The Integrated Business and Humanities (IBH) program is designed to produce Canada’s next generation of business leaders. IBH students are exposed to a variety of learning opportunities via coursework and co-curricular activities. The focus of the program revolves around its four pillars of leadership, community engagement, global mindedness, and social enterprise. IBH students develop responsible leadership and management tactics for changing the global economy. With the skills you gain from McMaster’s Faculties of Business and Humanities, you will be equipped to create sustainable value and drive lasting economic, societal, and environmental change, both locally and internationally. Hear what our current students and alumni are up to!
The Integrated Business and Humanities (IBH) program is designed to produce Canada’s next generation of business leaders.
IBH students are exposed to a variety of learning opportunities via coursework and co-curricular activities. The focus of the program revolves around its four pillars of leadership, community engagement, global mindedness, and social enterprise. IBH students develop responsible leadership and management tactics for a changing global economy.
With skills you gain from McMaster’s Faculties of Business and Humanities, you will be equipped to create sustainable value and drive lasting economic, societal, and environmental change, both locally and internationally.
Our innovative approach to business education and training begins in the classroom, where you learn the fundamentals. You can choose to enhance your education by applying for the internship program, that is available to both domestic and international students, after the second year of your degree. Once you are admitted, DeGroote’s Career and Professional Development team will support your search for an internship.
An internship gives you the unique opportunity to develop hands-on experience with an employer for a paid work term that lasts between 12 and 16 months. Internships begin anytime between May and September following your third year of studies.
The Honours IBH with Internship pathway extends your degree program by one year and provides real-world experience, critical thinking skills, enhanced leadership qualities, and business acumen, setting you up for success upon graduation.
Alongside fostering the strong business expertise demanded by organizations today, the IBH program develops critical thinking skills that enhance your personal and ethical values. You also become more aware and understanding of various emotions and cultures, which aids you in transforming communities at home and abroad.
The Integrated Business and Humanities program equips you with the knowledge and tools to deliver societal impact across for-profit, social enterprise, and non-profit organizations.
For more information about the IBH program, please visit the Future McMaster Website.
The IBH program creates an environment through which you will develop nuanced and interdisciplinary perspectives on important issues. Through courses and extra-curriculars, this enables you to integrate and apply skills developed in both Commerce and Humanities courses into your future endeavors.
Many courses follow a “live” format, where you will explore current issues faced by various organizations, industries, and governments.
By completing class field studies in partnership with local businesses, non-profit organizations, and social enterprises, you gain an understanding of real-world issues while also making a difference by giving back to the community.
Collaboration driven through small class sizes and one-on-one coaching will drive you to success.
Students collaborate to solve problems facing social enterprises in foreign countries. By learning in a setting far outside your comfort zone, you view challenges in a new way and prepare for success in today’s global economy.
In the Winter term of 3rd year, you will have the option to initiate an exchange. Studying abroad offers an unparalleled opportunity to immerse yourself in another culture and strengthen your learning from a global perspective.
You will understand and take steps toward realizing your leadership potential. This involves self-assessments, coaching, leadership workshops, and reflective activities. The IBH approach to leadership is interdisciplinary, drawing from business and humanities conceptualizations of leadership.
Community engagement is the intentional connection between institutions and communities with the intent of fostering learning and change. You will learn about the concept and practice of community engagement through field studies and reflective exercises. Through a combination of experiential learning and research, you will gain an understanding of issues at the intersection of business and community.
Understanding global issues and diverse approaches provides you with the skills and knowledge to recognize, understand, and constructively engage with complex social needs and diverse perspectives.
Social enterprises are businesses that seek to deliver societal benefits while returning economic profits. You will explore the concept and practice of social enterprise throughout the program.
Bursaries are funding provided by McMaster based solely on financial need. In most cases, information from your OSAP application is used to determine your financial need, but some students who don’t receive OSAP may still apply for a bursary. Both are non-repayable funding, which means you don’t need to pay it back.
More About Entrance Awards
With AwardSpring, you can complete one common app that matches you with all the aid and award opportunities you’re eligible for. It also tracks the completion of any additional requirements on a user-friendly dashboard. You can even share the same requirements (i.e., a reference letter or statement of interest) across all applications with the same criteria to save yourself time. There are three new International Entrance Awards available at the DeGroote School of Business.
Visit the Registrars Office
The IBH program offers the Kevin A Lockhart Family Scholarship of $5,000 each to two incoming students. Established in 2017 by Kevin A. Lockhart, BA ’87 and Past Vice-President of the McMaster Students Union, this is awarded to a student entering the Honours Bachelor of Commerce in Integrated Business and Humanities program and, who in the judgment of the DeGroote School of Business, has demonstrated community engagement and high academic achievement.
Financial aid funding is based on financial need and not academics/extracurriculars. This includes OSAP and other government loan/grants programs, bursaries, and work programs.
The Office of the Registrar can provide information about other McMaster scholarships, bursaries, and financial aid.
Learn MoreRequirements for Canadian and international high school students can be found on McMaster’s admission requirements page. It provides lists of required courses, anticipated grade cutoffs, and more.
Integrated Business and Humanities (IBH) applicants will receive an email invitation to start their supplemental application through the Kira Talent platform within a few weeks of applying to the program. The supplemental application for the IBH program consists of two mandatory parts.
Supp App FAQ’s1. Video Interview
2. Resume
Applicants who encounter any questions or concerns during the supplemental application process are encouraged to email the program.
If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact our team, or chat with current students.
