Masters in Management at UBC Sauder

[Sruthi Ravishankar]

Hi. I have 1.5yrs of experience and I'm inclined towards joining UBC Sauder. But their MBA program requires 2yrs of experience minimum.So i checked out their Masters in Management(MM) program which is a 9 month course.

Could you please provide me with useful insights about the MM course at Sauder? The job opportunities, career growth, reputability and other factors. Also, if it is a 9 month course, how would the work permit visa be given? Would it be given for a year at the least?

Would be of great help if you could provide info on this Thank you!!

[Knitgeek]

While I'm not UBC student (actually I'm enrolled at SFU, UBC's closest thing to a local 'rival' school) it's pretty safe to say that any degree/diploma from there is going to have a pretty solid reputation behind it simply because of the SFU and Sanders names.

I don't know much about the MM program but from looking at the program online it looks to be more of a graduate diploma type program than a full degree. That is partially given how short the program is and what appears to be a pretty general curriculum. Their MBA is definitely going to provide you with a better leg up when it comes to landing more senior positions.

Given that you are six months shy of their minimum requirement I would suggest you look at applying for the MBA. The program starts in September so theoretically you will have the 2 years experience by the time the program starts.

Having applied to both UBC and SFU's part time programs I know both schools won't ding you based on a single item that is just below the requirement. Both programs wanted 3.0 GPA and both offered me enrollment with a 2.9 GPA as my GMAT and work experience offset my low GPA.

For info on work permits/visas I would suggest getting in touch with a recruiter at UBC. They should be able to answer you questions and shine some more light on the MM versus MBA option.

And just because I can, I would recommend looking at SFU as well. There is a lot of UBC is better than SFU slag thrown around but depending on where you want to work after you are done you MBA SFU has a solid reputation in the Lower Mainland, a really robust Career Services department, and a solid academic track record.