[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Can Bus.jpg” caption=”Paul Bates (centre), Dean of the School of Business, praised the DeGroote MBA program for producing market-ready graduates. File photo. “]

McMaster University's DeGroote School of Business is in the top three when it comes to return on investment according to Canadian Business's annual MBA guide.

Return on investment measures the percentage increase students see in salary after completing their MBA. At DeGroote, the average entering salary is $30,500, while after graduation, students' average starting salary is $61,000–a 100 per cent return.

“DeGroote MBA graduates are market-ready,” says Paul Bates, Dean of the School of Business. “Our leading co-op MBA program and track record of placing MBAs at several top Canadian corporations in co-op placements ensures that students excel in the workforce when they graduate.”

Canadian Business also used a “payback test” to rank schools. Editor Joe Chidley compared how many years it takes for an MBA to pay for itself. Once again, DeGroote was in the top three, with a payback period of just more than two years.

The magazine also cited DeGroote's smaller, friendlier and less competitive atmosphere and the MBA program's focus on what Bates calls the “triple bottom line,” or teaching students how to be accountable for the financial, environmental and social aspects of every decision they make.

The complete MBA guide is available in the Oct. 23-Nov. 5 issue of Canadian Business.