As a prominent research university, Western University is known for its medicine and business programs. The university has produced world-renowned doctors, medical researchers, and business leaders for decades and has become a hub for developing the next generation of entrepreneurs.

What Sets the Ivey Business School Apart? 

Launched in 2019, the Ivey School of Business’ Accelerated MBA for Business Graduates Program is a blended online MBA built for working professionals in the GTA. Taking the same elements as Ivey’s immersive on-campus year-long MBA program, the blended program aims to give more flexibility to student professionals who can’t make a move to Western’s primary campus in London, Ontario. The program is 14 months long and is delivered primarily online, with one three-day weekend (Friday to Sunday) required monthly at Ivey’s outpost campus in Toronto. Classes start in January each year, with online access beginning in November. Beginning with a week-long residence in London, Ont., followed by the monthly in-class sessions in downtown Toronto, the program ends with an international study trip. Your cohort will work together online and throughout the monthly in-class sessions, and you will develop professional connections with peers and faculty.

With a focus on helping students make connections, Queen’s University has built a robust network of student groups and clubs, plus an extensive international exchange program. The university pulls from its multidisciplinary departments for all degrees and programs, meaning that whatever your focus, you will have a well-rounded education from a globally-ranked university.

What Sets the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University Apart? 

Taught via Queen’s University’s dedicated interactive teaching studio, this online program aims to give students the whole in-person experience and ability to “study while you work in your city.” The custom-built technology platform for online students boasts discussion capabilities, team collaboration tools, and personal or group coaching for students. Queen’s also encourages virtual networking as a critical element of career progression and facilitates networking opportunities like employer roundtables, 1:1 networking, and other special events.

Smith’s Accelerated MBA can be taken in one of two formats, depending on your location. Participants attend classes in a collaborative learning environment in many major Canadian markets. In all other areas, participants are placed on a virtual team, attending class from their homes or office. The virtual teams draw members from across Canada, with the same level of real-time connectivity and interactivity as the participants attending class in the Boardroom Learning Centres. Smith provides all the software, tools and coaching needed to create a high-performance virtual team.

With a critical focus on applied professional education, the University of Fredericton offers a variety of degree, diploma, and certificate programs for professionals. Based out of Fredericton, New Brunswick, the university boasts extensive experience delivering online education, with faculty averaging 11 years of experience, specifically in teaching remote learners. Notably, UFred does not charge international students more than Canadians, which has helped the relatively young university build a global footprint and alumni network.

What Sets the University of Fredericton Apart?

The part-time, fully online MBA program offers eight program streams for students to choose from and focus their education, from Global Leadership, Real Estate to HR and Consulting Leadership to Innovation and Social Enterprise Leadership. Further, the program has four pillars to its online education: live virtual classes, collaborative group work, an online campus environment for student and professor connections (including office hours), and a virtual library for students. Every student also ends the program with an integration project that allows them to deeply research a topic they are passionate about, which can be done remotely or via an international field study trip. Students typically complete the program in two-to-three and-a-half years.

Athabasca University was founded on the premise of openness and flexibility. Whether undergrad or graduate, the university has several ways to learn and pioneered accredited online learning for higher education. It also aims to make it easy for students with previous education to transfer credits, enabling them to complete their degree from a reputable university with more flexibility and potentially lower costs.

What Sets Athabasca Apart? 

Founded in 1994, Athabasca University boasts of creating the world’s first fully interactive online MBA program. In the 29 years since it launched, the fully accredited program has grown in prestige and is now recognized globally. It’s made explicitly for working business leaders. The online format is developed for as-you-can-flexible schedules, including those with extensive work travel commitments or working long hours. The program is accredited and considered among the top MBAs in the world. The average age of students taking the Athabasca MBA is 41 years old, and 95 per cent of students who take the course recommend it. Those who opt for an accelerated approach complete their MBA in as little as one-and-a-half years, while the regular route typically takes two-and-a-half and three years.

The University of Alberta is a public research university in Edmonton, Alberta. Founded in 1908, it offers undergraduate studies, more than 500 graduate programs, 250 specializations, and 300 research areas. The university is home to more than 41,000 students attending classes at five campuses, making it the fifth-largest university in Canada. It has an international reputation for excellence across the humanities, sciences, creative arts, business, engineering, and health sciences.

What Sets the University of Alberta School of Business Apart?

Completed over 36 months, the program is designed to fit around your work schedule, providing the ability to better balance work, school and personal commitments. Online courses are offered asynchronously, meaning you can study and learn when it is convenient for you. Students typically complete the program in three-to-four years. However, you have up to six years to finish the degree.

Delivered online and in-person, the University of Alberta also offers a part-time online MBA program. It is designed to allow students to take the program while balancing their work and personal commitments. Students typically complete the program in three-to-four years. However, you have up to six years to complete the degree. Online courses are delivered asynchronously, meaning you can study and learn when it is convenient for you.

Built on a foundation of core business courses and more specialized elective courses, students work towards completing 20 courses as part of the Online MBA program. With course materials and lectures available on demand, you can learn on your own schedule from anywhere. Course materials and lectures are available on demand to learn on your schedule. The structure of the online program will allow you to build strong relationships with your peers during the program. However, the program is flexible enough that, if needed, you can take a reduced course load and extend your time in the program. Graduates of the program earn a base salary of about $99,000.

McMaster University is one of Canada’s most prestigious institutions. It has grown into prominence in multiple disciplines, thanks in part to generous donations from the DeGroote family to establish the DeGroote Schools of Business and Medicine, respectively. From its campus in Hamilton, Ontario, the university delivers worldwide cited research and welcomes 30,000 students between its on-campus and online programs.

What Sets the DeGroote School of Business Apart? 

The blended, part-time program is built for students working while getting their degree. Half the program is delivered online, but in-person requirements are only three weekends a semester, making it manageable for working professionals. Further, in many cases, the program allows you to complete required ‘work-integrated assignments’ at your place of employment, giving student professionals ultimate flexibility to complete their degree and work simultaneously. Most students in this program have an average of eight years of work experience.

Courses are taught online and in-person during weekend residencies, so you’ll be required to attend class at the Ron Joyce Centre for three weekends a term. As part of a cohort, you will have a greater opportunity to network and collaborate with your peers.

One of the oldest universities in Canada, Dalhousie University grew from a regional educational institution to a globally recognized university. With around 19,000 students across all programs, the university is large enough to have all the resources its students need but not so big that students feel lost in the crowd. The university also attracts students from around the world, making diversity a key element of the Dalhousie experience.

What Sets Dalhousie Apart? 

Despite being labelled a “blended” program, Dalhousie’s Blended MBA is delivered 90 per cent online. Each program’s capstone course is held during a five-day summer session on Dalhousie’s historic Halifax, Nova Scotia campus. You only come to class at the end of each course for an ‘intensive’ on campus, including group work and other career services for students. Further, the program intensives are three-five day sessions that are offered in different cities across Canada, making it even more flexible.

Educational resources enhance online learning, including readings, videos, discussion posts, blogs, and audio files. Realtime elements include Live Classroom, tutorials, Collaborate Ultra, Adobe Connect and Skype sessions, ensuring rich personal connections with your professors and class participants.

Toronto Metropolitan University located in downtown Toronto is home to the Ted Rogers School of Management. As of 2023, MBA students from the school had an average employment rate of 91 per cent within six months of graduation. The Ted Rogers school is also accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, joining a few other mentions on our list as part of the international organization.

Choosing to study in the largest city in Canada has its benefits, providing access to major corporations for students seeking exciting career opportunities as well as having access to many start-up incubator locations such as Toronto Metropolitan University’s own DMZ – a world-leading incubator for tech start-ups around the world.

What Sets the Ted Rogers School of Management Apart?

The university offers part-time and flex full-time MBA programs that allow you to keep working, caring for family or managing other responsibilities while you study.

Students with a non-business undergraduate degree can complete the Flex Full-Time program in 20 months by completing Foundation Business courses starting in the spring and continuing with the core program in the Fall. Applicants interested in the Flex Full-Time MBA study option would apply to the Full-Time MBA program.

The school’s MBA programs have been ranked among in the Top 3 MBA in Canada by Bloomberg Businessweek and the Top 2 MBA in Canada by Corporate Knight’s Better World MBA Ranking and Top 100 MBA in the World by The Economist.

With a mix of online and on-campus programs, the Vancouver-based university focuses exclusively on professional and business education. It’s also part of the Global University Systems, an international consortium of universities. According to the latest data from alumni, 95 per cent of UCW MBA students are working or have a job lined up within one year of graduating.

What Sets UCW Apart?

The UCW two-year online MBA program focuses on building critical thinking capabilities as a foundation for everything else. As the business world changes rapidly, UCW aims to ensure its students understand how to plan strategically, conduct data analysis to make the right decisions and communicate their ideas so people get behind them. UCW offers a 30 per cent discount on tuition for Canadian Armed Forces and veterans.

One of the premier universities in the world for agriculture, hospitality, and environmental sustainability, the University of Guelph takes those strengths into all its degree programs. Over 24,000 students attend the university between its on-campus and blended online programs, and over 800 faculty conduct thousands of research projects across all departments. The Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics is home to the University of Guelph’s Lang MBA program.

What sets Guelph Apart? 

Because the MBA program draws from the University of Guelph’s core strengths of agriculture, hospitality, and sustainability, it may not be fit for the finance-intensive MBA candidate. However, if you’re looking for education in business within those specialties, Guelph is one of the most robust options in the world. The blended program takes place over two years, primarily online. During the program, students participate in three’ residential periods’ on campus, ranging from five-11 days each. The program has a 96 per cent approval rating from graduates. The average age of students entering the program is 33, and the age range is 22 to 62. Students report an average salary increase of 26 per cent upon graduating from the program, and 96 per cent said the program provided a good foundation for further career advancement.

For the second year, the program has placed fifth in the Top 40 of the Corporate Knights Better World MBA Ranking.

In the heart of Northern Ontario, Laurentian University is explicitly “tri-cultural” (English Canadian, French Canadian, and Indigenous Canadian) and bilingual in its instruction, culture, and programming. Students on-campus get to embrace the rural setting with lakes, waterways, fields, and forests. For online learners, Laurentian’s programs share the culture and mentality of an open rural university via the Internet.

What Sets Laurentian Apart? 

Delivered in either French or English, Laurentian’s online MBA program welcomes people from all over the world. Courses focus on managing complex information systems, business ethics, and operating within a globalized context. The average online MBA student at Laurentian has 13 years of intermediate-level work experience, and their average age is 43.

Located in Kamloops, British Columbia, Thompson Rivers University (TRU) is home to the Bob Gaglardi School of Business and Economics, which aims to connect the interior of British Columbia to the world through experiential education and high-quality research. TRU prepares students to excel in their workplaces and communities.

What Sets the Bob Gaglardi School of Business and Economics Apart?

Thompson Rivers MBA students can complete the program entirely online or on-campus, part-time or full-time, or combine course delivery options to fit their needs. Learners also have the choice to complete the program in a one-year accelerated program or over two years through thesis, project course-based options. GMAT scores or professional work experience are not needed for admission.

Carleton University is a research and teaching institution in Canada’s national capital, Ottawa. Its reputation is built on its strengths in journalism, public affairs, international affairs, architecture, and technology. Its students benefit from the university’s numerous partnerships with the federal government, other universities, and private sector partners.

What Sets the Sprott School of Business Apart?

The Sprott School of Business online MBA program from Carleton University provides the ability to complete an MBA online in 12-24 months, along with experiential learning opportunities, career-relevant insights and a supportive environment focused on developing each student’s talents and helping them succeed. These graduate-level programs are designed for students with bachelor’s degrees and at least two years of professional work experience. The Sprott School of Business is AACSB Accredited, and its MBA is one of the world’s leading MBAs for sustainability and responsible management.