The Management Skills in Advanced Technology Program (MSAT) was established in 1986 after a series of development seminars with employers, managers, and engineers in science and technology-based industries identified the need for a management skills training program. The President's Fund provided a loan to the Applied Sciences Continuing Studies program in order to get to the program started and soon after its inception, it was recognized as an innovative program in professional development education winning a Canadian Association for University Continuing Education Distinctive Program Award in 1989. The design of the program has changed little since the development of core courses in the late 1980's that include Managing Technology, Engineering Economics and Financial Planning, and Project Management. Students - comprised mainly of engineers, software developers, technologists and scientists seeking to develop their management skills - receive twenty-four days of instruction over a six month period in two three-day modules. Resource persons from the community are brought in as guest speakers. Through lectures, exercises, and group assignments students cover topics including human and organizational behaviour, resource allocation, demand forecasting, economic and financial analysis, project management, sales and marketing, production, operations, business planning, writing and public speaking. The program culminates with a team business planning project using a local technology company as a case example. As of 2005, the program consists of eight integrated core courses and includes new topics relevant to modern industry demands such as eBusiness.

Sub-series consists of records relating to the development and administration of the Management Skills in Advanced Technology Program. Activities, events and topics documented include program planning and general administration, instructors workshops and meetings, course and instructor evaluations, and graduation ceremonies. Records also include those relating to core courses of the program such as Communications Skills; Economic and Financial Planning; Implementing Management Concepts in Advanced Technology; Managing Creative Technically-Oriented People; Project Management; and feasibility planning for MSAT II courses. Records include correspondence, working papers, minutes, course outlines, student binders, budget and financial working papers, pamphlets, photographs and contact sheets.