Academic Requirements

Master’s Programs

While each program has its own minimum requirements, the following will give you a guideline to determine your eligibility to submit an application.

• 4-year (honours) bachelor’s degree
• B+ or better in your major subjects
• B- or better overall

Program Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree Minimum 2.75 GPA (B average)
• GMAT waiver available
• Canadian citizens or permanent residents only

We appreciate your interest in our program! Please note that while these are the minimum admission requirements, our admissions committee will take a holistic approach to evaluating your application to find the best fit for our community and program, prior to determining your final admissions status.

You must meet the following requirements for admission to this online MBA program:

Submit a complete online application and pay the $175 application fee

Four-year bachelor's degree from an accredited university

Minimum 2.75 GPA (B average; 73% min.)

Currently only available to citizens and permanent residents of Canada. International applicants are encouraged to explore our wide range of in-person MBA programs.

Transcripts and WES

• Submit transcripts from all post-secondary studies submitted directly from the granting institution
  • Unofficial transcripts are acceptable for our assessment purposes; transcripts are required to include the name and contact details of the institution, student's name and ID number, program name, course details, grades received as well as the "Grading Key", usually accompanying the transcript. Official transcripts required upon admission. All transcripts which are not in the English language must be translated into English. Both the English version as well as the transcript in its native language must be included with the application.
  • For applicants with completed education at an international institution, a WES ICAP Document-by-Document or WES ICAP Course-by-Course evaluation from World Education Services (WES Canada) will be required to verify official transcripts.
    • Official transcript(s) must be in the original language and include a certified translation if the transcript is not in English.
    • Note: Transcripts from Canadian institutions are exempt from translation requirements.
• For those providing WES evaluations, transcripts in the native language as well as in English, for each academic institution attended outside of North America, must accompany WES evaluations. The WES evaluation document without institutional transcripts will not meet the criteria.

• Applicants who have completed educational programs outside of Canada, prepare to meet the language criteria through the TOEFL, CAEL or IELTS exam. While they may be recommended for admission without these, they should know that a language proficiency condition may be added. More information available here.

Please Note: applicants may not be enrolled in more than one academic program at a time. Should this be the case and an Offer of Admission is extended, a condition will be included in the offer to provide proof of withdrawal from the academic program.

Statement of Intent

Two Letters of Recommendation

• For each reference, input contact’s name and email address in the application
• Carleton University will email the referee to ask them to complete a recommendation using a form specific to your application. If your contact does not see this email after you have submitted your application, advise them to check their spam/junk folders for the invitation email.
• The reference will be able to submit their recommendation directly to Carleton University through a secure portal.
• For applicants with less than four years of professional work experience, two academic references are required. For applicants with a minimum of four years of professional work experience who have been outside academia for more than four years, two employer recommendations from superiors are required. (References from colleagues, peers or friends will not be accepted.) Professional references can be completed through the same reference form, which will be emailed to your referees once you submit your application.

• Reference emails must be the corporation or business email addresses. Emails from Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc. will not be accepted. Please inform your referee of this policy.

Two years of full-time professional experience (post undergraduate degree) in a management or leadership role

• Professional experience is defined as holding positions which include managing or supervising team members and may include responsibility of a large portion of a project life cycle; managing time, budget and resources; leading a team in developing needs assessments, processes, and delivery options; strategic and financial planning; or collaboration with key stakeholders.

Resume/CV PDF

• The CV or resume must include dates as well as distinguish between full-time and part-time work, as well as Canadian versus International experience.
• For help on your resume submission, see our Resume Tips.

Valid GMAT or GRE Exam Scores (GMAT waivers available for request within application.)

• Applicants who have demonstrated strong academic performance in prior undergraduate or graduate studies and have significant relevant professional work experience may request a GMAT/GRE waiver.
• To request a waiver to include with the application, download and complete the GMAT Waiver Request form and upload the completed document under the test score tab as a GMAT Results document.

• Please note: completing the GMAT waiver form does not automatically waive the requirement. Only during the assessment of your application by Sprott's Admissions team will this determination be made.
• If the GMAT waiver has been denied, you will have the option to meet the GMAT or GRE criteria. Alternatively, you may be provided with the option to meet the MBA Math criteria.

Language Requirements

The language of instruction at Carleton University is English. For admission into Carleton’s graduate programs, you will need to demonstrate that your knowledge and use of English are strong enough for graduate studies at an English-language university.

If your first language is not English, you can demonstrate your language proficiency by:

• presenting one of the official Language Proficiency (ESL) test scores as defined in the table below;
• showing that you have completed ESLA 1900 or ESLA 1905 at Carleton University with a final grade of B- or higher; or
• presenting official certification (transcripts) that you have completed an undergraduate or graduate degree at a university in any country in which the primary language is English, where the language of instruction in the relevant educational institution was English, and the language of instruction in their most recently completed undergraduate or graduate degree was English.

Applicants who present their most recent degree and transcripts from a Canadian institution are exempt from language proficiency requirements, unless otherwise required by an individual program.

Note: Letters from your universities stating the medium of instruction is English are not acceptable.

Minimum Language Proficiency (ESL) test score requirement:

IELTS One-Skill Retake is accepted

TOEFL MyBest Scores is accepted

Please note that some graduate programs may require a higher level of understanding of the English language and will have higher ESL requirements. It is your responsibility to review and meet the minimum requirements of the program to which you are applying. Graduate Studies reserves the right to require further documentation or additional testing if they feel it necessary to demonstrate the required level of English language proficiency.

Carleton University is committed to ensuring that all students have fair access to English Language testing, including those students who require accommodations to complete the test. All tests accepted by Graduate Studies offer accommodations to students who require it, including but not limited to students with disabilities, and nursing mothers. Please note that arranging accommodations for an ESL test may take up to six weeks.

DISCLAIMER: The information above is subject to change. For the latest updates, please contact LOA Portal's advisors. The listed minimum requirements are a guideline and do not guarantee admission. Do not worry, we will notify you of any changes during the application process.