Tradition, modernity, leadership and international perspective. Words that sum up the very essence of the École des hautes études commerciales of Montreal. Founded in 1907 by the Chambre de commerce de Montréal, HEC Montréal has become one of the top locations for management training and research in Canada, thanks to the quality of its teaching.
The history of the HEC Montréal is entwined with that of Quebec and Canada. It is marked by solid contributions to the development of the nation's economy and the teaching of business. To name but a few:
- the launch of continuing education when it made evening classes available to adults in 1917, a first in Canada;
- the use of Case Method as a teaching tool, starting in 1932;
- the creation in 1958 of the HEC Professional Development Centre for the professional development of executives, as well as the launch of study groups and research centres in administration from 1970 on;
- the reform of teaching programs with the creation in 1968-1969 of the Bachelor and the Master of Business Administration (B.B.A. and MBA);
- The creation in 1975 of the Joint Doctoral Program (Ph.D.) in collaboration with Montreal's other universities, and the Centre for International Business Studies, known by its French acronym CETAI, now International Projects;
- The institution in 1976 of the Master of Science in Administration (M.Sc.);
- The inauguration in 1985 of the Chair of Accountancy;
- The creation in 1987 of the Graduate Program in Oil Company Management in collaboration with the industry and of the Graduate Program in Project Management (Engineering and Environmental Design);
- The creation in 1988 of the Maclean Hunter Chair of Entrepreneurship and the launch of the Graduate Program in Management of Cultural Organizations, the only one of its kind available in French in Canada;
- in 1989, the creation of the Omer DeSerres Chair of Commerce;
- in 1991, the launch of the Centre for Total Quality Studies sponsored by Xerox Canada and Hydro-Québec, and the creation of the Chair in Arts Management;
- In 1992, the launch of the Graduate Program in Taxation;
- in 1994, the creation of the International Advisory Board as well as the launch of the Certificate in Retail and Distribution Management, the Certificate in International Business and the Graduate Program in Management;
- in 1995-1996, the revision of the Bachelor and Master of Business Administration programs (B.B.A. and M.B.A.);
- in 1996, the inauguration of the new HEC Montréal building, the third in its history, the creation of the Risk Management Chair, the creation of the Graduate Program in Public Accountancy as well as the admission of HEC to the Conférence des grandes écoles de France and membership in the IBM World Campus composed of 35 universities and colleges around the world;
- In 1997, the launch of the Virtuose program at the M.B.A. level, integrating technology into teaching and making laptops an indispensable work and communications tool for students, the creation of the Graduate Program in Corporate Finance, the inauguration of a trading room supplied with real-time financial data, the designation of HEC as recipient of the 1997 Award of Excellence for Internationalization awarded by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada and the launch of a trilingual journal by the CETAI entitled International Management;
- In 1998, the launch of the Virtuose program for the B.B.A. and the Master of Laws, Taxation option, offered jointly with the Faculty of Law of Université de Montréal, the creation of the Chair of Small and Medium-size Business Development and Succession, the launch of the International Journal of Arts Management by the Chair in Arts Management;
- In 1999, the awarding of EQUIS accreditation by the European Foundation for Management Development, the integration of SAP technology into HEC's study programs, the launch of the HEC B.B.A. in Tunisia and the obtaining by the B.B.A. of IPA approval from the Canadian Information Processing Society;
- The launch, in 2000, of the CMA International Centre for Studies of Business Processes, of two graduate diplomas (electronic commerce and marketing communication), the opportunity to complete the MBA program in English and the launch, along with four universities in Europe, South America and Asia, of an inter-university partnership (the AEA Alliance);
- The launch, in 2001, of the Pierre-Péladeau Chair of Leadership, the Paul-Hogue Chair in Management, Values and Stress and the Canada Research Chair in Distribution Management.
- In 2002, the obtaining by the MBA of prestigious accreditation from the Association of MBAs (AMBA), from Britain, the launch of the RBC Financial Group Chair of E-Commerce, the Chair in Strategic Management of Information Technology, the Chair in Governance and Forensic Accounting and the Chair in International Strategic Management and the creation of the Graduate Diploma in Supply Chain Management. HEC Montréal becomes the School's new brand image.
- The launch, in 2003, of the Chair of Learning and Teaching Technologies in Management Education, the Chair in International Economics and Governance and the Chair in Ethical Management; the school gets the AACSB international accreditation which, combined with EQUIS and AMBA, makes HEC Montréal the first business school in North America to boast this triple quality mark.
A history to read
In 1994, Pierre Harvey, Director of HEC Montréal from 1982 to 1986, published L'Histoire de l'École des Hautes Études Commerciales de Montréal, Tome 1: 1887-1926, available from Éditions Québec/Amérique/Presses HEC. In 2002, he published Tome 2: 1926-1970.
An exciting history that can be read in one sitting. Also available at the HEC Montréal Myriam and J.-Robert Ouimet Library and on sale at the HEC Montréal Coop.
