Canada is home to some of the world’s top business schools that offer excellent programs at undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate levels. As the world economy continues to change in 2024, Canadian business schools remain at the forefront of innovation and leadership.
How Were These Business Schools Ranked?
Several factors determine the rankings of the best business schools in Canada for 2024:
Quality of Academic Programs
Top universities and colleges focus on providing robust business programs at reputable schools of business across Canada. They offer thought leadership, pioneering research, quality undergraduate and graduate degrees in various specializations from marketing to finance and data analytics.
Resources for Students
Access to funding, career support services, industry connections for internships and jobs, mentorship opportunities, student clubs and case competitions are assessed. Schools that enable strong student outcomes rank higher.
Diversity and Inclusion
Commitment to diversity and inclusion is a key area of evaluation. Schools are expected to demonstrate equitable admissions, faculty representation, support systems and safe spaces for minorities.
Global Reputation and Reach
How globally renowned the business school and the university are based on global rankings, international students enrolled, student and faculty exchange programs, and international partnerships with corporate and academia.
Strength of Alumni Network
A strong alumni community helps provide better career assistance and networking options to current students and recent graduates of the school. The size and strength of the alumni system impacts a school’s rank.
Research Output
Thought leadership through high-quality research by faculty and students leads to better case studies, data and insights that enhance overall learning. Quantities of research publications and citations are metrics considered.
The Top 10 Business Schools in Canada for 2024
Key Takeaways from the 2024 Best Business Schools Ranking in Canada
- The University of Toronto Rotman School of Management retains the #1 spot through global reputation, strong research and unrivaled alumni network.
- Queen’s Smith and McGill Desautels demonstrate rising momentum with niche program offerings and high employability rates.
- Stalwarts like Western Ivey and York Schulich continue excelling in case-method learning and financial engineering respectively.
- UBC Sauder, HEC Montreal, Alberta and Beedie SFU provide unique specializations from venture capital to arts management appealing to varied student needs.
- Waterloo School of Accounting and Finance enters the Top 10 for its co-op program integration with CPA education.
Based on a weighted average of the above criteria, here are Canada’s top 10 undergraduate and graduate business schools for 2024.
1. University of Toronto Rotman School of Management
The Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto is ranked Canada’s #1 business school for 2024. Rotman offers Canada’s top MBA program as well as undergraduate, Master’s and PhD degrees spanning marketing to commerce, finance and more. Rotman’s major assets are its global reputation enhanced by an alumni network of over 30,000, partnerships with premier schools like LSE, access to Canada’s financial hub and pioneering management research.
2. Queen’s University Smith School of Business
Queen’s Smith School cracks the top two Canadian B-schools owing to its excellent graduate and undergraduate programs focused on analytics, finance, sustainability and innovation. Smith is redefining management education with niche offerings like the Cornell-Queens Executive MBA. Over 36,000 Queen’s alumni and robust industry connections provide Smith’s students strong employment outcomes in Canada and beyond.
3. McGill University Desautels Faculty of Management
The Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University belongs to about 1% of business schools worldwide that are triple accredited. Desautels offers highly respected BCom, MBA and PhD programs acclaimed for research excellence in Accounting, Finance and Organization Studies. Over 92% of McGill BCom and 86% of MBA students received employment offers within 3 months of graduating in 2022.
4. Western University Ivey Business School
Ivey Business School is Canada’s leader in case-method learning. Ivey is the #1 ranked business school in Canada for its full-time MBA program. Its specialized graduate programs like MSc in Data Analytics provide great ROI with high employability. Ivey faculty research has the highest citation impact among Canadian business schools Key strengths of Ivey are its global reputation and an alumni community exceeding 40,000.
5. York University Schulich School of Business
As Canada’s #1 non-US business school in The Economist 2022 global ranking, Schulich offers leading management education. Schulich pioneers India’s first STEM MBA. With over 100 research centers and institutes across Schulich and York U, students benefit from thought leadership in niche areas like financial engineering. Over 31,000 Schulich alumni often hire current students for high value roles.
6. University of British Columbia Sauder School of Business
UBC Sauder makes the top three in Canada for full-time MBA and BCom according to Forbes 2022. Sauder is accredited globally by AACSB and EQUIS. With degrees combining business fundamentals with innovation assets like their Venture Startup Lab, over 5,700 Sauder international students and alumni are innovators at companies like Facebook globally.
7. HEC Montreal
With its BAA and MSc degrees offered entirely in English now, HEC Montreal is attracting more international applicants. HEC Montréal pioneers the CIRRELT interuniversity research center advancing optimization and data analytics research. This multi-disciplinary approach gives students the frameworks to become outstanding managers and innovators. Over 14,000 HEC alumni provide students great networking and hiring potential.
8. University of Alberta School of Business
The University of Alberta School of Business is unique among top Canadian B-schools with over 24 undergraduate majors. Standout options are their Bachelor of Commerce in Internetworking and Bachelor of Arts in Enterprise Management. Alumni earnings five years post-graduation exceed $100,000 showing strong employability. The Alberta School of Business also offers MBA and PhD programs among Canada’s best.
9. Simon Fraser University Beedie School of Business
Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University offers leading innovation in their programs. The first Canadian public university to offer a digital MBA, Beedie pioneers niche graduate programs like MBA Analytics and Technology Management MBA tailored to the modern economy. With over 35,000 SFU alumni and partnerships with premier firms like Deloitte and TELUS, Beedie students get strong industry access.
10. University of Waterloo School of Accounting and Finance
Breaking into the top 10 Canadian business schools for 2024 is Waterloo’s School of Accounting and Finance owing to its outstanding Cooperative Education program allowing students to gain work experience with CPA Canada firms and banks while pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees. SAF is accredited globally by AACSB and students benefit from Master’s level specializations like Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence.
How Did Other Leading Business Schools Fare?
While the following Toronto-based schools narrowly missed the Top 10 Canadian B-school rankings this year, they continue to offer respectable programs.
- Ryerson University Ted Rogers School of Management offers practical learning opportunities through case competitions, skills workshops and over 500 co-op program partners. Ryerson enables strong career outcomes with average salaries exceeding $65,000 within 2 years post-graduation.
- Odette School of Business at University of Windsor provides access to North America’s largest trading partner via the Windsor-Detroit borders. Co-op, internships and research opportunities arise from this proximity providing great ROI after graduation.
- Telfer School of Management at University of Ottawa holds EQUIS accreditation since 2009 offering reputed Bachelor Commerce and MBA options leveraging Ottawa’s position as Canada’s capital.
While French-speaking HEC Montréal made our Top 10 list offering many English-based programs, primarily French institutions like ESG UQAM School of Management focus on creating exceptional Francophone business talent through undergraduate and graduate programs.
Canada’s best business schools balance theoretical education with practical learning via internships, applied research and capstone consulting projects. Students learn through experiential methods leveraging strong corporate partnerships. Robust career support systems and large alumni networks enable strong post-study outcomes. Overall, Canadian B-schools continue to nurture talent matching the diverse needs of the global economy in 2024.
What is Canada’s number 1 business school?
The University of Toronto Rotman School of Management is ranked the number 1 business school in Canada for 2024. Rotman leads among Canadian B-schools owing to its high quality MBA, Masters, PhD and undergraduate programs, global reputation, strong research output, extensive alumni network exceeding 30,000 members, and partnerships with premier global institutions.
What is the hardest business program to get into Canada?
The University of Toronto Rotman School of Management has the most competitive admit rates across its MBA and commerce programs making it one of the hardest Canadian business programs to get into. On average, Rotman’s full-time MBA acceptance rate is under 20% with an entering class average GMAT score of 675. Rotman’s BCom program only admitted 38% of applicants in 2021.
What is the hardest undergraduate program to get into in Canada?
Waterloo Engineering programs including Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, and Nanotechnology Engineering are the most difficult undergraduate programs to get admission into in Canada with 2021 acceptance rates below 10% and incoming averages above 95%.
What is the #1 university in Canada?
The University of Toronto ranks first among Canadian universities in 2022 per QS World University Rankings thanks to its research leadership across diverse disciplines, innovative programs, illustrious faculty and alumni, abundant resources, and global brand as Canada’s top higher education institution.
Is Rotman better than Schulich?
The University of Toronto Rotman MBA program ranks higher than Schulich for its prestige, research excellence, strength of alumni connections and selectivity getting an edge over Schulich. However, Schulich’s niche offerings like its MBA specializing in financial engineering are unmatched. Ultimately both are top 10 Canadian business schools with individual strengths.
Is McMaster better than Queen’s?
Queen’s University ranks slightly higher than McMaster University according to 2023 THE World University Rankings owing to its stronger research impact, graduate employability rates and international outlook through higher international-to-domestic student ratios. However, both remain esteemed medical-doctoral Canadian universities with specialty offerings.
Which university is No 1 in Canada for MBA?
The University of Toronto Rotman School of Management is ranked Canada’s number one business school for MBA education in 2024. Rotman’s highly selective MBA program attracts top-tier global talent leveraging Toronto’s financial hub location and strong executive connections with Bay Street companies to place graduates with eminent recruiters.
