Average Age for Canadian MBA students
What is the average age of a student in a MBA School in Canada?
In Canada, the average age of an MBA student is 29.9 years. There is no apparent correlation between the age of a student and the size, reputation, and/or ranking of the MBA school he or she attends. However, there is a proportional relationship between age and work experience. That is, schools whose students' average age exceeds the national average age for MBA schools tend to have student bodies with an average of approximately 2.4 years more of work experience than those whose average age is at or below the national average. However, there is no correlation between higher than average work experience and the size, reputation, and/or ranking of the school. Similarly, there is no relationship between an higher average age and a higher than average score on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT).
Moreover, MBA schools with extensive cooperative learning opportunities, such as the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University and the Odette School of Business at the University of Windsor, tend to have a student population whose average age falls under the national average. While there is no definitive reason for this, cooperative programs may attract younger students because they usually have less real-world work experience than more mature learners, and cooperative education provides the former an avenue through which to garner real-world workplace familiarity.
On the other hand, MBA schools who have more opportunities for distance learning, like Athabasca University and Queen's University, tend to have an older than average student body. Again, there is no conclusive answer as to why this is the case. However, older students tend to have extensive business and work experience and, often, a full-time career. Distance learning, therefore, provides these students, who may not believe they require a traditional classroom education, a flexible learning option which makes minimal demands on their regular schedules and routine and allows them to, among other things, continue working full-time.
| UNIVERSITY | AVERAGE CLASS SIZE |
| Concordia University | 30 |
| Dalhousie University | 30 |
| HEC Montreal | 31 | | McGill University | 150 |
| Memorial University of Newfoundland | 10-40 |
| Queen's University | 61 |
| Royal Military College | Class for core courses average 20-25 students; classes for elective courses average 8-10 students |
| Ryerson University | The classes will be small, facilitating a dynamic interactive learning environment. |
| University of Alberta | 43 |
| University of British Columbia | 100-150 |
| University of New Brunswick-Fredericton | 10-25 students in elective courses; 30-45 students in core courses. |
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