Dear all,

as this is my first post, I'd like to thank everyone for the invaluable information I've found here. I have been reading the discussions board extensively and it helped me narrow down the choices, I've already applied and got accepted to most so the decision needs to be made fast.


I'm hoping for your help as I'm really confused at this point and the clock is ticking. My story is complicated - I am an EU citizen living in Canada but I don't intend to stay here for more than another 3 years. I don't work in management at the moment (immigrant).

After 3 years in Canada, I'm planning to live in Asia (primarily China) for a while and then I'd come back to Europe, most likely the UK or Ireland.


The question that arises is - which one of the two (Bradford / Illinois iMBA) would be more universal and recognizes by the employers in both Canada and Europe?

I'd like to invest in a degree that's recognized here in Canada too, as we all know how plans change and I might end up settling down here. Canada is a member of the Commonwealth but I'm not sure if the degree from Bradford will be valued by the employers here.

I am aware that the Bradford program is triple accredited so it would make sense that it'd have more value in the eyes of the European employers. Canadian MBA is out of the question because the ones that have some value are way over my budget.


I cannot find either on the FT rankings for this year, which probably isn't a good sign. There's an article about Illinois purposely withdrawing from the rankings.


Of course, I'm open to an accredited third option within the same budget but I'm afraid it might make things even more complicated.

Thank you so much for reading and I'm hoping for your assistance!


Kind regards,

Legionnaire

Illinois is a safe choice.

Thank you for the response Duncan.

You don't feel that the lack of European accreditation would make it inferior in the eyes of European employers?

No. Illinois is one of the world's great universities.

Thank you kindly, Duncan. You obviously know what you're talking about and Illinois will definitely be my choice.

he only problem is that Illinois is the only one that didn't process my application yet but it is also the one I applied for most recently. So fingers crossed!


In case I don't get accepted for some reason, would the University of Bradford be a good alternative?

Your help is much appreciated!

Illinois has multiple entry routes. Assuming you pass the foundation courses and meet the requirements, basically being able to validate that you are a human, then entry is assure through at least one of the routes. I don't see a good reason to take the discount involved in Bradford without a specific reason, such as Bradford's location, focus on the circular economy, integrated law school etc...

That makes perfect sense, I'll be awaiting their decision then.

Thank you very much for making this decision easier!

Hello Duncan,

I'm hoping you'll see this as I have some bad news, I didn't get accepted to Illinois iMBA.

Would you recommend going with Bradford now, as the route you suggested doesn't guarantee I'll get acceptee even after doing the for-credit courses?

From the rejection email:

"we recommend using one of the below options to strengthen your application in the future:Take an iMBA course for credit, taking a course for credit and doing well both academically and professionally in the course will allow the admissions committee to see your abilities on display in actual iMBA coursework. If you are interested in taking a course for-credit, please follow this link for more details: https://onlinemba.illinois.edu/admissions/access-points/enroll-credit-course/. 


Take the GMAT or GRE and submit the scores to us directly (if you have not done so already). Taking one of these two standardized tests shows the admissions committee your abilities in both verbal and quantitative areas and may enhance your application. "


Alternatively, would you recommend a third institution with a similar reputation and cost?

Right now, I'm inclined to accept Bradford's offer.

Thanks a lot!

Illinois is a safe choice.

[Edited by pagingmax on May 27, 2020]

The other person was concerned that UIUC has only AACSB accreditation, while Bradford has the triple crown. So, I was responding to that concern. There are no US universities with the triple crown. It is not a relevant concern there.
The UIUC MBA is very new. Most rankings are set-up for lock-step, cohort-based programmes. The iMBA doesn't have that design. I don't see that as a concern. 

[Edited by Duncan on May 27, 2020]