While there’s no doubt that a Masters degree in business can open countless doors to any industry, there are factors affecting how many years a student takes to complete their degree. In the case of those who have families, secure jobs they would prefer not to leave, or jobs that will pay for them to complete their MBA, choosing part-time study might be preferable. However, the most immersive option would be to pursue the degree full-time, especially if the program of choice is one-year, as opposed to two years long, making it easier to return to the workforce after achieving the MBA.
There are also a number of key advantages to pursuing an MBA full-time that part time study simply can’t match. While on campus, full-time MBA candidates can join student organizations, and this experience breeds good leaders. The purpose of a Masters in business is to launch future managers and executives, on their desired career paths. The culture of being on campus full-time then provides avenues for students to put the skills they learn in class into practise. The Lazaridis School of Business & Economics for example is housed at Laurier’s Waterloo campus, an incubator for innovation, and networking opportunities. Located in the centre of Canada’s technology triangle, the city has a strong financial service sector; it’s also home to several leading-edge research institutions.
Students who foster close relationships with their cohort while doing their MBAs often carry these connections into the business world after graduation. A full-time degree will then offer the time and space for candidates to grow their contacts, and give them opportunities to attend campus-centric events, and professional mixers in the surrounding area.
Moreover, students in the Lazaridis full time MBA can take advantage of studying abroad and building international partnerships where they can take summer classes in different countries to broaden their business knowledge beyond North American borders, allowing students to participate in a placement at the Burgundy School of Business at ESC Dijon Bourgogne in France during the summer term.
The one-year, full-time program offered at this school will further immerse students in a one-of-a-kind, integrated core methodology, where they’ll be taught eight different disciplines of business so they may graduate with the ability to solve problems from a variety of angles (while still having the opportunity to specialize in 10 different streams of study). It is a unique approach, and the first of its kind in Canada. Students will apply the knowledge from the integrated core in case study analysis and team projects, and as consultants for a real company outside of class.
The program puts the development of the individual at the forefront, with personal development activities incorporated into the core term, creating well-rounded, confident individuals who excel in the highest levels of management post graduation. Or, who become successful entrepreneurs thanks to the entrepreneurial arm of the program that allows students to focus on how to build a successful start up.
Attending this top MBA school full-time gives candidates an enriching experience that focuses on going deep with business concepts over the course of just one year, so they enter the job market fresh, and ready to perform at a high calibre.
