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M.B.A. Program

M.B.A. Program

About the Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)

Students studying on a full-time basis typically complete this 57-credit program in two years and must complete it within three years; part-time students typically complete this program in three years and must complete it within five years.

The first semester of the program features an integrated set of core courses with an emphasis on experiential learning. The remaining three semesters allow the student to specialize in a particular concentration and participate in an international exchange or complete an internship or a practicum, supervised by faculty.

While the standard components of an M.B.A. curriculum (finance, organizational behaviour, strategy, marketing, operations) remain central to this M.B.A. program, they are combined in ways that expose students to the cross-functional realities of managing in, across, and among organizations.

Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.); Management (Non-Thesis) (57 credits)
Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.); Management (Non-Thesis) — Finance (57 credits)
Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.); Management (Non-Thesis) — General Management (57 credits)
Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.); Management (Non-Thesis) — Global Strategy and Leadership (57 credits)
Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.); Management (Non-Thesis) — Marketing (57 credits)
Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.); Management (Non-Thesis) — Technology and Innovation Management (57 credits)

Admission Requirements

Admission Requirements

Applicants with strong indications of managerial potential are desired. Given below are the minimum entrance criteria. Owing to the large number of applicants to the McGill M.B.A., merely meeting the minimum requirements will not guarantee acceptance.

  1. An undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university.
  2. A Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is required for all applicants. The GMAT is administered by . The GMAT program code for the McGill M.B.A. program is 58 H-MN-22. Only a GMAT written within the last five years will be considered valid. GMAT test results must be sent to McGill directly from Pearson Vue; photocopies will not be accepted.
  3. Applicants who earned a bachelor's degree outside Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, or the United Kingdom, are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language. The may be waived for graduates of four-year university programs whose language of instruction is English if the university is located in a non-English speaking country. Applicants who are not Canadian citizens and whose mother tongue is not English may be asked to demonstrate an English language competency beyond the submission of the TOEFL score. A minimum score of 100 for the Internet-based test (iBT; 600 for the paper-based test (PBT)) with each component score not less than 20 is required.

    Applicants may write the (International English Language Testing Systems) instead. A minimum overall band of 7.0 is required, with each component score not less than 7.0.

  4. A minimum of two years of full-time work experience, following completion of an undergraduate degree.
  5. Two professional letters of reference.
  6. Interview.

M.B.A. Part-time Studies – Admission

The McGill M.B.A. program may also be completed on a part-time basis. This is meant to accommodate persons with full-time employment. Admission requirements are the same as in Admission Requirements above.

Note: Students studying on a part-time basis may transfer to full-time upon completion of the core curriculum. Students wishing to do this must meet with the M.B.A. Student Adviser to review their schedule; see “Combined Full-Time and Part-Time Studies” below.
  • MBA 㽶Ƶ Office
  • Desautels Faculty of Management
  • 㽶Ƶ
  • 1001 Sherbrooke Street West, Room 302
  • Montreal QC H3A 1G5
  • Canada

M.B.A. Application Procedures

M.B.A. Application Procedure

The McGill M.B.A. full-time and part-time programs begin in August of each year.

McGill’s online application form for graduate program candidates is available at www.mcgill.ca/gradapplicants/apply.

See Application Procedures for detailed application procedures.

Additional Requirements

Additional Requirements

The items and clarifications below are additional requirements set by this department:

  • A completed Personal Background Sheet
  • A completed Work History Form, as well as a Curriculum Vitae
  • The GMAT score (written within the past five years) and the TOEFL score (where applicable) written within the past two years, forwarded directly from Pearson Vue for GMAT and the Educational Testing Service (see GMAT and TOEFL information in Admission Requirements above)
  • A minimum of two years of full-time work experience, following completion of an undergraduate degree
  • Interview

Please note that entrance to the McGill M.B.A. is highly competitive. It is in the applicant's interest to apply as early as possible. Applicants can view their application status via Minerva.

Note: Admission to graduate programs at McGill is competitive and the final decision rests with the Graduate 㽶Ƶ Committee. Admission decisions are not subject to appeal.

Application Fee Information

The application fee must be paid by credit card at the time of application (online). Please note that a file will not be opened until an online application is received. Fee amounts and details are available on the Student Accounts website.

Application Deadlines

Application Deadlines

For application deadlines, please consult www.mcgill.ca/desautels/programs/mba-programs/mba/admissions/admission-requirements.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis so that the earlier a file is complete, the sooner the applicant may expect to receive an answer. The undergraduate record, GMAT and TOEFL scores (where applicable), work experience, essays found in the Personal Background Sheet, letters of reference, and interviews are the criteria used in making admission decisions. Interviews are scheduled by invitation only.

Procedure for Accepting an Offer of Admission to the M.B.A. Program

Procedure for Accepting an Offer of Admission to the M.B.A. Program

Registration

All accepted candidates will receive a package outlining registration procedures as well as deadline dates for fee payment.

Candidates who fail to register during the specified registration period may do so later, but will be charged a late registration fee by the University.

Please refer to Registration for more information.

Base Camp

Base Camp, for all new M.B.A. students, takes place for two weeks beginning in early August and covers fundamental quantitative methods. Base Camp is mandatory for all incoming M.B.A. students.

Orientation

Orientation for all new M.B.A. students is held during the week following Base Camp. This activity is mandatory for all incoming M.B.A. students.

Immigration Documents

All students who are not citizens or Permanent Residents of Canada are required to obtain the Quebec Acceptance Certificate (C.A.Q.) and Study Permit prior to entering the country. Do not leave home without proper documentation. You cannot change your status from Visitor to Student once you are in Canada.

Quebec Acceptance Certificate (C.A.Q.): The process to come to Canada begins with an application for a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (C.A.Q.). Details on how and where to apply for the C.A.Q. are provided with the McGill 㽶Ƶ package.

Study Permit: Issued by Canada Immigration through a Canadian Embassy or Consulate.

Citizens of the United States, Greenland, and/or St. Pierre-Miquelon are permitted to obtain the Student Authorization at a Port of Entry, if in possession of the C.A.Q.

For further information, or if there is an emergency, contact:

  • International Student Services
  • 3600 McTavish Street, Suite 4400
  • Montreal QC H3A 0G3

Policies and Regulations of the M.B.A.

Policies and Regulations of the M.B.A.

The following is a brief overview of the rules and regulations of the M.B.A. program. All attending students will be given an academic handbook from the M.B.A. office. Students are responsible for reading and abiding by these rules and regulations.

The McGill M.B.A. (full-time) is designed as a two-year program. The academic year begins in August and ends in April. Students admitted to the Accelerated Study Option may complete the program in a shorter period of time.

Withdrawal from the M.B.A. Program

Students wishing to withdraw from the McGill M.B.A. program must complete a “Withdrawal Form” available from the M.B.A. office. Students will not be considered as officially withdrawn until this form is completed. Students who drop out of the program but do not complete this form will be billed for the full tuition. Refer to Withdrawal from a Degree Program and University Withdrawal for further information.

Grading and Promotion Standards

The pass grade for each course is B- (65%).

Failures

Students are permitted one failure in the M.B.A. program. Any subsequent failure, including an unsuccessful supplemental examination, will result in the student being asked to withdraw from the M.B.A. program.

Outside Elective Courses

An outside elective is any course that is not part of the M.B.A. program. This includes courses in other faculties within 㽶Ƶ or outside 㽶Ƶ.

Students wishing to take an elective offered in another department at McGill must first obtain approval from the Program Director. Once approval is obtained, students must obtain permission from the department offering the course before registering for the elective with their faculty.

There are limitations to the number of courses an M.B.A. student can take outside the Desautels Faculty of Management during the M.B.A. program:

  1. Students completing a 57-credit program may take 15 credits maximum outside the Desautels Faculty of Management. This does not include courses offered by other faculties at McGill.
  2. Students may not take courses outside the Faculty if they are offered within the Faculty unless there are exceptional circumstances.
  3. Students may not take language courses for credit toward the M.B.A.

M.B.A. Part-Time Studies

Students will follow a lockstep program, which will allow for completion of the core courses during the first year of study. Students must then take a number of cross-disciplinary courses and an experiential component to complete the degree.

A limit of five years is permitted to complete the degree requirements.

Combined Full-Time and Part-Time Studies

There are two options by which students may combine full-time and part-time studies.

Option 1

Upon completion of the entire first year of core courses on a part-time basis, students may request a status change to full-time to complete the remaining requirements as full-time students.

Option 2

Upon completion of the core requirements on a full-time basis, students may request a status change to part-time to complete the degree requirements.

Students wishing to change their status to full-time must make a written request at least four weeks prior to the beginning of the relevant term. These requests should be sent to the M.B.A. Student Adviser.

M.B.A. International Exchange Program

M.B.A. International Exchange Program

Through the McGill M.B.A. Exchange Program there are exciting opportunities to study abroad.

Participation in the program gives McGill students the opportunity to spend part of their M.B.A. studying at a business school abroad. McGill is part of the (PIM), a consortium of the leading business schools in North America, South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Exchanges with both PIM and non-PIM schools are available.

The list of schools that may exchange students with McGill in 2015–2016 is available at .

McGill also maintains partnerships with the following non-PIM members:

  • ESSEC Business School, France
  • Solvay Business School, Brussels, Belgium
Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2015-2016 (last updated Jul. 29, 2015) (disclaimer)
Desautels Faculty of Management—2015-2016 (last updated Jul. 29, 2015) (disclaimer)
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