McGill’s Desautels Master of Business Administration (MBA) program was ranked first in Canada and 78th in the world in the 2018 Financial Times (FT) Global MBA ranking. Desautels was one of only three Canadian schools to make the top 100 list, alongside Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and Western University’s Ivey School of Business, which were ranked 86th and 90th respectively.
Alumni responses made up the most important ranking criteria, including “weighted salary” and “salary increased.” Altogether, these factors comprised eight of the 20 criteria and 59 per cent of the total rank. FT surveyed alumni to identify their average income three years after graduation and the average increase in salary after completing their MBA. The class of 2014 was examined for this year’s rankings.
Other criteria included the number of women in the program and faculty, and the percentage of international faculty members and students. FT also considered the program’s value for money, calculated using current salary and the cost of the program, as well as the prestige of research conducted at the institution in question, based on the number of articles published in internationally-recognized journals.
For Joshua Morton, a MBA student at Desautels with a concentration in Global Strategy and Leadership, the relatively small class sizes made the program more attractive than others he considered.
“I personally like developing more relationships with my classmates,” Morton said. “For me [the size of the program] really does influence how you interact with people. It means that you develop deeper relationships rather than a surface, in-class sort of thing. Everyone here is very open to helping each other and working together on things, and to me that’s also a big benefit of this program compared to others.”
Desautels also prides itself on educating a large number of international students, with almost half of its MBA students coming from abroad and a significant number from India and China.
“I liked the idea of the diverse nature of the program, we’re very international and so getting many different perspectives, and the way people think of things really comes up in the classroom a lot,” Morton said. “The value of what a MBA program really does comes from what the people around you bring to it, and it’s a much more valuable experience for you, and it is a much more valuable experience for your peers, when everyone has something to bring to the table.”
Montreal’s linguistic and ethnic diversity also sets Desautels apart from other Canadian institutions.
“[Something] that’s special about [McGill] is that we’re sitting […] as an English institution in a French-speaking city,” Alfred Jaeger, academic director for the MBA program said. “The whole multi-cultural, multi-lingual aspect that we almost take for granted [sets Desautels apart from other Canadian schools.]”
In addition to hosting many international students, Desautels’ MBA program also boasts nearly gender equal classes. Desautels was ranked first in North America for percentage of female students, percentage of international faculty and students, international mobility of students after graduation, post-graduation salary increase, career progress, and aims achieved.
“[Something] I am very proud of is, this year we have almost a balanced class in terms of male-to-female ratio,” Associate Dean of Desautels’ MBA program Steve Fortin said. “Our women last year and the year before were very active in the program. We have a ‘Women in Business’ club that is very, very active.”
Fortin is optimistic about what Desautels’ rankings mean for the future of business.
“We care about research, and we’re trying to train people in the best possible way we can for the business world of today, [but also] the business world of tomorrow,” Fortin said.
