Prospective MBA applicants across the board struggle with how expensive these programs can be. If students choose the right school however, the professional returns are often worth the investment. This is true especially of the programs that offer comprehensive part-time study, awarding students the flexibility to work and offset tuition costs while they earn their degrees. A study published by the Guardian even showed that students working while studying can recover a third of the cost of their whole degree just one year after graduating, and pay their debts off in full within 4 years. This proves that achieving this prestigious designation poses less financial risk than initially presumed.
The benefits to studying business part time improve if the program is housed in a highly accessible, metropolitan area where students have greater job prospects, rapid transit for easy mobility, and a variety of sophisticated professional networks they can tap into to help kick start their future careers. What’s more is these programs award them opportunities to make important connections in the city particularly if they’re looking to climb the corporate ladder or change industries altogether, while still allowing time for leisure and keeping up with relational demands.
Toronto’s downtown core is a bustling centre for many sectors from finance, to advertising; furthermore, the job market in the area is more fruitful when compared with other Canadian cities, so the probability of finding satisfying work is greater. Programs like the MBA at the Lazaridis School of Business & Economics for example are offered right in the heart of Canada’s financial hub. Classes take place on alternating weekends and courses are taught in the Sun Life Financial Building, near to many offices, businesses and amenities. You can complete your MBA on Bay Street and integrate your schooling within the present structure of your working life rather than uprooting yourself only to acquire greater debt owing to rising interest rates.
For those who believe a part-time program is more conducive to how they would like to pursue their Masters degrees, the deadline for the above school’s program is February 1, 2018. The part-time programs have rolling admissions so interested candidates are encouraged to apply sooner rather than later for better chances of securing their spot. Application requirements include two years of full-time work experience in any industry (including co-op experience from an undergraduate program – not necessarily business specific), a minimal score of 550 on the GMAT, a minimum of a B (73% average) in the applicant’s final year of study at the undergraduate level, as well as three professional or academic references.
Securing a more stable and reliable future shouldn’t require students to be swallowed up by debt, which is why choosing to study part-time while earning an income is becoming such a popular option. It may take students more time to achieve their MBAs, but ultimately it provides them with a return on their well-made investment without crippling them in the process. Finally, by remaining at work, students can apply the skills they learn in their program to their jobs as they prepare for taking on leadership roles with more responsibility.
