Hi All,

I'd like to ask you, I currently live & work in Dubai.
Debating which DL MBA to go for, either Warwick DL MBA and Illinois iMBA programs.
Note that I will migrate to Canada in about 1 year..

I am still debating, whether to go ahead for the:
1) Warwick: Triple Accredited ,well ranked DL MBA, costing about $30.5K. Can do some of my electives in Canada after migration..

2) Illinois iMBA AACSB accredited; costing about $22K.. and North American Degree..

Need your views and support..

You haven't mentioned what your career goals are other than you'll immigrate to Canada in a year.
I have done my full-time MBA from US, and then moved to Canada. The Canadian job market greatly values post-graduate degrees from Canada. Several schools act as a feeder into leadership rotation/management programs. Outside of which everyone has to network using their school's alumni.

I would advise you to come to Canada first, and then enroll at the school in your city/province. Regardless of the delivery method - full-time/part-time/online that would have more appeal to local recruiters than an online program from anywhere else.

P.S - Since Canada has skill based immigration policy, a high percentage of population holds post-secondary education degrees. People are in general over qualified, and salaries are lower - rents are higher. Your online degrees will add little to no value. My friends from various schools like University of Pittsburg, UIUC - my sister from Fordham. They all have US experience, US education but finding a job in Canada is proving to be a challenge.

Ayon, didn't you do the MBA at William and Mary? That's a great school. Do you find that US schools are not well respected, or is it more a question of network and looking committed to Canada? Would something like the Athabasca MBA or SFU diploma be a better online option?

Hi Duncan, yes i graduated from W&M. It's a good school no doubt! but to be respected and achieve a true global mobility I need to fit the mold - and I don't.
US citizens (regardless of race) who graduate from W&M - MBA, and other programs find good job opportunities in DC area in Federal consulting. It always help if one have an undergrad/work experience in Finance to work in Toronto.

My target companies in Telecom (Bell , Rogers, Telus) have very few job openings. Several job posted online are just for show - they already have a candidate selected. Networking opportunities are limited since W&M alumni are not yet into those companies. Most people working in such companies are from Canadian schools. Tough to get my foot in the door.

The recruiter are usually immigrants themselves from India, Greece etc. They are more likely to be familiar with Seneca college than know about the 2nd oldest university in North America.

I haven't researched the schools you mentioned but I can bet that it would weigh more than anything school the recruiters aren't aware of due to geographic proximity.

Just to illustrate https://jobs.bce.ca/bell/content/Events/?locale=en_US
Looking at Bell's recruiting calendar. An MBA from Ryerson is far suited than MBA from let's say Purdue University if settling in Toronto and working at Bell is the end goal. Not saying that getting an admit from Ryerson is easier but it would open more doors in Toronto/Canada than from a Tier II schools in US. Relatively less competitive and less complicated application process too.

I realise that you might feel a bit frustrated by that. In the long run, the higher quality of the W&M MBA will pay back in a thousand small choices being made better both inside and outside of the workplace.

One of my PhD classmates just got hired by the school of management at St Andrews, which is top in the UK for pre experience degrees https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings?s=Business+%26+Management+Studies . I noticed that it has one double degree programme, with W&M. I think that is a testament to the quality of the college.

Thanks @Ayon @Duncan for your replies..
I have an MSc degree in Engineering from USC (I am not a US Citizen), with 8+ years of experience now..
My main aim of my MBA is to support me in terms of selection for higher positions in any company organization..
Still debating between the two, Warwick or Illinois..

Is there any other reputable university in Canada or elsewhere within the range of max. 35k USD? Most probably in Toronto or BC? or which of these two would be a better option..

[Edited by onlinembaq on Sep 25, 2019]

https://find-mba.com/lists/other-top-business-school-lists/top-10-budget-mbas-in-canada

The Ryerson MBA is probably within your budget, and in Toronto to boot.

If you want to move to Canada, the best online masters program might be the University of Waterloo's Master of Management Science (online program).

Outside Canada, Waterloo is pretty much unknown, but within Canada it has the reputation of an elite school.

I am from Asia. Got my MBA from the US (top 30 ranked MBA program - a State University) and later migrated to Toronto to avoid the stress of US visa issues. In my particular situation, the US MBA helped get me a good job in Toronto. This is mainly because US work experience is valued the same as Canadian work experience. Also, the company I joined was a US company's Toronto office and I applied to that company while working in the US (the company's Canada and US operations share one HR office).

However, if I were to solely look into online programs before moving to Canada, I would avoid US schools and focus on Canadian schools. Even then, I agree with everyone here that it is better to just move to Canada first and then get another degree. Another option is a postgraduate certificate with a co-op (internship) from a local college (like Seneca) that will complement your degree education.

[Edited by smartcanada on Oct 10, 2019]