Four Myths of the MBA Program

Myth #1
You can’t change careers with Ivey’s MBA Program, because there’s no internship

The reality is close to 95 per cent of our grads are career switchers, meaning they’ve made a change in industry, function, or geography.

Here’s how it works:

Our admissions team will assist you to ensure Ivey is the right fit for you. Throughout the application process, we’ll help you determine if Ivey’s one-year program is going to meet your needs. Ivey’s Career Management team is an integral part of this. We ensure all candidates admitted to the program have what it takes to meet their career goals without an internship.

In a nutshell, if you’re admitted into the Ivey MBA Program, our advanced Career Management team doesn’t think an internship is necessary for you to achieve your career goals. That said, we have a commitment to letting candidates know if we feel they could benefit from one. Our goal is to set you up for success.

Ivey’s model is proven. We made the switch to a one-year MBA Program without an internship more than 10 years ago, and we have a strong track record of success. Our placement rates three months after graduation are consistently over 90 per cent, placing us No. 1 among Canadian business schools.

In the last two years, our graduates have ranked Ivey’s career services among the top 10 in the world in the Economist MBA Rankings. Our students consistently achieve their career goals without needing an internship.

In the Bloomberg Businessweek rankings of MBA programs outside the USA, recruiters have ranked Ivey No. 1 in Canada for nine years in a row. Recruiters consistently rate our graduates highly across the board, without the need for an internship.

Don’t forget: Employers don’t care about whether you graduated from a two-year or a one-year program. They care only about your ability.

Myth #2
Being in a smaller city isn’t as good when it comes to networking and landing your dream job

The reality is the same firms that recruit MBA students at schools in larger cities also recruit at Ivey, and Ivey’s placement rates are top of class.

Here’s how it happens:

We had 234 companies post jobs for our MBA students last year, and our placement rates three months after graduation are consistently over 90 per cent, placing us No. 1 among Canadian business schools, despite being located in a smaller city.

This is not a commuter program like what you would experience in a larger city. With an intimate MBA Program in a smaller city, students create stronger relationships and bonds with each other and their faculty. These are the people who will be part of your network – forever. And this is what contributes to the unparalleled strength of the Ivey Alumni Network.

The Ivey Alumni Network is in a league of its own. For three years in a row, Ivey grads have ranked our alumni network among the top 10 in the world in the Economist MBA Rankings. Ivey alumni take the time to interact with, network with, and support our students and each other.

Recently in the Economist MBA Rankings, Ivey grads ranked their education experience among the top 10 in the world – ahead of programs such as Harvard, Kellogg, and Wharton. Many students and alumni say our London location was an important factor in their positive student experience.

Myth #3
You need a business undergraduate degree to thrive in the one-year Ivey MBA

The reality is two-thirds of our students come to us from a non-business background.

Here’s how it works:

At Ivey, we value diversity in the classroom and we use Case-Method Learning. Success of the Case-Method depends on student contribution drawn from personal experience, and the more diverse the perspectives and backgrounds of the students, the more engaging and insightful the classroom experience will be. We’ve had doctors, chefs, military personnel, musicians, and others with arts or science backgrounds all succeed.

For those without a business background, we offer optional preparatory courses on accounting, finance, statistics, and economics before the MBA Program starts. These courses are a great way to grasp the business basics, re-acquaint yourself with school routine, and get to know some of your classmates. Approximately 75 per cent of Ivey MBA students have taken some or all of these pre-Ivey courses, so you are certainly not alone.

Myth #4
International students are at a disadvantage if they want to stay and work in Canada after the one-year Ivey MBA

The reality is more than 90 per cent of our international students work and live in Canada after the one-year Ivey MBA Program. For many of our international students, this is a key decision-making factor in doing their MBA at Ivey.

Here’s how it works:

As soon as you arrive in Canada to start the MBA Program, you can create an immigration profile to start the process of Express Entry as a skilled worker to become a Canadian Permanent Resident. When you’ve completed your MBA, you can apply for a one-year post-graduate work permit that allows you to stay in Canada after graduation and work full-time while continuing the process of Permanent Residency application.

While you are in the Program, we provide personalized and tailored Career Management programming for international students, and Career Management courses are built right into the MBA curriculum. Ninety per cent of our international students have found a job within three months of graduating.

The Ivey Alumni Network is vast and supportive of our international students, too. They can help you establish a professional network within Canada early on in the program.

There are also a number of excellent resources available to assist international students planning to work in Canada after graduation, including access to free immigration services offered by our Faculty of Law here at Western, who can advise you through this process.