While Canada has long been overshadowed by its North American neighbor, the USA in terms of business school education, over the past decade studying an MBA in Canada has become increasingly popular.
In fact, it was in 2003 that the USA gave Canadian business education a significant gift; the US government opted to cut the number of visas it granted to MBA graduates from 200,000 to 65,000. This meant that MBA alumni who failed to receive the H1B visa had to find a US-based company to sponsor them to stay, or to leave the country soon after graduating. For obvious reasons, this decision made many MBA applicants reconsider which countries they should apply to, and Canadian MBA programs were more than happy to step in as the North American alternative.
In fact, this is one of the main reasons why Canada has held the title of third most popular global MBA destination in the QS TopMBA.com Applicant Survey since 2006. At the same time, while the US remains in pole position, its lead has dropped considerably; 79% of applicants expressed an interest in studying an MBA there in 2006, while 60% said the same in 2010.
Further still, with the UK in the midst of adapting its visa system for international graduates, applicants could well be persuaded into opting away from the long-time second place favorite of the UK and consider Canada. This, coupled with MBA recruiters and employers in Canada reporting a 12% increase in hiring in the QS Top MBA Jobs and Salary Trends Report, could make the country an extremely attractive MBA destination over the coming years.
Top business schools in Canada
According to the North American QS Top Business Schools Report 2010, which is compiled from MBA employers’ opinions of MBA graduates from differing business schools around the world, the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario produces the most employable MBA graduates in Canada.
Following closely behind are: Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto; Queens School of Business; and HEC Montreal. All four Canadian business schools featured in the top 30 MBA programs in North America, along with Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University, which came in at 29th place.
Considering that MBA programs in Canada are continually compared to those of business schools in the US, where competition in management education and the sheer number of programs outnumbers any other country in the world, the rating of Canadian business schools in QS’ research is no small feat.
For more information please sign up for our newsletter, or you can discuss this topic on our Facebook page.
Share with friends
