Canada EMBA Programs: Kellogg-Schulich vs Cornell-Queen's vs Rotman

Question

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the forum and have done a lot of research on the following Executive MBA programs in Canada:

- Kellogg-Schulich Executive MBA
- Executive MBA Americas, a Cornell-Queen's Partnership
- Rotman One-Year Executive MBA

I have applied to all three and am currently waiting to hear back from the admission committees. I've been going back and forth on all three of these programs and I seem to land on a different preference every day, so I'm hoping to get your feedback in terms of the best option to select if I'm admitted into all 3 programs and have to make a selection.

A little about myself: I'm located in Ottawa, ON, work in Finance in the tech industry and I did my undergrad in the HBA program at Ivey in 2008 (that is the reason I have not listed Ivey in the options above, I want a new experience). I plan to stay in Ottawa and within the tech sector long term after completing the EMBA. The MBA has been a personal interest and goal of mine for a long time, my career strategy and objectives are to strengthen my leadership skills, improve my ability to think strategically on a global level, open new doors in terms of networking opportunities and to help differentiate me in the job market amongst my peers. I'm currently in a mid-level management position and have an interest in moving into the C-Suite one day. I'm not concerned with the necessary travel, I'm most interested in attending the program that will open the most doors for me and help me achieve the goals and objectives noted earlier.

I have started a poll and would greatly appreciate your thoughts

u1983 · Answer

Hello  tcharb  .... welcome to the community.

In my personal opinion, Rotman is the best one if you want to continue working in ON. Saying that Cornell-Queen's EMBA is also a good program ---1. Location - very near to Ottawa & 2.Experience - 2 great collages.

I would also try to connect to the alums of those programs to find out more... All the best !!

tcharb · Answer

Update: I have received acceptance letters today from Rotman and Kellogg-Schulich. I originally didn't want to provide my own opinions so as to avoid bias in the survey and feedback, but I think it may be helpful to provide some context in terms of where my head is at. When I originally did my research, Rotman was very attractive to me given their known reputation in Finance and their strong rankings. My hesitation with Rotman is the following: No global travel in the program, limited electives (I'm not sure taking Accounting I and II and Finance I and II will be tremendous value to me given my background in Finance), frequency of classes (every 2 weeks from 8:30am to 7:30pm on Fridays can be disruptive to work). In contrast, the Kellogg-Schulich program has global travel and global electives, is every 3rd weekend so minimal disruption to work, and is rated the top EMBA program in Canada. The Kellogg brand is strong, and from what I see it appears as though Kellogg-Schulich produces more Alumni in C-Suite positions than Rotman (this is entirely subjective from my view, though. I don't have any concrete data to support this claim).

kiran120680 · Answer

If you want to settle down in Canada, Rotman would be better option. However, brand wise, Kellogg programme has more reputation.

billionaire · Answer

Hello tcharb Rotman is the best in Canada. Since you are Canadian you already know that

Your Ivey can come as second best overall in Canada. That is for MBA only, or for business school, as well. Now, in general Schulich is second best in Toronto. I dont know if your goal is to move to Toronto, but I will assume it is, since that Financial capital of Canada. EMBA obviously in this settings, will be a different game.

Furthermore, when Kellogg comes in play everything changes. As already said, although Rotman is number 1 in Canada, it is still not that known globally, for instance compared with American schools. Kellogg is global brand, known everywhere. If you ever want to leave Canada and especially if you ever consider to move to work in US, then Kellogg Schulich should be easy choice. IMO 1 year MBA is joke....2 year program is much more valuable experience. Since you are FinTech guy, let say alike me

you should attend Human and Machine Intelligence and FinTech Strategy: Innovations in Financial Services global courses at Evanston. https://schulich.yorku.ca/wp-content/upl ... ochure.pdf Unfortunately, Rotman EMBA program sounds boring:

https://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/Degrees/M ... m/Delivery Apparently, they do not follow trends and rely solely on brand of business school. I did also check Executive MBA Cornell-Queen's but would not consider them, with above two options. My vote goes to Kellogg Schulich EMBA

tcharb · Answer

billionaire  Thanks for the feedback. I agree the Rotman EMBA program does come off a little boring and redundant for someone who already has a Finance background. The curriculum for Kellogg-Schulich is strong which was one of the reasons I keep coming back to them. I plan to stay in Ottawa long term so the global aspect of Kellogg-Schulich isn’t a necessity for me, but if I’m going through the effort of completing the EMBA for roughly the same price Rotman vs Kellogg-Schulich, KS seems like a better ROI

billionaire · Answer

Hello tcharb If it was MBA then I would recommend Rotman. For EMBA I recommend Kellogg-Schulich as stronger and better program. Yeah Kellogg-Schulich def has better ROI, even in terms of experience, "challenge" and adventure. Good news is that you cannot go wrong, especially if staying in Canada is your (only) target, Rotman will still do the trick, just personal experience will be less valuable. John Hull is at Rotman (unfortunately the other great Quant Peter Christoffersen past away), but I dont know if you can take any of his course. For Finance I would rather recommend MFin/MFRM at Rotman, they kinda have very similar curriculum there, even better MFE or MQF

at any reputable university, than MBA or EMBA, but that is another story. If John Hull is going to teach you Finance at EMBA (which I doubt) then that would be a big +. Ask around. Otherwise, Kellogg-Schulich EMBA is clear win. https://www.economist.com/whichmba/exec ... nking/2018 Good Luck

tcharb · Answer

Update: I received an admission letter for Cornell-Queen's today, so I have officially been offered a spot in all 3 programs. The poll so far has been leaning toward Rotman, I'm curious what is driving that selection. If you could elaborate I would greatly appreciate it. I'm genuinely torn between Kellogg-Schulich and Rotman: Kellogg-Schulich is ranked #1 in Canada and is the school I'm leaning toward, but I'm concerned I'm missing something with the volume of votes going toward Rotman.

bb · Answer

Congrats on your admits!

EMBA is a bit different from the MBA as Billionaire pointed out. 
I don't know much about any of the 3 EMBA programs but you have to put yourself 2-3 years from now and see how you expect to leverage the EMBA. Is that something that will help you within your company? Is that something that will better yourself? Is that something you expect to lead to a better job offer?

I feel that any of the three programs would look on the resume, so we can rule out prestige in a sense that there would be few recruiters who would be able to pick one vs. the other or shortlist since you "only" attend Rotman.

Of course outside of Canada, Kellogg name can help quite a bit more and if you are looking to pivot internationally, I think there could be an argument but these are all pretty moot. I think the biggest question is how you planning to leverage your MBA and if you are looking to recruit for a new job, then you will need a network and it will likely be your classmates, so you have to think strategically - which group would you be most bonded with and find most camaraderie and which one would challenge you the most?

Travel definitely helps to bond people but if you are only meeting once every 3 weeks and then you have different people flying in and out and it is never the same group, it is pretty easy to stop networking and miss out on a lot of the value. I think your key area to look into is what networking options will you have and how you can leverage them for your plans down the road. That's what matters more than the name of the school really.

billionaire · Answer

tcharb I voted for Rotman before I have read the whole post and payed attention we are talking about EMBA and did some further research. I just saw Rotman and Canada at that point. So it is actually 2:1, not 3:0....which was already explained by comments so far. You dont miss anything, you are leaning toward right choice.

However, it should be only your decision...we are all different....and all of us can have a little bit different and subjective reasons why we may prefer one over another. Rotman is a brand in Canada....but Kellogg is stronger brand

Kellogg > Cornell > Rotman Rotman > Schulich > Queens Just listen your gut, and you will do just fine

Inner voice is never wrong

tcharb · Answer

Thanks for the feedback  bb  and  billionaire  . The interesting thing about my "inner" voice is that it keeps changing. Before I started applying, my top choice was Rotman. The value of the Rotman MBA in Canada is well known, and Rotman is the top school in Canada for Finance and Leadership. I also wanted to support a Canadian school, and since I plan on staying in Canada after it didn't really matter to me if I had an internationally known name on my resume. Throughout the application process and the interview, I have connected with Rotman more than any other program. They've gone above and beyond to support my questions and help me make the decision that is best for me. When I asked to speak to an alumni of the program, they put me in contact with a CFO in the tech sector (which is exactly what my aspiration is) and the guy was willing to talk to me the same afternoon that I was introduced to him via email. Rotman was even so impressed with my application that they offered me a small entrance award of $5k. When they offered me acceptance into the program, they sent me a personalized package in the mail signed by the admissions committee. In terms of "fit", Rotman is definitely checking all the boxes.

On the other side, during my research, I stumbled upon Kellogg-Schulich time and time again. They are consistently ranked #1 in Canada in all the rankings and are known as being the most prestigious school in Canada. Their curriculum seems more challenging/rewarding/interesting than Rotman and the research suggests that the value of the Kellogg-Schulich experience significantly helps Alumni move into more senior positions in their companies. My reservation with Kellogg-Schulich is that I don't really "connect" with the people that I have been interacting with thus far. I found the interview to be mostly boring and the level of support has been mediocre when I have questions (Kellogg-Schulich give off the impression as though I'm an ingrate for asking questions, because it's an honour to be accepted into the program and I should be tripping over my laces to join them). When I asked to speak with an alumni of the program, they put me in contact with someone that is super busy and doesn't have time to speak with me.

In terms of my goals for the MBA, I'm about to join a company in Ottawa that is one of the top-ranked employers in Canada. Getting into the company has been extremely difficult (it's taken me 5 years to get in) and getting promotions is super competitive. One of the reasons I'm interested in the MBA is to help differentiate me amongst my peers, help me to further develop my leadership skills, and to help me think strategically. I would like to be able to move up internally within the company as they grow, and a lot of that growth will be international.

Would I be a complete idiot to pass up the opportunity to be in the Kellogg-Schulich program?

billionaire · Answer

Hello tcharb Absolutely not. (you will not be idiot, far from that

) Seems to me based on your description that you are rooting for Rotman. You cannot go wrong Rotman or Kellogg. Since your experience so far favors Rotman and you are inclined toward them anyway with Canadian mindset, you should go to Rotman. That is what I always want to explain and stress out...we are all different...have different goals and look things from different perspective. If perspective changes, answer changes as well. There is no reason for you to go somewhere where they don't treat you as you would like. That is definition of fit in practice...there is overall answer and fit answer. Fit wins in my book.

Just listen to your gut. I praised Kellogg, but you I read you and see Rotman as final answer. In your shoes and with your experience so far (and goals) I could reason just like you.

pseethar · Answer

Have a quick question on the Kellogg-Schulich EMBA. Is the degree offered separately by Schulich and Kellogg? Or is it a one certificate from both? I am asking because, I have worked for several years in US and currently in Toronto. I would be working both in US and Canada in my work life so degree globally recognized does matter to me.

billionaire · Answer

Hi pseethar You should not worry about that

You are going here for Kellogg brand and that cannot be neglected anywhere in the world. Contact them and check via: 416-736-5486 or emba@schulich.yorku.ca Good Luck

pseethar · Answer

But degree certificate perspective - does schulich and Kellogg give 2 individual / respective certificates?

Posted from my mobile device

bb · Answer

Interesting question. Why would it matter how it is done? Are you trying to hide one of them? The degree is joint so it will be a single diploma.

And I will have to disappoint you and tell you that you will not receive any certificates. However, I can also assure you that nobody will ever want to see your pieces of paper. There is a resume and there’s a background check. The pieces of paper stay somewhere in a box in your house or on a wall if you prefer.

You will receive a diploma upon graduation for one degree but will be alumni of both Schulich and Kellogg. But if all you are after is a piece of paper, there are much cheaper ways of getting one.

billionaire · Answer

simplest and most appropriate way to get your answer...or any additional is hiding in uploaded picture below

no need for

RajNay · Answer

I am selected in Kellogg - Schulich. Currently based in Toronto but have spent close to 10 years working in US. What are the advantages of Kellogg - Schulich other than the brand, global study opportunity?

Interested to hear more on this program

Interested to hear more on this program

RajNay · Answer

I just got yesterday - confirmation from Rotman too. So pretty much I am in the same situation as the person who started this chat. I am really interested to know the difference between Rotman and Schulich. I am especially curious why Rotman is priced at around $115k when it offers no global programs and even the courses offered are not phenomenal(especially Finance 1 & 2), Operations etc, compared to Schulich

There should be a reason its on premium, not sure if I am missing that info

There should be a reason its on premium, not sure if I am missing that info

choudharyRaj · Answer

Hey Raj,

Which program did you select Kellogg Schulich or Rotman ?

I am also exploring options around exec mba and would be interested in feedback

Canada EMBA Programs: Kellogg-Schulich vs Cornell-Queen's vs Rotman

Based on the message body, which EMBA program is the best option for me?

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