Note: This is the 2013–2014 edition of the eCalendar. Update the year in your browser's URL bar for the most recent version of this page, or click here to jump to the newest eCalendar.
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.
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.
- An undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university.
- A Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is required for all applicants. The GMAT is administered by Pearson Vue. 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.
-
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 TOEFL 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 600 for paper-based test, or 100 for the
Internet-based test with each component score not less than 20, is required.
Applicants may write the IELTS (International English Language Testing Systems) instead. A minimum overall band of 7.0 is required, with each component score not less than 7.0.
- A minimum of two years of full-time work experience, following completion of an undergraduate degree.
- Two professional letters of reference.
- Interview.
M.B.A. Part-time Studies – Admission
M.B.A. Admission – Accelerated Study Option
Candidates who hold a Bachelor of Commerce degree from a recognized North American institution with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a four (4) point scale and possess three or more consecutive years of full-time work experience, following completion of their undergraduate degree, may be considered for the accelerated study option. Candidates will be required to complete the core curriculum and take 10 M.B.A. complementary courses. Applicants applying for the accelerated study option must complete and return the application for accelerated study option.
- MBA Admissions Office
- Desautels Faculty of Management
- McGill University
- 1001 Sherbrooke Street West, Room 302
- Montreal, QC H3A 1G5
- Canada
- Email: mba.mgmt [at] mcgill.ca
- Website: www.mcgill.ca/desautels/programs/mba
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
- 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
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.
Application Deadlines
Application Deadlines
For application deadlines, please consult the following website: www.mcgill.ca/desautels/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.
For more information on registration, please refer to the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies University Regulations and Resources for 2013–2014 available at www.mcgill.ca/study.
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 Certificate of Acceptance from Quebec (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.
Certificate of Acceptance from Quebec (C.A.Q.): The process to come to Canada begins with an application for a Certificate of Acceptance from Quebec (C.A.Q.). Details on how and where to apply for the C.A.Q. are provided with the McGill Admissions 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 by telephone at 514-398-4349 during regular office hours, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., or by email at international.students [at] mcgill.ca.
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 the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies University Regulations and Resources available at www.mcgill.ca/study for further information. The form is available at www.mcgill.ca/gps/students/registration/dates (under "Forms & policies").
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 McGill University or outside McGill University.
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:
- 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.
- Students may not take courses outside the Faculty if they are offered within the Faculty unless there are exceptional circumstances.
- 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 Program in International Management (PIM), a consortium of the leading business schools in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. Exchanges with both PIM and non-PIM schools are available.
The following schools may exchange students with McGill in 2013–2014:
- Asian Institute of Management, Philippines
- Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
- Erasmus University, The Netherlands
- ESADE (Escuela Superior de Administracion y Direcion de Empresas), Spain
- Fudan University, China
- Fundacao Getulio Vargas, Brazil
- HEC (Hautes Études Commerciales), France
- Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, India
- Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, India
- Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administracion (IESA), Venezuela
- ITESM, Mexico
- Luigi Bocconi, Italy
- Manchester Business School, England
- National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Nanyang Business School, Singapore
- Norwegian School of Economics, Norway
- NYU Stern School of Business, U.S.A.
- Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden
- Tel Aviv University, Israel
- Tsinghua University, China
- Universidad Torcuato di Tella, Argentina
- University of Cologne, Germany
- University of Economics, Prague, Czech Republic
- University of Louvain, Belgium
- University of Melbourne, Australia
- University of South Carolina, U.S.A.
- University of St. Gallen, Switzerland
- University of Texas at Austin, U.S.A.
- University of Witwatersrand, South Africa
- Vienna University of Business and Economics, Austria
Non-PIM member: