Ivey’s 137 new MSc students began their journey today by learning how the program will prepare them for the future of work and teach them some of the most in-demand skills in modern business.
Students from two separate streams – Business Analytics and Digital Management – were welcomed at an orientation session today by MSc Program Faculty Director Warren Ritchie. Ritchie discussed how the program will equip them with in-demand emerging organizational capabilities that show no signs of going away.
“Data is becoming the basis for competition and the basis for delivering new service offerings. It’s disrupting industry and driving transformation inside organizations,” he said. “And the MSc program is trying to keep pace with practice. That’s why we spend a lot of time in practicums and put a lot of focus on experiential learning so that you’re starting to work with the same sort of dilemmas that the corporations you hope to join are working with.”
Ivey Dean Sharon Hodgson also welcomed the students and told how the program will help them to think about how data and digital management can address the critical issues in business and society. Her own previous career experiences included running IBM’s global business for artificial intelligence.
Driving better business outcomes through data
“The idea is that by using data and digital assets we’re able to create better insights and actually drive better business outcomes,” she said. “In the program, you will hear from many leaders, both from faculty and from the Ivey Alumni Network, who have had amazing experiences transforming businesses using digital assets and data.”
Hodgson said the students are joining Ivey at an important time when the School is both celebrating its 100th anniversary throughout the year and focusing on its future through implementation of the Ivey Next strategy.
“You’ll hear a lot about Ivey Next and how it has pivoted the School to focus more on our role in society and our role in addressing critical issues through our teaching and research,” she said.
The students also had a chance to meet members of the MSc Program Services team and MSc Association and learn about resources and services, such as Ivey Career Management. An important part of the session was the chance to meet their classmates. Noting the diversity of the class, Ritchie said another critical skill built through the program is the ability to work on international learning teams.
“When you work with people from different cultures, you learn different points of view and it helps to widen your lens,” he said.
Ivey’s new MSc students come from a variety of backgrounds. Here’s a look at the MSc Class of 2024 by the numbers.
