Meet Toronto Rotman’s MBA Class Of 2027

A Q&A WITH TORONTO ROTMAN’S JOSEPH MILNER, PROFESSOR OF OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT AND VICE-DEAN OF MBA PROGRAMS

Poets&Quants: What have been the two most important developments in your MBA program over the past year? What type of impact will they have on current and future MBAs?

Milner: Rotman has created a one-year MBA for students with undergraduate degrees in business or management, and several years of work experience. The first cohort is being recruited now for start in the summer. Students in the program will take a reduced core program followed by their choice of electives from our wide offerings across multiple majors. The students will be able to engage in our experiential and global offerings, as well as participate in the multiple student clubs and competitions.

The One-Year MBA is allows students who are focused on accelerating their careers to compete their MBA, focusing on the graduate level coursework that complements their previous studies. The full-time nature of the program allows students to integrate deeply into the Rotman community, building friendships and relationships that will prove invaluable in the Toronto, Canadian and global business world.

Poets&Quants: What do you see as the main differentiator that distinguishes your MBA program from other schools? How does it enhance the student experience and make them more attractive to employers?

Milner: Rotman provides students with unique opportunities to learn innovation from multiple perspectives. The Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), Business Design Initiative (BDI), and StartUp Rotman form the heart of Rotman’s innovation hub. The CDL program is designed to provide students who want to pursue startup experiences with the learning and training to evaluate and build early-stage tech businesses. Students are paired with early-stage technology companies looking to scale their idea into a high growth company. Every two months, students and ventures are invited to join an intensive full-day session with the Fellows and Associates, an elite group of successful entrepreneurs, angel investors, and partners from leading venture capital firms, focused on goal-setting.

Sitting at the intersection of academia and industry, BDI offers educational opportunities for students through curricular activities and applied engagements with industry partners. Through this work BDI connects the dots across disciplines and paradigms, transcending traditional boundaries to reimagine how businesses can generate value in sustainable and life-centered ways.

Poets&Quants: What types of services do you provide to first-year MBAs to ease their transition into business school?

Milner: The Office of Student Engagement (OSE) team is dedicated to supporting in-coming first-year MBA’s academic and personal success. From navigating elective course selection, to connecting them with international study opportunities, club events, and championing diversity, inclusion and belonging at Rotman, the OSE offers the guidance and support needed to enhance their experience within this community. The Rotman Squad, a group of committed upper year MBA students, offers webinars and activities over the summer to connect incoming students, current students and alumni. During the summer, students participate in Career Discovery sessions to explore career aspirations, Self-Development Lab sessions to support personal development and foundation, and intensive courses in Pre-Program and Orientation that will help prepare them for the first year.

Poets&Quants: What types of support do you provide to international students before and during business school to enable them to better acclimate to your country?

Milner: We provide comprehensive pre-arrival and in-program support to help international students acclimate to living, studying, and working in Canada. Before the program begins, students can attend pre-program sessions led by an English language professional that focus on Canadian academic and workplace communication, including professional emails, feedback styles, and workplace norms. Admitted students are encouraged to connect with a Rotman Graduate Ambassador prior to arrival to learn what to expect from the MBA experience and life in Toronto.

We offer pre-program Communication and Quantitative Boot Camps for students who would benefit from additional preparation in business writing, communication in a North American context, or core quantitative skills.

University of Toronto provides extensive on- and off-campus housing resources through Housing and Family Services. During the program, students have access to free, drop-in academic communication support and one-on-one assistance from an in-house writing expert to strengthen writing, editing, and program deliverables.

Poets&Quants: How does your program integrate other disciplines, such as the liberal arts and STEM, across your curriculum to provide students with a more interdisciplinary experience in business school?

Milner: Our program integrates disciplines from the liberal arts, STEM, law, health sciences, and public policy to provide a deeply interdisciplinary business education. Students can customize their MBA by combining it with another degree or specialization, allowing them to apply business frameworks alongside advanced training in complementary fields.

These programs are delivered in collaboration with leading faculties across the University of Toronto, enabling students to connect business decision making with technical expertise, legal reasoning, scientific innovation, and global policy perspectives.

Each option is designed to help students understand how business intersects with technology, regulation, healthcare systems, and international affairs. In addition, students may pursue a Collaborative Specialization in Environmental Studies, which integrates environmental research and coursework into their MBA experience.

Poets&Quants: What are two ways that your program is incorporating Artificial Intelligence into your programming? How do they better prepare students for the future world of work?

Milner: Our program incorporates Artificial Intelligence in two complementary and deeply integrated ways that prepare students for the future world of work.

First, Artificial Intelligence is embedded across the curriculum through a dedicated academic emphasis in AI-Powered Business Solutions. Rather than treating AI as a standalone topic, AI tools and methods are woven into core and elective courses in areas such as data analytics, decision modeling, marketing, finance, supply chain management, and pricing.

Second, the program offers purpose-built courses focused specifically on the strategic, ethical, and leadership dimensions of Artificial Intelligence. New courses such as “Generative AI and Large Language Models for Business Decision-Making”, and “From Human Nature to Future Tech: Tools for Tomorrow’s Leaders” focus on applying AI to complex business problems, responsible use, interpretability, and the broader organizational implications of AI adoption.

Poets&Quants: What types of educational and career support do you provide to alumni after graduation? How does it make them more valuable to employers during their careers?

Milner: After graduation, Rotman provides alumni with ongoing educational, career, and professional support designed to help them continue developing and remain competitive throughout their careers. Alumni have continued access to career coaching and professional guidance through Rotman’s Career Centre, supporting career advancement, role transitions, and long-term career planning. This ongoing support helps alumni refine their professional positioning and respond effectively to changing labor market demands.

In addition, Rotman supports alumni through a strong global community and professional network. Alumni benefit from regional and international events, speaker series, and digital platforms that facilitate ongoing connection with peers, industry leaders, and the broader Rotman ecosystem.

Next page: Profiles of 11 Toronto Rotman MBA students. 

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