A Master’s earned for Canadian student studying across time zones with University of Limerick

A Master’s earned for Canadian student studying across time zones with University of Limerick. UL graduate John Ciupa Photo: Alan Place

John Ciupa celebrated his Master’s degree with University of Limerick thanks to its flexible learning programme with Kemmy Business School

Embarking on a master’s degree while living in a different time zone, working a full-time job, and putting in late-night study sessions at the laptop after putting the kids to bed is no small feat – but it all proved worthwhile for one University of Limerick graduate.

It was a moment of joy and celebration for John Ciupa, from Alberta, Canada, as he was conferred with an MSc in Project and Programme Management from UL’s Kemmy Business School. John, who flew in specially from Canada for his conferring ceremony, joined more than 2,000 fellow students graduating as part of the university’s winter ceremonies.

A father to three young girls, John was born and raised in Fort McMurray, in the Athabasca Oil Sands region, which represents one of the largest oil deposits in North America. For him and his peers, the natural career path after completing high school was to join the thriving regional industry; and after graduating, John undertook a power engineering programme, working his way up through the industry over the next 16 years.

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It was when an opportunity arose at work for him to step into a project management role, overseeing a portfolio of considerable importance to the industry there, that he began to consider further education. He was curious to explore how he could diversify his skillset and offer a fresh perspective to the role.

“I finished my second-class power engineering certification eight years ago and had been using that, along with my experience, to progress my career or open up new opportunities,” explained John.

“But it was curiosity about what’s out there for project management that drove me. It’s very trade-heavy in this region; I’m working with a lot of people who are doing this management role relying on experience alone rather than formal academic training. I wondered, well, what does training look like for this? What education is actually available? What science can back up what we’re doing in real time?”

Keen to explore options at European institutions, John discovered the MA in Project and Programme Management at UL’s Kemmy Business School through a PMI (Project Management Institute) website. It was the perfect pathway for him.

“The more I looked into the UL programme, from the delivery to the timing – everything was the right fit. I wanted to study outside of Canada for the international perspective, and that’s what brought me here.”

While John didn’t possess a formal bachelor’s degree, his trade education and extensive industry experience earned him special acceptance onto the programme. After visiting the campus, where he took a photo outside Kemmy Business School and picked up a UL hoodie at the Visitor Centre, he was ready to begin.

With an eight-hour time difference, along with a full-time job and being a parent to three children, John says the flexibility and support he received over the past two-and-a-half years helped him reach the finish line.

“I worked all day, helped my wife with the kids’ activities in the evenings; then, from bedtime until midnight or 1am – that was my window for studying,” he recalled.

“But the way the programme was delivered, the flexibility, and being able to complete some modules at your own pace was very helpful. The school was very accommodating, while still holding you accountable and expecting you to deliver a master’s-level response to the tasks.”

John found endless benefits from studying course material directly related to his role and described the opportunity to apply his learnings as they came into his job as “unparalleled experience”.

“For many in these [project management] roles here, it’s experience-based – you’re thrown to the wolves, and you figure things out as you go. So, being able to use my experience up to that point but also pair it with new module content offered a unique outlook for my professional position,” he explained.

“And I believe that now, with this accreditation and master’s certificate alongside my power-engineering certification, I will be very well positioned for future advancement.”

Having moved into a new role at work, and reflecting on the enriching – if sometimes challenging – journey to graduation, John Ciupa is proud of his “very unique” CV and professional outlook.

Constantly motivated to inspire and encourage his children, John is already contemplating returning to education in the future, possibly at doctoral level, and has only supportive words for anyone considering the same.

“A big thing I have been trying to teach the kids is to never stop learning. You’re never too old to develop yourself; it’s never too late to add to your portfolio,” he said.

“For me, it’s about never becoming complacent – to apply what I’ve learned where I can and use this knowledge and recognition to further my career.”