Pathway to Master of Management Program

Seeking to advance to upper management in the pharmaceutical industry, Harpreet Gill knew she needed more than a health sciences undergraduate degree to succeed. Recognizing she required business acumen, Gill enrolled in Schulich’s Master of Management (MMgt) – a 12-month program designed for individuals with non-business degrees.

Currently a Business Transformation Associate at GSK, Gill admits she felt a bit anxious about encountering new subjects and teaching methods at business school, but she quickly realized the learning environment was ideally suited to her career goals.

“There is a ton of collaboration, group work, presentations and open discussions for the Master of Management courses,” Gill said. “The diversity of course content forces you to develop a new way of thinking that only strengthens your existing skill set.”

In her current finance role, Gill is involved in facilitating and leading numerous presentations. Almost every class Gill took at Schulich had an important presentation component, preparing her for this task.

“Schulich is a great school,” says Gill. “There are numerous opportunities to become involved and to develop valuable network connections.”

Annas Khan (MMgt ’17) has made a successful campus-to-career transition after landing a job with Walmart Canada last year. He is a Category Team Analyst, working in a fast-paced environment that presents new challenges each day; ones that he is eager to meet as he continues to develop and learn.

Annas has always been a motivated and high achieving student, completing an Honours BSc degree in Psychology at York University. Upon graduation, he made a strategic career choice: he decided to complete the Master of Management program to gain the business fundamentals needed to enter the competitive workforce. 

Today Annas doesn’t shy away from a high volume of work and competing priorities; in fact, he embraces both. He supports his team and several cross-functional specialists in a broad variety of professional objectives. These range from achieving profit and loss deliverables, to planning for key business events, to working with marketing and research teams on product advertising.

“I love the fast-paced environment of my job,” he says. “Each day brings new challenges and opportunities to learn, which makes every day exciting at work.”

Annas feels a profound shift in himself that he attributes to his education and professional development. “Throughout my experiences in my undergraduate degree at York and my time at Schulich, I feel I have grown stronger, with a better understanding of business, myself, and people.”

Just over a year since graduating from the Master of Management program, Kevin Loi is putting both of his degrees to work in his career. As an Organizational Change Management Analyst, his job demands a combination of business fundamentals, communication skills and emotional intelligence.

Kevin has prepared well for the professional path he is on. Completing an Honours BA in Psychology at York University, Kevin grew his abilities in studying behaviour, critical thinking and analysis. He worked as both a Research Assistant and a Discussion Facilitator – roles that made him comfortable engaging and analyzing others.

He then decided to pursue a Master of Management degree to grow his understanding of business.

“Applying to the MMgt program helped me to find direction,” says Kevin. “To me, the name Schulich meant that I had to live up to my potential. It made me feel like I could earn the success I aspired to, if I put in the work.”

Since completing his degree, Kevin has professionally matured and flourished.

 “The Master of Management program opened up my network, grew my communication skills and emotional intelligence, and allowed me to transition effectively into the workforce,” he says.

The best part? Finding success in a career that fully utilizes his skill set. The networking, project management and teamwork skills from his Masters degree pair advantageously with his background in Psychology.

“The teams I work with demand a high level of relationship savvy, verbal communication skills and emotional awareness,” says Kevin. “A big part of my role is securing buy-in for different initiatives, and identifying where and why staff are resisting change.”

Nigani is an eloquent and bilingual communicator with sharp analytical and business skills. As a Fraud Analyst at TD Canada Trust, she helps to mitigate risk to the bank and its clients by examining trends in fraud. Her role is highly autonomous, so there is a natural emphasis placed on her project management and time management skills, in addition to her ability to communicate her findings and analyses. 

Nigani has carefully studied and worked her way to such a diverse skill set. She first completed an Honours Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and French Studies at York University where she undertook meticulous analysis of the literary canon, and grew her language skills in both English and French. She grew adept at understanding and applying theory, looking beyond the surface, and making a case for her own analyses. When she graduated, Nigani self-identified gaps in her own portfolio when considering entering the workforce.

She decided to pursue a Master of Management degree to complement her undergraduate studies. Attracted by the short program length and its invitation to non-business graduates like herself, Nigani quickly began to build new competencies and tackle her fears.

“My presentation skills in the workplace have dramatically improved,” she says. “I can now hold a conversation on topics from Macroeconomics to Financial Accounting to Project Management theories and more.”

Committing herself to a five-year educational journey has paid off for Nigani who enjoys both career success and a new self-assuredness when presenting herself in the business community.

“I definitely believe that my Honours BA and my MMgt degrees complement each other, preparing me for success in the workforce,” she says.

“The analytical skills I learned in my undergrad and the business knowledge I gained at Schulich pair advantageously, giving me the confidence I need in a business environment.”

David uses his BSc in Biomedical Science and his MMgt degree to excel in his current role at University Health Network, the country’s largest healthcare and medical research organization.  

After successfully completing his Honours BSc, David was drawn to the Master of Management program because it would provide him with a general and practical introduction to business.

“Rather than a specialized stream, the MMgt was great for me to gain an understanding of the many facets of business.”

Now that he has graduated, the program has accelerated David’s professional and personal development in noticeable ways. “I’m better able to integrate information from multiple areas when analyzing and solving a problem,” he says. “Most importantly, I am more mature and better able to adapt to new situations.”

As a project analyst, David is comfortable running productive meetings, juggling priorities and managing his time. He makes valuable contributions to his team, and he’s uniquely equipped with both the specialized and soft skills needed to succeed in his industry.

“The choice to study business at a Masters level to supplement my Bachelor of Science degree was one of my best decisions. I’m glad to say that I truly use what I learned in my degrees in my job today.”