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IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR SEPTEMBER 2023

Applications for Fall 2023 admission are now open!

A GMAT waiver has been approved for Fall 2023 admissions. Applicants will be able to apply for the GMAT waiver through the following link:
Get Started: DeGroote School of Business MBA Program

Admissions Criteria

Choose a program below to view its admission requirements.

Admission Requirements

Degree

Completion of an Honours Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university.

Work Experience

1 year of post-graduate work experience is required.

GPA

Recommended B average (equivalent to a McMaster 8.0 GPA out of 12) or higher.

GPA will be calculated using the two most recent years of undergraduate or graduate study, 20 courses, or the equivalent of 60 academic credits. A combination may be used and is determined on a case-by-case basis.

GRE or GMAT

The GMAT is required for application to the Full Time MBA.

For Fall 2023, a GMAT Waiver is being offered. To determine your eligibility, please complete this form.

If a GMAT Waiver is not awarded, your application will still be welcome and reviewed equally. Submission of one of the below tests will be required at the time of application.

In lieu of a GMAT, students may also submit:

  • GRE
  • MCAT
  • CFA Level 2

We will also be providing support for students writing the GMAT or GRE including a practice test and information sessions on how to approach the exam. Stay tuned!

English Language Proficiency

Required for applicants:

  • Whose previous degree was not completed with the language of instruction of English
  • Who have been resident in an English-speaking country for less than four years
  • Who have completed less than three years of full-time post-secondary education with English as the primary language of instruction, excluding ESL courses

Acceptable English Language Proficiency Tests:

  • Academic IELTS (Overall score of 7)
  • TOEFL (Overall score of 100)

References

Two (2) references are required.

Applicants are encouraged to seek one academic and one professional (current or former direct supervisor or manager) reference. If this is not possible, two academic or professional references are acceptable.

Kira Online Interview

Applicants are required to complete an online interview prior to submission of their application.

Applicants will receive the Kira interview link one (1) business day after starting their application and completing the Select Program section.

Professional Resume

A professional resume is required for application.

All applicants are encouraged to utilized the DeGroote School of Business MBA Resume template. Please complete all sections of the template to the best of your ability.

Degree

Completion of an Honours Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university.

Work Experience

Although work experience is an asset, no post-graduate work experience is required.

GPA

Recommended B average (equivalent to a McMaster 8.0 GPA out of 12) or higher.

GPA will be calculated using the two most recent years of undergraduate or graduate study, 20 courses, or the equivalent of 60 academic credits. A combination may be used and is determined on a case-by-case basis.

GRE or GMAT

The GMAT is required for application to the Full Time MBA with Co-op.

For Fall 2023, a GMAT Waiver is being offered. To determine your eligibility, please complete this form.

If a GMAT Waiver is not awarded, your application will still be welcome and reviewed equally. Submission of one of the below tests will be required at the time of application.

In lieu of a GMAT, students may also submit:

  • GRE
  • MCAT
  • CFA Level 2

We will also be providing support for students writing the GMAT or GRE including a practice test and information sessions on how to approach the exam. Stay tuned!

English Language Proficiency

Required for applicants:

  • Whose previous degree was not completed with the language of instruction of English
  • Who have been resident in an English-speaking country for less than four years
  • Who have completed less than three years of full-time post-secondary education with English as the primary language of instruction, excluding ESL courses

Acceptable English Language Proficiency Tests:

  • Academic IELTS (Overall score of 7)
  • TOEFL (Overall score of 100)

References

Two (2) references are required.

Applicants are encouraged to seek one academic and one professional (current or former direct supervisor or manager) reference. If this is not possible, two academic or professional references are acceptable.

Kira Online Interview

Applicants are required to complete an online interview prior to submission of their application.

Applicants will receive the Kira interview link one (1) business day after starting their application and completing the Select Program section.

Full-Time MBA with Co-op applicants may be invited to an additional one-on-one interview with a member of our Career and Professional Development team after the submission of their application.

Professional Resume

A professional resume is required for application.

All applicants are encouraged to utilized the DeGroote School of Business MBA Resume template. Please complete all sections of the template to the best of your ability.

Degree

Completion within the last 10 years of a Bachelor of Commerce or Bachelor of Business Administration from a recognized Canadian or American university.

Candidates that have completed the following degrees may also apply:

McMaster University:

  • Bachelor of Engineering Management
  • Bachelor of Commerce, Integrated Business and Humanities (IBH)

Western University

  • Bachelor of Management and Organizational Studies

Work Experience

Two (2) years of post-graduate work experience is required.

One (1) year of work experience is recommended for McMaster University graduates from the following programs:

  • Bachelor of Commerce
  • Bachelor of Engineering Management
  • Bachelor of Commerce, Integrated Business and Humanities (IBH)

Undergraduate Co-op or internship placements adding up to 12 months or more of work from these degrees will be considered to meet the work experience requirement if they are noted on official transcripts.

GPA

Recommended B average (equivalent to a McMaster 8.0 GPA out of 12) or higher.

GPA will be calculated using the two most recent years of undergraduate or graduate study, 20 courses, or the equivalent of 60 academic credits. A combination may be used and is determined on a case-by-case basis.

GRE or GMAT

Not Required.

Candidates who fail to meet the above GPA criteria or who wish to strengthen their academic application may wish to submit a GMAT or GRE.

English Language Proficiency

Required for applicants:

  • Whose previous degree was not completed with the language of instruction of English
  • Who have been resident in an English-speaking country for less than four years
  • Who have completed less than three years of full-time post-secondary education with English as the primary language of instruction, excluding ESL courses

Acceptable English Language Proficiency Tests:

  • Academic IELTS (Overall score of 7)
  • TOEFL (Overall score of 100)

References

Two (2) professional references are preferred.

Applicants are encouraged to seek two professional (current or former direct supervisor or manager) references. If this is not possible, one academic and one professional reference are acceptable.

Kira Online Interview

Applicants are required to complete an online interview prior to submission of their application.

Applicants will receive the Kira interview link one (1) business day after starting their application and completing the Select Program section.

Professional Resume

A professional resume is required for application.

All applicants are encouraged to utilized the DeGroote School of Business MBA Resume template. Please complete all sections of the template to the best of your ability.

Degree

Completion of an Honours Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university.

Work Experience

Recommended minimum of 4 years post-graduate work experience.

GPA

Recommended B average (equivalent to a McMaster 8.0 GPA out of 12) or higher.

GPA will be calculated using the two most recent years of undergraduate or graduate study, 20 courses, or the equivalent of 60 academic credits. A combination may be used and is determined on a case-by-case basis.

GRE or GMAT

Not Required.

Candidates who fail to meet the above GPA criteria or who wish to strengthen their academic application may wish to submit a GMAT or GRE.

English Language Proficiency

Required for applicants:

  • Whose previous degree was not completed with the language of instruction of English
  • Who have been resident in an English-speaking country for less than four years
  • Who have completed less than three years of full-time post-secondary education with English as the primary language of instruction, excluding ESL courses

Acceptable English Language Proficiency Tests:

  • Academic IELTS (Overall score of 7)
  • TOEFL (Overall score of 100)

References

Applicants are encouraged to seek two professional (current or former direct supervisor or manger) references. Academic reference can be submitted if two professional are not available.

Kira Online Interview

Applicants are required to complete an online interview prior to submission of their application.

Applicants will receive the Kira interview link one (1) business day after starting their application and completing the Select Program section.

Professional Resume

A professional resume is required for application.

Have Questions?

Please review our “Commonly Asked Admissions Questions” below. If you are still unable to find the answer you’re looking for, feel free to contact us.

Apply Now

Commonly Asked Admissions Questions

Still have questions about our admissions process? We’ve done our best to capture as many of those questions as possible. If you don’t see the answer you’re looking for, feel free to ask us a question.

We look at your last two years of undergraduate study.

If you have completed a Master’s program, we will calculate your GPA using a combination of the grades from your graduate degree and the grades from your final year of undergraduate study.

We typically consider a B average (that’s approximately 75%, a 3.0 on a 4.0 GPA scale, or an 8.0 on a 12.0 GPA scale) in your final two years to be competitive.

We consider our students holistically, meaning that we take all aspects of a student’s application into consideration. This includes your work experience, interview(s), reference forms, and application responses. You may also offset your GPA with a competitive GMAT score. Please ensure that you take the time to put together a strong application.

We consider a competitive GMAT score to be 600 (Q:37, V: 28) or GRE to be 308 (Q:157, V:151). Please note these are not minimum requirements.

We do not need your official transcripts at the time of application and are able to do an assessment of your grades based off of your unofficial (scanned) transcripts.

No, you do not need to have WES evaluate your transcripts.

Unfortunately, we do not offer any transfer credits to students. Students are expected to complete our MBA program in its entirety.

No, you do not need to decide what specialization you would like to pursue until your second year of studies.

Students who are not admitted because of a low GPA, but who are strong on other criteria, may be invited to provide evidence other than their GPA of academic ability, so their applications can be reconsidered.  Such evidence could include strong GMAT, GRE, MCAT, or other standard testing scores, professional designations such as the CFA or CPA, or a statement (maximum 500 words) detailing responsibilities in their professional careers which have required strong quantitative and other academic skills.

We will be able to waive the English language proficiency requirement if you have studied for a minimum of three years in a university where the medium of instruction was English. We will need you to submit proof (official documentation) from your university confirming that this was the case.

We do not have individual band score requirements for IELTS or TOEFL. We currently only consider the overall score.

All applicants (international and domestic) are considered for entrance scholarships and admission awards at the time of application. We determine award amounts based on a holistic assessment of a student’s profile, and awards range from $1,000-$10,000 CAD. Students also have the opportunity to apply for additional scholarships in September. More information is available here.

If your internship/co-op was a part of your school curriculum and reflected on your undergraduate transcript, we may be able to consider your work experience as full-time.

It will depend on your situation. If you are currently working full-time, we would prefer you give us professional references. If you are a currently enrolled student, academic references would certainly be acceptable. We only ask that you choose your references strategically. Choose two people who have a good understanding of your skills and can best promote you as an MBA candidate.

Absolutely! Our Step-by-Step Application Guide should give you all the answers you need. If you have questions outside of what is covered in the guide, please reach out to us.

September 2023 - Application Key Dates and Deadlines

MBA & MBA WITH CO-OP

Domestic Applicant
Round 1: October 12, 2022
Round 2: December 1, 2022
Round 3: February 28, 2023
Round 4 (Final Domestic Deadline): June 1, 2023
International Applicant
Round 1: October 12, 2022
Round 2: December 1, 2022
Round 3 (Final International Deadline): February 28, 2023

All Round Deadlines are set for 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Applications submitted after this time will be considered in the following round if one is available. Admission decisions will be made only after the completion of each round. Decisions will be made in 6-8 weeks after each round deadline date.

ACCELERATED MBA
Round 1: November 1, 2022
Round 2: February 1, 2023
Students Collaborating

HOW TO APPLY

We highly encourage all applicants to submit their profiles for review prior to applying. Complete our Get Started form to receive your personalized feedback.

GET STARTED

Let us know if you have any questions about the admissions process. We’re here to help!