Canadian MBA: Ivey, Rotman, or Schulich?

I think Ivey is the best, followed by Rotman then, Schulich.

I think rotman is better than Ivey now Ivey changed their program to 1 year...

Plus rotman has better rankings

Currently I think its Ivey, Rotman and then Schulich for Consulting and Banking

Rotman is expanding their class size heavily according to a senior proffessor there, so that they can compete for jobs internationally and boost their starting salaries and increase in the rankings. I think the school will have upto 600 students per graduating class in the next few years, and they think they can attract US BB and MBB firms to increase their profile. However their tuition is quite high for a Canadian program, but if you have no finance background and want to be an ibanker its the one school in Canada you should go to.

Ivey is still tops I think because of the recruiting they get and the alumni network, however its not good for career switchers as a one year program and i think definately slowly losing some luster to Rotman

Schulich is the best value of all the Canadian schools, decent recruitment, and alumni, good rankings, and the the most innovative and flexible programs. Overall the students are not as strong as at Ivey and Rotman, but there are still a lot of bright people there, i think the large size of the program allows them to let in some candidates who seem unpolished and thus brings the rep of the entire program down.

I have a grad degree from UofT and had to take some extra MBA classes at Rotman. I was taught by Alan White (from hull & white...) and I was very disappointed by the quality of the teaching as well as the quality of the students. Therefore, I think Rotman's MBA sucks.

Also, I'm convinced by rotman's placement into IB. Ivey places a lot more kids in associate positions.

Summer position are definately not guaranteed and from I what i have read on this site they are even harder to get than full time positions, but imo if you cant land a decent summer internship it will be very difficult to think that you can get a full time IBD position. (if you are looking at getting into commercial banking or some other functional finance role then this isnt as much of an issue). 60% of summer interns were offered a full time position after, so there arent many positions left if those people accept.

I think Rotman charges a premium because their finance focussed program can really help career switchers and the UofT brand. I already have a strong background in finance and I was looking for an MBA that offered good recruitment, alumni and networking, and an overall general fun experience. I didnt think that Rotman was significantly better than Schulich in any of those categories, especially not for almost double the expense.

mbp : Small sample bias ;)

i think in terms of return for investment, Schulich is the best option due to its good ranking, combined professional designation, short period of study. and the tuition fee is very accetable compare to the others, easpecially benefit for the MBA candidates in Toronto.

It is important to know what do you expect after the graduation. normally people who attend MBA want to change his or her career. For people who is success in their career wont quit the job for full time study. So most of MBA graduates will find a job at a entry level - Maybe in their interested business area. those three MBAs are in similar situation. (Exceptions can be happen to the people who return to previous company and has good relationship with their boss)

If you really want to robust the knowledge, you should visit the class. I dont have comments for Rotman and Schulich as i never attend class visit before, But i can share some experience with Ivey. I though I will like the case method teaching, as I am a kind of people demanding interactions during the class. You can imagine what would happen in a class with 150 students. You may get chance speak out your voice for 1 - 2 times. and fact is not all the students are proactively input the class, and neither the professor. the professor digging the questions or views presented by on of the student, and map the ideas on the board. and keep this profess for entire class. and 1.5 hrs for a case is just not enough, as by that time, the students just interupted the case into their own language, in my view, professor just lead us to repeat the same contains on the case, which you can really read yourself. I kind of waiting for a solution - not necessarily the best one, but at least a good practice that use to adopted by real company.

Ivey professors proud to tell you that you will not get an answer, rather than a process to make decision. but in that class, there isnt a decision made, instead of a case review. in conclusion, you wont learn anything in the class, but listen to some people express themself. It is just my personal experience and view of point, it may not representative to all of Ivey class. You should visit the class and have your own thought.

If you want to discuss MBAs with me, leave me a msg. I am in progress of selecting MBA, I would happy to discuss with you too. good luck!

is anyone still there on this thread? i would like to know review on schulich, ivey and queen's (not including rotman as i rejected the admit last year because of high fees :( ) from those in industry.. which of these would be better to do .. i am looking for a career switch and settling down in canada.. i am from india IT field with 4.5 years of experience.. i would be grateful if some experienced professional can provide me with insight other than rankings.. i would need to know reputation and job prospects along with program design value.. thanks in advance..

2017 update... avoid Ivey MBA due to 1 year, no internships... you will lose your job offer to Rotman/Schulich/Queens and even McMaster.

I interviewed with the school (Ivey) recently to ask how their graduates compete for jobs with other graduates from other schools, which offer an internship, for high finance jobs. their response was basically 'we pick candidates who have high potential to succeed (without our mba) but we give them a boost with the ivey network'. Sounds like a huge gamble with $90k. They also explicitly said they are not a consulting school, nor a consulting targeted school, but a general management school, and that their graduates tend to climb higher in the corporate ladder in the long run. Well that was the case when they were a 2 year program instead of a money-grabbing 1 year program.

I had a colleague who went there, hoping to get into corporate banking because he works with that group daily from RM, ended up placing worse than where he started in my opinion.

Ivey's undergrad program, however, is still stellar

disclaimer: This is just my observation with a few sample points and does not represent the full facts

This depends on your experience. If you are seeking to break into the industry, I would only look at Queens or Ivey, they are very well connected and highly respected in high finance. If you're already in the industry, just do the Laurier program as it is inexpensive, short, and well oriented to finance services.

Guys, I know this is an older thread. But I am in a similar situation. I have 8yrs of experience in Finance ( ETF Funds, Treasury of a Bank) mostly in middle office role. I did computer engineering as my undergrad and an MBA from a tier 2 school in India. Though it made sense to me at that time, but not I find myself at the cross-roads of my career. I have realized that the functional Finance Middle Office roles are soul-crushing and not very rewarding. I have been doing my networking (while working at CIBC Treasury) but its not leading me to any foot in the doors in terms of Sales and Trading or IB. So I am thinking how about to get another MBA/MFin degree from a reputed Canadian Univ. I am so confused and I will really appreciate any inputs from you guys. Help a brother out!