the value of the MEL and MHLP. “It truly can be a transformative experience, boosting students’ versatility and enabling them to expand both their scope of work and their scope of opportunities.”
As the experience of our alumni shows, the MEL and MHLP are an excellent investment for professionals who want to grow their careers – whether that’s a leap into an adjacent industry or a move into a position where their technical and leadership strengths can shine.
Ultimately, however you define career growth, the MEL and MHLP provide an accessible pathway to achieve your goals – equipping you with the technical expertise and leadership skills to confidently move into new positions and expand your influence.
