Dear house,

If you were a CFA charterholder or a chartered accountant like CPA or ACCA and you wish to do your MBA in Canada but could not afford schools like ROTMAN,IVEY,Queen's etc.
Would you settle for a 2nd tier MBA like Mc Master,HEC Montreal etc because you thought your ACCA or CFA certificate would bridge the gap for you?

Please let me hear your thoughts.

I totally think your certification as an accountant will bridge the gap for you, if you decide on 2nd tier MBAs. I believe more and more schools corporate recruiters in North America are looking for professional experience, which is likely to sway their hiring decision. Of course, a degree from a top ranked b-school is definitely going to help you, but at the end of the day I think there's a certain level of professionalism that can only be experienced in the workforce.

Does anybody agree/disagree?

I'm also under the impression that McMaster, HEC and McGill offer great MBA programs.

My question is though, are you looking to get out of accounting or do you want to advance?

Thanks Toby for your response.

Actually,i am not thinking of getting out of accounting rather i am looking for a way to get back squarely into Accounting and Finance.

I am a chartered accountant working in a bank but my current role does not give me the opportunity to apply my skills on the job,hence my desire to look for an MBA that woould help me achieve my dream someday.

I am comfortable with figures and i hope to become a financial analyst post MBA and that is why i am looking for an MBA that has good Finance courses.

I think I am really down with Ivey because of its reputation and also offers a one-year MBA but the tuition fee is 'killing'.The accelerated MBA offered by Queen's and some other schools would have been a better option but most of these concessions are restricted to home applicants only.

Please how can you rate the following schools with regards to worldwide recognition (job wise) and depth of Finance curriculum: Mc Gill,Mc Master, HEC, Alberta and Uni of British Columbia?

Sounds like you got a plan. I understand about not having your skills utilized in the workplace.

As for rankings, I would say:

McGill
HEC
Uni of British Columbia
Mc Master
Alberta

Sounds like you got a plan. I understand about not having your skills utilized in the workplace.

As for rankings, I would say:

McGill
HEC
Uni of British Columbia
Mc Master
Alberta

Hi Phemy,

I just want to suggest that Rotman & Ivey are on a different level than Queen's. And on another level are also the other 3 that you mentioned.
There is an international environment and learning method is Ivey and Rotman that are closer to the top-tier B-schools... know what i mean?

I would say that all of these schools are recognized as top tier, actually, but there are some differences.

-Rotman MBA
strong focus on Accounting & Finance, located in Toronto, international perspective, highest tuition

-Richard Ivey
located in London, Ontario, international perspective, second highest tuition

-Queen's
located in Kingston which is not so business savvy, third highest tuition

-McGill
focus on Accounting & Finance, located in Montreal which is a good business center, fourth highest tuition

-Uni of British Columbia
located in Vancouver which is a good business center, fifth highest tuition

-Mc Master
focus on Accounting & Finance, located in Hamilton which is not so business savvy, but close to Toronto, cheapest tuition