Transform businesses with

data-driven solutions
01
Tackle the
greatest challenges
of our time

2 mcgill.ca/mma
Housed within one of the world’s top 25
universities, the McGill Desautels Faculty of
“McGill Desautels will
Management has earned a global reputation prepare you to make an
as a leading business school. Beyond the
rankings and accolades, Desautels offers a impact that goes
warm, close-knit community that embraces the
wide diversity of strengths and perspectives far beyond the
its members contribute. You will join a vibrant
group of students who come to Canada from bottom line.”
more than 70 countries around the world in
pursuit of an education that combines research,
practice, and teaching in a highly collaborative
environment. A growing team of world-class
faculty members ensures that our programs
at the undergraduate, masters, executive, and
PhD levels bridge the gap between theory
and practice, at every stage of the academic
journey. The calibre of their teaching is matched
only by the calibre of their research, which
extends across disciplines to tackle the greatest
challenges of our time.

McGill Desautels will prepare you to go out into

the world and make an impact that goes far
beyond the bottom line.

Yolande E. Chan
Dean, McGill Desautels Faculty of Management

mcgill.ca/mma 3
02

Join a new generation

of leaders

McGill MMA

#1 Top 5 Top 10
Canada* North America* Worldwide*
*QS Masters in Business Analytics Ranking 2023

4 mcgill.ca/mma
“Bridging the gap
between business At McGill Desautels, we constantly have a
acumen and analytical finger on the pulse of the market through our
close ties with industry leaders. Over the past
thinking, the McGill decade, we have seen the demand for skills in
business analytics skyrockets as organizations
Desautels MMA program recognize the power of data to optimize their
decision-making processes. While our existing
provides the rigorous MMA program includes a strong analytical
component, we decided to take it to the next
training on data science level with a specialized one-year program
designed to prepare students for meaningful
to solve critical business careers in an analytical role.
challenges.” Our MMA program is geared toward students
looking to upskill in the area of business
analytics, ranging from recent graduates with
proven quantitative skills to more experienced
professionals who aim to pivot to a new
field. Our students represent a diversity of
backgrounds, skill sets, and experience levels,
but they share a passion for studying analytics
from a business or management perspective.
Given our class patron/matron, the dedicated
members of our MMA Industry Advisory
Board, and our vast network of professional
guest lecturers/partners, students enjoy
unique access to leaders from a wide variety
of industries. For a new generation of leaders,
impact starts here.

Professor Mehmet Gumus

Academic Director, MMA

mcgill.ca/mma 5
03
MMA
Curriculum
The MMA curriculum strikes a balance between
advanced statistics, technology, and business
strategy to give students a broad range of
practical skills and perspectives.

The 3 pillars of MMA

Advanced Statistics Technology Business Strategy

Machine Learning Coding with Consulting Discovery

Resampling R/Python/SQL Solution Development
Methods Cloud Infrastructure Data Visualization
Optimization Technology Stack

MMA Program Structure

Length Summer Fall Winter Summer Fall

1 year Core Core Electives BUSA 649/Electives

1.5 year Core Core Electives Internship Electives

MMA Program Phases

2021 EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING MODULE

TERM 1 TERM 2 TERM 3 TERM 4

Foundation Technical Core Industry Application Transition to Market

2 Months 3 Months 4 Months 3 Months

Build your statistical problem Enhance your base by learning the latest
solving acumen in the core technologies and how you can scale your skills

6 mcgill.ca/mma
Follow your
passion for
analytics
In the final two terms of the MMA, explore
a wide variety of management analytics
application topics through complementary
classes. While the core module teaches the
fundamentals, the complementary module
presents an opportunity to build on that
foundation and explore particular areas
of interest.

Sample
complementary
courses:

→ I ntroduction to Artificial Intelligence

and Deep Learning
→ Enterprise Analytics using Cloud
Computing

→ Social Media Analytics

→ Text Analytics

→ Healthcare Analytics
→ Epidemiology Analytics

→ Pricing Analytics
→ Revenue Management

And more [...]

mcgill.ca/mma 7
Analytics Consulting:
Translate theory into
practice with a real
client project

“Experiential Learning
underpins the critical
link between theory
and practice, and is
a cornerstone of our
program.”

Professor Shoeb Hosain

Program Director, MMA

8 mcgill.ca/mma
The required Analytics Consulting module
forms the experiential core of the MMA
program. Work alongside experienced industry
professionals to solve a data and analytics
problem their company is facing in an effort to Student consulting
boost the client’s top or bottom lines. positions include:
You will be assigned to a live client and a role → Analytics Strategist
that leverages your particular background and
strengths to produce results on behalf of the → Quantitative Modeler
client.
→ Technical Architect
→ User Experience Designer

mcgill.ca/mma 9
04
Your journey
continues here

→ Thara Dawoodjee, MMA ‘20 → Junfeng Yang, MMA ‘19

Bell Bloomberg LP
Manager, Operational Strategy Dividend Forecasting Data Analyst
B.Ed., Physical and Health Education B.Sc., Mathematics

“It was daunting to enter the MMA program “I chose the MMA program because I was
without any technical skills or experience in the looking for tools to apply my background in
data field. Thankfully, the basic introduction to mathematics in real-world situations. Without
coding helped me get up to speed. The program a doubt, the program delivered. The definite
is structured so that students with diverse highlight was the opportunity to partner with
backgrounds—in my case, physical and health a startup for my consulting project. Throughout
education—can quickly build a marketable skill the year, I learned to work with stakeholders
set with enough hard work. After learning to use from different disciplines and backgrounds.
a wide variety of software and programs, I now I learned that being a data analyst is just as much
have a toolbox of specialized skills to bring to the about communication and strategy as it is about
table. You don’t just dip your toes into analytics coding. Not many programs provide this level of
through the MMA program. You dive deeper into practical experience. I graduated with the right
every possibility.” blend of skills to stand out from the pack and
land a job as a data analytics analyst at a leading
technology and media company.”

10 mcgill.ca/mma
→ Tamar Bulka, MMA ‘20 → Ramy Hammam, MMA ‘20

Allianz Euler Hermes Rogers Communications

Regional RICC Data Analyst Senior Data Scientist
B.A. & B.Sc., Computer Science & Economics B.Sc., Finance

“The MMA program provided a smooth “While working in finance, I developed a strong
transition from my undergraduate degree to the interest in analytics when I realized how much
workforce. Through the consultancy project, of my work could be automated and optimized.
I learned how to interact with C-suite leaders The MMA program provided the specific skills
and collaborate well on a team. It was especially I needed to take my career in a new direction.
rewarding for my classmates and I to apply the Gaining proficiency in the areas of technology,
skills we learned in the classroom in a practical business, and statistics paid off when I found
setting. The multi-disciplinary nature of the a job as a senior data scientist at a major
program equipped us with the right mix of telecommunications firm after graduation.
technical and business skills to translate data Now I’m building tools that more than 300
into real impact. After graduation, the same colleagues are using on a daily basis. I’m grateful
client I worked for as a consultant offered me a to the MMA for equipping me to lead in a field
job. Thanks to the MMA, I entered the workforce that matters.”
with confidence.”

mcgill.ca/mma 11
05
Make your mark
in Montreal

When your campus is right in the heart of → E

 vents and Speaker Series: From CEOs
downtown Montreal, the opportunities to of major corporations to startup founders,
connect with world-renowned leaders and Montreal’s most industry-disrupting leaders
like-minded students and faculty members share advice and perspective at campus
are limitless. events and speaker series.

→ Case Competitions: McGill students have

a reputation for delivering under pressure
in case competitions hosted on campus
such as the McGill International Portfolio
Challenge (MIPC), the R(Tech) Global
Retail Challenge, and the McGill-Microsoft
Discover AI Challenge.

→ M
 cGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship:
Anyone with a good idea and a plan to turn it
into reality will find unparalleled mentorship
and development opportunities within
the Dobson Centre’s 10,000-member
ecosystem.

→ Student Clubs: Student clubs including

the Desautels Graduate Student Society,
McGill Business Technology Club, and
Desautels Graduate Consulting Club
create opportunities for master’s students
to connect with each other and with
local industry leaders at networking and
recreational events.

12 mcgill.ca/mma
 Montreal Canadiens
Also referred to as the Habs, Montreal’s
professional ice hockey team packs large,
passionate crowds into the downtown Bell
Centre for home games.

Lachine Canal
Once an industrial workhouse, the Canal is now
a haven for recreational boaters, runners, and
cyclists along 14.5 kilometres of waterways and
trails.

Mont Royal
Montreal’s largest public park provides almost
500 acres of green space to exercise, picnic,
and enjoy free entertainment. Walk, cycle, blade
or ski to the summit for a skyline view of the city.

Igloofest
Every January, tens of thousands of
Montrealers bundle up for an outdoor
electronic music festival over four consecutive
weekends.

Iconic Restaurants
Montreal’s culinary scene lives up to the Place des Arts
hype. Head to St. Viateur Bagel for some of Canada’s largest cultural and artistic complex is
the world’s best bagels, Schwartz’s Deli for a mecca for fans of music, theatre, dance, and
traditional Montreal smoked meat, and La contemporary art.
Banquise for a heaping plate of poutine.
Old Port
Underground City Old-world charm meets new-world culture in
The largest underground city network in the the streets of the Old Port. Head down to the
world features 32 kilometres of restaurants, river to grab a drink at a rooftop bar, ride the
shops, metro stations, and entertainment Ferris wheel, or catch a performance of Cirque
venues to explore. du Soleil.
mcgill.ca/mma 13
06
Dream big in
a world-class AI hub
There’s a reason Montreal claims the title of Discover the power of location
best student city in North America year after
year. A thriving arts and cultural scene, low In the past five years, Montreal has emerged
cost of living, low level of crime, and plentiful as the world’s most influential hub for artificial
job opportunities attract students from all over intelligence companies, initiatives, and research.
the world. No matter what your background
or creed, you will encounter the welcoming, → M
 ontreal is home to the largest AI academic
tolerant vibe of a city that embodies joie de community in the world. More than 250
vivre and prioritizes a high quality of life. You researchers and doctoral students at McGill
will join a young, diverse population of 4.2 University and Université de Montréal are
million people who shape their city into a more actively conducting research in AI-related
appealing destination every year. Montreal has fields including computer vision, language
long enjoyed a reputation for being an artistic processing, and reinforcement learning.
and culinary hotspot, but it has more recently
evolved into a hub for technology, artificial → M
 cGill University’s Centre for Intelligence
intelligence (AI), and entrepreneurship. As Machines (CIM) has advanced cutting-edge
the island pulses with the energy of constant research in AI and robotics for more than 30
growth and change, you will have a unique years.
opportunity to change and grow with it.
→ L
 ed by AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio, Mila-
 ontreal ranks #1 in Canada and #9 in the
M Quebec AI Institute supports a community
world on the 2022 QS Best Student Cities of 450 world-class researchers who
index. specialize in AI and machine learning.

 he Greater Montreal area is home to more

T → T
 ech titans have established research
than 250,000 students—more students per labs in Montreal with plans to expand their
capita than any other North American city. investment in the city’s AI ecosystem.

 tudents enjoy a significantly lower cost of

S
living in Montreal than in most major cities
including New York, Toronto, London, Los
Angeles, Melbourne, and Beijing.

14 mcgill.ca/mma
“Tech titans have established research labs in
Montreal with plans to expand their investment
in the city’s AI ecosystem.”

Facebook AI Research—Led by McGill applies research in the areas of deep learning,

professor Joelle Pineau since its opening in reinforcement learning, and optimization to a
2017, Facebook AI in Montreal employs more wide range of programs including generative
than 60 people to undertake projects related modeling, machine translation, and game
to topics like advancing MRI technology, playing.
improving Facebook algorithms, and
generating content from photos. With a special Deepmind—The British subsidiary of Alphabet
focus on reinforcement learning and dialog opened an international research laboratory
systems, Montreal’s Facebook AI scientists in Montreal in 2017 in collaboration with
form an integral branch of a network of AI McGill. The neuroscience-inspired AI company
scientists across Facebook AI’s Menlo Park, develops learning algorithms to solve global
New York, and Paris labs. problems under the leadership of Doina
Precup, a McGill professor.
Microsoft Research—In close partnership
with Mila and Yoshua Bengio, the Microsoft Samsung Research—Samsung’s AI Centre
Research Montreal lab focuses on in Montreal performs research in machine
understanding concepts in reinforcement learning and language understanding in
learning, deep learning and language, and the partnership with Samsung AI centres in Silicon
uses of computational systems in advancing Valley and Toronto. Its leader, Gregory Dudek,
broader societal goals. is a current McGill professor and former
director of the McGill University School of
Google Brain—Created in 2017, Montreal’s Computer Science.
Google Brain team is an extension of the
global operation that works to expand AI
applications throughout Google. Google Brain

mcgill.ca/mma 15
07
Seize opportunity
at the intersection
of business and
technology

“The MMA is a perfect blend of skills to get you ready for the market.
Think of it as leveraging technical components from an MSc and
strategic elements from an MBA.” Professor Shoeb Hosain

MBA MMA MSc

BUSINESS STRATEGY DATA DRIVEN DECISIONS ALGORITHMIC APPLICATION
TEAM MANAGEMENT CODING/SOFTWARE
TECHNICAL AUTOMATION

16 mcgill.ca/mma
As Big Data continues to reshape the business
landscape, it’s not enough to offer business
or technical skills. Business leaders without
technical skills lack the practical tools to make
their vision take flight, and technical leaders
without business acumen lack strategy and
direction. The MMA program is carefully
designed to combine elements of pure strategy
programs, like the MBA, and pure technology
programs, like the MSc in Data Science. Over
the course of a year, students gain extensive
experience in using data science algorithms
and cloud computing software, as well as
fundamental training in managing analytics
teams and developing data-driven insights.

Throughout the MMA program, experiential

learning underpins the critical link between
theory and practice through two analytics
consulting projects. In particular, our unique
10-month experiential consulting module
provides a unique opportunity to solve data and
analytics problems for a corporate organization
in a real-world setting. With a wide range of
practical tools and hands-on applications
resulting from their investment in the MMA
program, our students will be prepared for a
career in data and analytics no matter what
their background.

Professor Shoeb Hosain

Program Director, MMA

mcgill.ca/mma 17
08 “This partnership has received so
Snapshots much positive internal feedback
of success that our past two presidents
have attended the students’ final
presentations to see the results for
themselves.”

David Deshaies
Business Analytics Project Manager

Pratt & Whitney—Aerospace

In the aviation industry, a substantial amount David Deshaies, Business Analytics Project
of time and investment goes into ensuring that Manager for Pratt & Whitney, was impressed
the right parts arrive in the right quantity at the by the way students were able to grasp the
right time. Through partnering with the MMA complexity of the problem and transform data
program, Pratt & Whitney aimed to organize into a user-friendly interface. “We could hardly
data on delays and breakdowns into a tool that believe what they achieved,” he affirms. “As our
could improve operations. “In collaboration with industry changes rapidly, these students are
our clients and coaches, we tried and failed learning and applying the skills of the future.”
several times to develop a predictive tool using According to Deshaies, Pratt & Whitney intends
machine learning algorithms,” remembers to continue partnering with the MMA program
Jessica Zhang, a member of the team of MMA each year. “This partnership has received so
students tasked with the job. much positive internal feedback that our past
two presidents have attended the students’ final
After months of troubleshooting, the team presentations to see the results for themselves,”
developed a sophisticated search engine he says.
that allows users to search for past data on
breakdowns and learn from it. They also
created a separate dashboard to visualize
logistical trends. “Overall, our partnership with
Pratt & Whitney provided valuable hands-on
experience,” says Jessica. “We learned to
work closely with a client and deliver results.”

18 mcgill.ca/mma
 “Our team involved in supply chain
analytics learns a lot from the
students.”

George Craigie
Senior Director for Supply Chain
Analytics & Technology

McKesson—Healthcare Logistics
“It’s easy to understand why McKesson is challenge using everything we had learned in
so highly regarded among MMA students,” the MMA program,” says Paul-Emile.
says Paul-Emile Gras. “They were always “In the end, we were able to provide insights
willing to answer questions, but they never that McKesson lacked.”
micromanaged us. They gave us the freedom
to create.” McKesson’s analysts had developed George Craigie, Senior Director for Supply
complex tools to predict potential disruptions Chain Analytics & Technology at McKesson,
to their supply chain from internal factors, but affirms the value of exchanging knowledge
they turned to the MMA team to analyze the with the MMA students. “Our team involved
impact of external factors like weather and in supply chain analytics learns a lot from the
economic climate. “My role as a data modeler students,” he says. “We are highly motivated to
was to use machine learning and AI models helping the students learn from us as well, as it
to develop a prediction model, Paul-Emile translates to better results for our company and
explains." sets them up for success in their future career
endeavours.”
His team ultimately created a feature selection
process to determine new external predictors
and constructed a dashboard for multiple
user scenarios. “The McKesson team wanted
us to surprise them with something new and
interesting, and we were able to meet that

mcgill.ca/mma 19
 “Partnering with the MMA
program gave us the opportunity
to access new talent in a way
that brought a fresh perspective
to the table.”

Aaron Lindstrom
Regional Head of Transformation and
Digital Partnerships

Allianz Euler Hermes—Insurance

“Like many companies, we have certain “Without a doubt, the team exceeded our
projects that benefit greatly from outside expectations,” says Aaron. “We were so
expertise,” explains Aaron Lindstrom, impressed with their work that we would have
Regional Head of Transformation and Digital hired all of them if we could, but we ended up
Partnerships for Allianz Euler Hermes. hiring one of the students for her unique ability
“Partnering with the MMA program gave us the to use tools that analyze company sentiment.”
opportunity to access new talent in a way that For Ruben and his team, the experience
brought a fresh perspective to the table.” provided a valuable opportunity to leverage
their technical skills and business knowledge
Led by Ruben Alba, the MMA student team was in partnership with senior industry leaders.
tasked with creating an automated system to “It was tremendously rewarding to create a
extract data from financial statements. “None tool that will save our client time and money,”
of us had experience in the insurance industry, Ruben says, “and we were thrilled
but we worked hard to get up to speed and go as a team to have one of our own receive
above and beyond what the client expected,” a job offer.”
says Ruben. In the end, the team used an
expert systems methodology to create an
automated process. To the client’s surprise,
they also performed a sentiment analysis
technique to enhance the final product.

20 mcgill.ca/mma
 “In a relatively short period of time,
the students were able to gather
the information, get comfortable
in an area that they’re not very
familiar with, and come up with
sophisticated solutions that are
immediately applicable.”

Dr. Adrian Dancea

Head of the pediatric cardiology division

Montreal Children’s Hospital—Healthcare Services

After the outbreak of COVID-19, MMA students Dr. Adrian Dancea, the head of the pediatric
assigned to partner with Montreal Children’s cardiology division at Montreal Children’s
Hospital leveraged their skills to support Hospital, marveled at what the students
frontline workers. In response to the rapid rise accomplished by the end of their partnership.
of telehealth services, they developed digital “In a relatively short period of time, the
questionnaires to evaluate the quality of these students were able to gather the information,
services and used a visualization tool to analyze get comfortable in an area that they’re not very
appointment volume and cost impact. familiar with, and come up with sophisticated
solutions that are immediately applicable,”
They also addressed the persistent shortage Dr. Dancea says. The partnership between the
of personal protective equipment (PPE). “If Children’s and the MMA program “needs to
we can help our client order PPE so they have continue and needs to expand,” he concludes.
a better, more stable supply for the doctors, “This should only be the beginning.”
nurses, and the other team members, then
they’re more able to do their jobs,” says Victoria
McKeown, a member of the MMA student team.
“We’ll be helping them help the community.”
The team identified patterns in PPE usage and
developed a model to calculate future usage to
maintain an adequate supply.

mcgill.ca/mma 21
09
Launch a career
that matters
Internships Some of our internship
placements include
The MMA offers a 1.5-year option that includes → Autodesk
an internship for students interested in gaining
→ CIBC
additional professional experience prior to
graduation. → RBC
→ TD
→ Stradigi AI
→ Golf Avenue
→ Zhongtai Securities

Class profile—Cohort 2022-2023

As an MMA student, you will gain exposure to a wide variety of perspectives through the diversity
of your cohort. Selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants, your classmates will hold
degrees in business, economics, commerce, science, technology, engineering, mathematics,
and other related disciplines from universities around the world.

33 67 % % SCIENCE
9%

MATHEMATICS COMMERCE/ECONOMICS
11% 45%

Domestic International COMPUTER SCIENCE ENGINEERING

students students 15% 20%

22 mcgill.ca/mma
2021 Employment statistics
(by function) TECHNOLOGY OTHER
2% 2%

CONSULTING
AI/ANALYTICS
27%

AI/ANALYTICS
DATA ANALYSIS
62%
AI/ANALYTICS
DATA SCIENCE/
DATA ENGINEERING
5%

AI/ANALYTICS
DATA ENGINEERING/
CODING
2%

Employment by industry
TRANSPORTATION OTHER
2% 2%

CONSULTING
TECHNOLOGY 28%
25%

RETAIL
2%

PHARMACEUTICAL
2%

PETROLEUM/ENERGY
2%

MEDIA/ENTERTAINMENT/ FINANCIAL SERVICES

SPORTS 21%
2%

MANUFACTURING HEALTHCARE
7% 7%

mcgill.ca/mma 23
Admission requirements Scholarships
→ Undergraduate degree A generous community of alumni and
friends of Desautels funds entrance
→ Curriculum vitae scholarships every year. All MMA
students are considered for these
→ Two letters of reference scholarships, upon acceptance, without
any action required on their part.
→ Statement of purpose

 MAT/GRE— OPTIONAL: While no longer

→ G
required for an MMA student application,
submitting a GMAT/GRE score is optional
and may enhance your profile.

→ TOEFL or IELTS, if applicable

Take the next step > Apply online mcgill.ca/mma

Submit your application by the following dates:

September 1 Admissions for the Summer 2024 cohort open

ROUND 1 November 15 First round deadline
ROUND 2 January 15 Final deadline (International students)
ROUND 3 March 15 Final deadline (Canadian citizens / Permanent residents)

McGill Desautels Faculty of Management

Donald E. Armstrong Blg.
3420 McTavish @desautelsmcgill
Montreal, Quebec mcgill.ca/mma
H3A 3L1 mma@mcgill.ca

Faculty of
Management