Tom Hansen

Following my graduation from the combined HBA and Chemical Engineering Program in 2013, I moved to Calgary to work as an engineer. I spent four years working as a project manager for Imperial Oil in their remediation and reclamation group. During this time period I also completed a course-based Masters in Environmental Engineering from the University of Calgary through night classes. As I approached the hours required for my professional engineer designation (essentially a CPA for engineers), I started to think earnestly about what I wanted to do next. After some introspection and lots of conversations, I decided that I wanted to take an MBA with the intention of accelerating my progression in the energy industry. 

When evaluating possible programs, I concluded that Ivey’s Accelerated MBA was the best choice. It was clearly the best Canadian option given the cost, time requirement, and Ivey’s strong network. I also strongly considered international schools (both in the US and abroad), but ultimately decided that none could offer the same value, especially because I knew I wanted to work in Canada upon graduation.

I both learned more and enjoyed myself more in the AMBA program than I was expecting. Academically, the highlight was the electives period where I got to take a series of interesting courses with classmates who had real-world experience. I was also pleasantly surprised by how much fun the program was. The full MBA program only has 150 students so it feels like a much closer-knit community than the HBA. In addition, the vast majority of MBA students are one-year transplants who have limited social networks in London. The net result is a close group of classmates, all of whom I honestly feel I can reach out to for a personal or a professional reason. 

Following my graduation, I will be doing an internship with the Advanced Energy Center at MaRS in Toronto before moving to Calgary to work full-time in management consulting. I would sincerely recommend that all HBAs consider Ivey’s Accelerated MBA when evaluating MBA programs.