In accordance with the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Institutional Quality Assurance Process (IQAP), the Program Chair and review group submitted the Program Self-Study report in March 2017. For the programs under review, it contained the degree-level expectations for these programs, an analytical assessment of the programs, course outlines, program-related data, survey data from the Office of Quality Assurance and appendices with sample examinations and CVs of faculty members. The External Review Committee (ERC) was comprised of two arm’s-length external reviewers (Dr. Brent Gallupe, Queen’s University; Dr. Byron Lew, Trent University) and two internal reviewers (Dr. Kiari Goni-Boulama, RMC, Dr. L Sangalli, RMC). They reviewed the self-study documentation and conducted a site visit to RMC on the 15th and 16th of January, 2018. The visit included interviews with the Dean of Arts, Vice-Principal Academic, Head of Management and Economics Department, Chief Librarian, as well as several civilian and military members of the Management and Economics Department faculty, and several students in the programs. The Committee was also given a tour of teaching facilities used by the Program including labs, classrooms, meeting rooms, faculty offices, and the Library. The ERC submitted their report in February 2018, wherein the report was circulated to and discussed with members of the Department of Management and Economics.
The ERC identified a number of strengths of the joint Economics and Business Administration Programs. Primarily, that the degree-level expectations are carefully outlined and are linked directly and appropriately to the courses to which they apply and are consistent with a typical Economics and Business Administration curriculum, that the level of student achievement and preparation is adequate to meet the educational objectives of the institution and of the Business and Economics Programs, and that although the educational objectives of RMC and the Programs are demanding, the level and degree of student preparation is sufficient. The ERC also identified three primary areas of concern; an increase in published and peer-reviewed research output and more and better funding opportunities, a need for more human resources and support personnel and financial resources, and the necessity of the hiring of bilingual faculty in Economics.
Following consultation with the Head of the Department, program faculty and staff, the Chair of Economics responded to the Reviewers’ Report and the Dean of Social Sciences and Humanities, in consultation with the of Head of Department, prepared a Final Assessment Report (FAR) in February 2022. Specific recommendations, follow-up actions and timelines provided are provided in the FAR. Based on the ERC report, the FAR concluded that the Department is doing the best it can with very limited resources in order to deliver the BA Program and that students who have graduated from the Business Economics Program consider it to be a high-quality program that has provided them with the skills they need in their first position in the military.