by Molly Ellison, photo courtesy of Paul Bica via Flickr.

The ultimate guide to Canada’s best full-time MBA programs. Compare Canada’s top MBA programs head-to-head and get the inside scoop from Admissions Directors and students.

• 5 REASONS TO GET YOUR MBA IN CANADA
• WORKING IN CANADA AND POST-MBA CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
• TOP FULL-TIME MBA PROGRAMS IN CANADA
• APPLICATION TIPS FROM CANADIAN MBA ADMISSIONS DIRECTORS
• WHAT’S IT REALLY LIKE AT TOP CANADIAN MBA PROGRAMS? (STUDENT OPINIONS)
• HEAD TO HEAD – ROTMAN MBA vs. IVEY MBA vs. QUEENS MBA vs. SCHULICH MBA vs. DESAUTELS MBA vs. SAUDER MBA

5 Reasons to Get Your MBA in Canada

1. Canada is an ideal choice for international students. The country welcomes 90,000 international students annually and graduates are eligible for a work permit post-graduation that usually lasts for an amount of time equal to the program length of study, up to 3 years.

2. Canada has historically been a pioneer in business education – the first MBA program outside the U.S. was established in 1948 at Western University’s Ivey Business School.

3. In 2016, Forbes named Canada the 10th best country in the world for business, beating out economic powerhouses like the U.S., China, Singapore and Australia. QS TopMBA also ranked it as the #4 country for volume of jobs for MBA graduates.

4. When compared to other MBA program-hotspots such as Hong Kong, Singapore and the U.S., Canada boasts an affordable cost of living and high quality of life.

5. The country has several major metro areas to work in post-MBA. Canada’s largest city, Toronto, was recently deemed the most diverse city in the world – 51% of its population was born outside of Canada.

Working in Canada and Post-MBA Career Opportunities

• Visa – Graduates from MBA programs are eligible for a work permit equivalent to at least their length of study and up to 3 years, depending on the school. For instance, Rotman and Schulich offer 3-year work permits despite having shorter program lengths. In general, Canada has friendly immigration policies and is continually ranked highly in its attitude toward immigrants.
• Taxes – Income tax rates range from 15-33%.
• School reputations
  • University of Toronto – Rotman School of Management MBA – The University of Toronto is among the world’s most prestigious universities (ranked #19 by Times Higher Education) and has one of the strongest research and teaching faculties in North America. Rotman is consistently ranked as one of Canada’s leading MBA programs. It is also a finance powerhouse, with nearly half of its graduates landing jobs in the competitive industry.
  • Western University – Ivey Business School MBA – Ivey is the original MBA program in Canada – it was established nearly 70 years ago. The program is known for its case study approach – throughout the 12-month program students study more than 300 cases.
  • Queen’s University – Smith School of Business MBA – Queen’s MBA program puts a huge emphasis on collaboration – students are assigned a team at the start of the program that they work with throughout the 12-month program. Employers seem to appreciate this approach – 98% of the Class of 2016 was employed within six months of graduation.
  • York University – Schulich School of Business MBA – Schulich is ideal for a student looking to customize his or her MBA experience. There are 2 intakes in January and September, and students can complete the MBA in 16 or 20 months. The program boasts 20 specializations, several international experiential learning opportunities, multiple full- and part-time schedule options, and culminates in an 8-month field study project where students work with a real client.
  • McGill University – Desautels Faculty of Management MBA – McGill University is one of Canada’s most prestigious universities, and Desautels measures up to the school’s impressive reputation. It’s located in one of the country’s most student-friendly cities and emphasizes experiential learning during the 2-year program.
  • University of British Columbia, Vancouver – Sauder School of Management MBA – The University of British Columbia, is a public research university and British Columbia’s oldest institution of higher learning. Sauder’s MBA cohort has a huge international student population and it boasts a prestigious partnership with Yale University. It’s also one of the only MBA programs in Vancouver, Canada’s third-largest city.
• Geography – Canada has vast employment opportunities for MBA graduates – QS TopMBA ranks it fourth in the world for volume of jobs available for MBA graduates. It also boasts several world-class cities, including Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.
• Industry – Canada offers a range of opportunities for MBA grads looking to pursue a career in the financial sector. Specifically, Toronto is the 4th largest city in North America and the banking industry has a strong presence. The country’s “Big Five” banks – the Bank of Montreal, the Bank of Nova Scotia, the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, the Royal Bank of Canada, and Toronto-Dominion Bank – are based in the city. Manufacturing, energy, construction and real estate are other big industries in Canada. Popular industries for MBA grads include consulting and technology. 
  
• Return on Investment – In 2017, Financial Times ranked Smith, Ivey, and Rotman #41, #42, and #100 for value for money.

Top Full-Time MBA Programs in Canada

Canada is home to the first MBA program outside the U.S. – housed at Western University’s Ivey Business School. Ivey and other top Canadian b-schools, such as the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Management, hold their own in international rankings by the Financial Times, the Economist, and Bloomberg Businessweek. With a range of globally acclaimed schools, Canada boasts diverse options for prospective MBA candidates.

University of Toronto – Rotman School of Management MBA

• Rotman was ranked as the #1 MBA program in Canada by the Financial Times in 2017.
• The 20-month program offers ample networking and experiential learning, including flexible opportunity for a 4-month paid internship.
• Rotman MBAs can specialize in one of 14 majors – from brand management to risk management – and choose from over 90 electives.
• The school’s innovative Self-Development Lab helps build students’ communication and teamwork schools in a collaborative setting.
• Rotman is situated in Toronto, Canada’s largest city, but that’s not all that gives the program a worldly approach. International students account for more than half of the class of 2018.

Western University – Ivey Business School MBA

• Ivey put Canadian business education on the map – it was the first MBA program launched outside of the U.S.
• Ivey’s MBA program is internationally renowned for its unique case study approach to learning – throughout the one-year program, students delve into more than 300 cases. As J.D. Clarke, Executive Director of Masters Programs Recruitment and Admissions, says: “It’s like getting 15 years of work experience in the matter of a year. You’re working on 300 real business situations.”
• The school has additional campuses in Hong Kong and Mumbai, and offers optional study and consulting trips to China, India, Eastern Europe and South America.
• The MBA program is only one-year long and has just one intake in March.
• The program is located in London, Ontario, a mid-sized college town that is only 2-hours by car or 2.5 hours by train from Toronto.

Queen’s University – Smith School of Business MBA

• In 2015, alumnus Stephen Smith, who is now Chairman and CEO of First National Financial Corporation, gave the business school a $50 million gift.
• The program has rigorous team-based pedagogy – students are assigned to a team for the core of the program (6 months), and a significant portion of students’ overall grade is derived from teamwork
• The January start program is 12 months long with a 16-month option for those looking to pursue a dual degree. Options for the dual degree include a Master of Finance, Master of Management Analytics, Juris Doctorate, or Health Quality.
• Each student gets assigned a Team Coach, Career Coach, Executive Coach and Lifestyle Coach during program.
• Queen’s MBA program offers support for non-native English speakers by offering an 8-week, intensive language course before the MBA classes start.
• Queen’s MBA was ranked #1 in Canada for Salary Increase and Value for Money by Financial Times in 2017, and #1 for Salary and Job Placement by Bloomberg Businessweek in 2016.

York University – Schulich School of Business MBA

• Schulich is Canada’s #1 MBA Program according to The Economist, Forbes, CNN Expansion, América Economía and efinancialcareers.com. It is also ranked #1 in the world by Corporate Knights for business sustainability.
• Looking to specialize? Schulich’s MBA program offers 20 options, ranging from health industry management, to business and sustainability.
• Students can start in January or September, and finish in 16 or 20 months.
• Schulich has two campuses in Toronto, Canada’s business hub, and a campus in Hyderabad, India, granting students impressive access to multinational corporations and other key industry players.
• The program culminates in a Strategy Field Study, an 8-month consulting project where students work with a real client.
• Schulich’s International MBA (IMBA) program includes a 4-month work term and is designed for students who speak at least two languages and want to gain knowledge of international business management.
• Students who have completed an undergraduate degree in business may be eligible for the Accelerated MBA program, allowing them to complete the program in a reduced amount of time.

McGill University – Desautels Faculty of Management MBA

• McGill offers a unique integrated core where each of its 5 core modules – Leading, Measuring, Resourcing, Creating, and Competing – is taught by a team of professors from different disciplines.
• Located in French-speaking Montreal, 95% of the program’s students are multilingual and represent 30 countries.
• Many call Montreal Canada’s “cultural capital” and QS Top Universities recently named it the best city in the world for international students.
• Desautels brings C-suite talent directly to students by hosting robust industry expert panels and a CEO speaker series.
• For professionals based in Tokyo, Desautels’s MBA Japan program offers weekend classes in the heart of the city to accommodate students’ busy schedules.

University of British Columbia, Vancouver – Sauder School of Management MBA

• Ranked by Financial Times in 2016 as the #3 MBA program for international students in North America, and #4 for international mobility.
• Sauder boasts an impressive dual-degree program partnership with Yale University that gives high-achieving students the opportunity to pursue a Master of Advanced Management at the Ivy League institution.
• The MBA program values an intimate learning environment – its cohort is never larger than 100 students.
• International students account for about two-thirds of the Class of 2017, which is more than any other top MBA program in Canada.
• Vancouver is among the most startup-friendly cities in the world and the best city for tech entrepreneurs in Canada, according to the 2017 Genome Startup report.

Application Tips from Canadian B-School Admissions Directors

“With many specializations and ways to gain global exposure, our MBA/IMBA students can have multiple career paths to consider. This is why it is important to ensure that you have a clear idea in your mind as to what your ultimate career goals are. Not only do we want to know why you are pursuing an MBA, but we also want to know that you’ve thought about your own measures of success. We want all of our students to succeed, which is why it’s important to ensure that there is good “fit” between you and the school.” -Graham Sue, Former Associate Director, Recruitment & Admissions, York University – Schulich School of Business

“Make sure that it’s [your resume] accomplishment-based… I still find today that a lot of students are writing down what they’ve done in terms of their responsibilities, but they’re not getting to the meat of it… What we’re looking for here is quantifying as best as possible… Answer the question: how is that organization better as a result of you having been there?” -Leigh Gauthier, Assistant Director of Recruitment and Admissions, University of Toronto – Rotman School of Management

“Ask your target schools to send you a list of companies that come year over year to recruit… that says a lot about the quality of students there. If they’re getting well-recognized firms that come to campus to recruit, that means that those firms are very happy with the talent they are recruiting. We spend a lot of time surveying our recruiters because it’s very important that we’re meeting their talent needs. And that loops right into our admissions process.” -J.D. Clarke, Executive Director, Masters Programs (Recruitment & Admissions), Western University – Ivey School of Business

“Any one of our MBA programs offers you an opportunity to work with an application advisor. The application advisor is going to be your point of contact from start to finish. When you start an application online, you’re asked to provide 2 things: your unofficial transcript and your resume and your application advisor will contact you within 24-48 hours, and they will do a preliminary assessment… So this is a point of contact to help you prepare your strongest application and present yourself in the best light. They are there also to help answer any questions you have during the process.” -Teresa Pires, Assistant Director for Recruitment and Admissions, Queen’s University – Smith School of Business

“The most important aspect of the UBC MBA application is to demonstrate your full capability to us. We are looking for students that demonstrate their ability to handle the intense workload and who are ambitious enough to take on the numerous opportunities offered throughout the (program’s duration of) 16 months. During your time in the program, there’ll be career events, opportunities for mentorship, extracurricular activities and case competitions, to name just a few – so it’s important that we find students who can thrive in our program and for applicants to show that they can achieve this in the application.” -Michael Holaday, Director of Recruitment and Admissions, University of British Columbia, Vancouver – Sauder School of Business (QS Top MBA Interview)

“Aside from academics, GMAT and work experience, leadership qualities are also very important, and we take into consideration an applicant’s extracurricular activities and drive. In addition, the interview is something that is very important, as this is where the candidate has the opportunity to demonstrate that they are the right person for the program.” -Antoinette Molino, Assistant Director of MBA Admissions, McGill University – Desautels Faculty of Management (QS Top MBA Interview)

What’s It Really Like At Top Canadian MBA Programs?

(click to get in-depth interviews with each school’s MBA Ambassador)

Join our Ambassador’s Forum to get the inside scoop from Candadian MBA students and recent alumni.

“During the first six months you’re given more than you can possibly handle,” she says. “There’s a lot to take on academically and on top of that you’re meeting all your classmates for the first time, getting involved in real-world case studies and attending talks. The UBC MBA teaches you to work better, faster, and smarter.” -Kim Zatlyn, Class of 2012, University of British Columbia, Vancouver – Sauder School of Business

“Ivey’s one-year program is attractive in that it minimizes opportunity costs while maintaining high standards in education; furthermore, the fast-paced learning environment prepares students for an easier transition back to the professional world.” -Kevin Marban, Class of 2015, Western University – Ivey Business School

”One year may well be a short time to get hold of a new subject. I belong to the Marketing domain, and Finance remains my Achilles’ heel. The professors at Queen’s perhaps anticipated this. Around four months prior to the start of the program, we received a Financial Accounting Workbook. It was a smart move, for the time we would spend saying farewells and loitering around before heading to Canada allowed us to get our basics right on a subject most face issues in. Likewise, there were a few other helpful readings and hellos in that package, if one chose to indulge.” -Malay A. Upadhyay, Class of 2016, Queen’s University – Smith School of Business

“One of Rotman’s main objectives is to have women comprise 40% of the student body by the year 2020. In addition to attracting more women to the MBA, the Rotman MBA has created an atmosphere that allows us to take advantage of available opportunities and be more ambitious in our career objectives. It has opened a Men’s Business Chapter within the Women’s Business Club to discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion and to develop strategies for increasing work equality.” -Juliana Luque Cala, Class of 2018, University of Toronto – Rotman School of Management

“For my first course project, I was assigned to a team where all six members were from different places (Canada, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Japan, Azerbaijan and Bangladesh). I have learned how to reframe a challenge from a German professor. I have learned the intricacies of the oil industry from a new Brazilian friend. Every single moment at Schulich is an opportunity to look at life through a different pair of glasses.” -Ehsanul Mahmud, Class of 2018, York University – Schulich School of Business

“The class size deserves special mention because the community feel at Desautels means that you feel at home for the duration of your MBA. You literally become a part of a family, one that will extend far beyond your school years. You will know and hopefully get to work with every single person in the program – and this means that your skills will be authentically endorsed by your peers. The class is also highly international (with a distinct Indian bias), and the exposure to different cultures and backgrounds is a huge advantage. Of course, there are downsides to this – it is harder to attract companies to the campus – but these problems are acknowledged and the faculty is working towards fixing them.” -Yash Sinha, Class of 2017, McGill University – Desautels Faculty of Management

What’s Next?

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Want a comprehensive picture of Canada’s leading MBA programs? Read below for a head-to-head comparison of schools with detailed info on admissions, curricula, post-grad prospects and more.

Head to Head

Rotman MBA vs. Ivey MBA vs. Schulich MBA

Queen’s MBA vs. Desautels MBA vs. Sauder MBA

Last updated March 2017

Rotman MBA vs. Ivey MBA vs. Schulich MBA

Queen’s MBA vs. DeSautels MBA vs. Sauder MBA

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