Tuition: $24,000 (+5%) Length: 16 months
Program Highlights Co-op / internship opportunities | Quality specialties | Social | Part-time option
Website: www.degroote.mcmaster.ca
DeGroote's two-year MBA is well-known for its popular co-op program, since the school has always punched above its weight when it comes to finding top companies with which to place students. Three four-month work terms allow students to cut their teeth at some of the school's big-name partners, including the CPP Investment Board, GlaxoSmithKline and Research In Motion and dozens of others. Students earn an average of $3,200 per month while on their work term, although some have reported earning as much as $5,000.

Co-op students take 28 months to finish, with four terms of study and three of work. Most co-op participants have little work experience (they average about 25 years of age) or are looking to pull a career U-turn and need to quickly get up to speed in a new field.

DeGroote also offers an international exchange program, in which MBA students go abroad for their third study term. With 20 partner schools to choose from, students looking for more international experience can take their pick of Alexandria, Oslo, Singapore and others.

The school is set to open a new campus in 2009 in nearby Burlington, which will offer interdisciplinary programs in business-community partnerships. That's part of what dean Paul Bates calls the school's mission to teach the "triple bottom line," so that students are always considering the financial, environmental and social consequences of their business decisions. While the facilities won't win any beauty contests, the Allen H. Gould Trading Floor (a slick, high-tech simulation trading desk, named for the late local retail operator and philanthropist, that students get to test drive) and the Decision Centre (a computerized meeting room) are useful high-tech amenities.