Canada MBA discussion

FT and EIU agree that York outranks Western Ontario and Queen's.

FT2005

Toronto
York
Western Ontario
McGill
UBC
Queen's
Concordia


EIU2004 Ranking Canada

York
Queen's
UBC
Western Ontario


Calgary, Concordia, and Montreal are expressly unranked. It is unclear whether Toronto was ranked by EIU.

BW2004

Queen's
Western Ontario
Toronto
HEC Montreal

UBC, McGill, and York were also "considered for ranking"

What about U of Ottawa's MBA program? Any thoughts? I'm interested in their MHA program which follows the MBA curriculum for the first year, and then offers health specializations for the second year.

Thanks!

Is there anyone who is alumni or current student of queens, so that he can give more info about his experience in school.

Thanks
Pravin

After Hjort's suggestion I did some research on Queen's univ. These are some of my findings.
Things that stand out for Queens especially for technology guys
1) Name of the degree suggests that it is more focussed for tech guys.
2) Good no of international students . Very much crucial factor for tech business.
3) Just a one year MBA so one has to invest less.
4) Small class around 70
5) Recruites like Microsoft and Bell lab are impressed with queen's students.
6) Canada has base for some good tech company like Qualcomm, LSI logic and ATI (recently announced merger with AMD)
Things that goes against queen's
1) Not so impressive placement statsics. Institute has reasons for low placement stastics and those sounds convincing.
2) Not too many scholarships. Finance is a diffcult for international students but it is around 65% of what you need in two year MBA.

Dear Hjort,

Right now due to strict immigration laws and working visa issues in USA many potential applicant from India are considering canadian business schools as an alternative. (although salaries for grads are lower than US B School grads').

But, AFAIK no school in canada helps to get loan without cosignor be it Ivey or Rotman and highest schol they offer is 30000$ out of total expense of nearly 100,000$. My question is, how do international candidates manage their finances especially from Asian countries where cost of living and hence salaries and savings are quite low? Do canadian schools welcome meritorious candidates irrespective of their financial background or they are meant for born rich only?

How important is an MBA in Canada?
I just looked at the BCG web site and most of their consultants in the Toronto office have only an undergraduate degree!!!
So therefore, I assume MBA is not very important in Canada since you can get the best jobs with undergrad only.
It is the same situation in eastern Europe (where I am from). As long as you have an undergrad you are fine for any job. MBA doesn't count at all (almost).

Hi,

It seems that Rotman and Ivey are generally considered the best programs these days, but I would like some educated opinion on what schools are better for career changers.

I am 30, and doing alright in my job in CPG marketing, but I would now like to move into investment banking...M&A, with a CPG focus if possible.

1. Would it be possible for someone in my profile to move into an associate position at a bank if I learn all that is necessary from a basic corporate finance perspective? Or am I a few years too late, given that the usual IB hires are in their 20s? Could I buck this norm if I worked hard?

2. Would a 2y program be better for me due to the internship possibility?

3. Would it be possible to get into a big bank in Toronto and then move to other parts of the world with them?

Just trying to get a realistic perspective. Thanks for any thoughts.

it is surprising actually canada mba colleges do not generate much interest here. Yeah i am planning to do MBA from york and believe that 2 yr program offers an opportunity internship with some company.

How good are the Canada MBA programs for an international student? How much time will one be allowed to stay in Canada looking for jobs? How good is the ROI?

Can someone throw some light?

Cheers
NoeL

Do any of the Canadian bSchool offers admission for Spring session?

Queens starts in May I believe

Most companies (namely public ones) prefer recruiting at McGill, Ivey or Rotman. Ironically, many close friends of mine (including faculty) at McGill prefer the HEC program.

anyone know what job opportunities are like post canadian mba for career switchers?
do these placement stats that unis show include people returning to their old jobs?
thanks,
millhouse

hey good informative posts here.. can anyone tell me about how good or bad HEC Montreal is? havent heard about it in most of the threads. Is it Top five or Top ten in Canada? Thanks

Probably not top 5 in Canada. More likely top 10.

Also, beware that Canadian MBA's are not very transferrable to other markets and are mainly regional. With the exception of Ivey, Rotman, Schulich, and maybe Queen's. So if you're interest is to work in the US, I would suggest you consider US schools. If you want to work in Canada (Toronto mainly, since it's the financial and corporate center of Canada), Ivey is clear cut number 1. Rotman, Schulich, and Queen's also open most of the doors. There's another joint Laurier program that allows you to do a CFA and MBA at the same time which is located smack in the middle of Toronto's downtown financial district that gets some recruitment and recognition from the big financial institutions on Bay Street.

With a HEC Montreal degree, it'll be tough to get a good job in Toronto.

ok . Thanks for your post. You mean Wilfrid Laurier right? I will see that too as it works out fine for me because i am from a financial background.closer to fin. hubs,the better.Thanks for your post on Hec M.


VCG

yeah Wilfrid Laurier. that program isn't great by any means, but it does also prepares you for the CFA while you're doing an MBA, which is a pretty solid combo if you're interersted in heavy finance work.

where are you located now? if you're not already in Toronto then i'd highly recommend attending a Toronto based program. or of course you can go to Ivey and still get into all the big name companies here.