Making the Most of Your Time at DeGroote
Every term, DeGroote students travel thousands of kilometers to 28 countries. They learn to say ‘hello’ in 12 languages, eat a total of 32,400 new and global meals and become comfortable crossing international and cultural boundaries.
Most importantly, students gain a new perspective on business through their international student experience.
Gain tangible skills in your program of study, challenge your personal limits, foster a global perspective and differentiate your resume all while working towards your Bachelor of Commerce degree requirements.
Each student is eligible to apply for funding through the McMaster Exchange grants and scholarships, in addition to the KILLIAM Fellowship, McMaster General Bursary Program and OSAP.
International students are eligible for exchange but will continue to pay their student fees to McMaster.
You don’t need to wait until you graduate to travel and explore your options abroad.
This is your chance to study abroad without paying additional international tuition fees. Tuition is paid directly to McMaster University.
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Your experiences outside of the classroom ensure you have an enriching time at university.
From marketing to finance and accounting, our clubs and committees will ensure you’re involved in the true DeGroote student experience.
You’ll find a supportive community of peers to help expand and support your personal development and areas of interest. The community you find and create will stay with you a lifetime.
We aim to foster and promote a culture of equity, inclusivity and respect that embraces and leverages the diversity of our communities in everything we do.
DeGroote Commerce Society (DCS)
All clubs and committees are managed and overseen by the DCS
DeGroote Accounting Association (DAA)
DeGroote’s Analytical Insights (DAI)
DeGroote Black in Business (DBIB)
DeGroote Consulting Association (DCA)
DeGroote Finance and Investment Council (DFIC)
DeGroote Impact
DeGroote Marketing Association (DMA)
DeGroote Pride
DeGroote Women in Business (DWIB)
First Year Orientation Program (FYOP)
Greensuits
Our students are innovators, interdisciplinary collaborators and leaders focused on making a real-world impact. They're able to make their mark by participating in co-curricular activities like:
JDCC DeGroote
JDC Central (JDCC) is the largest undergraduate business school competition in Central Canada
Canadian Marketing League
DeGroote Summit
High School Business Heroes
MARS Apprentice
McMaster World Congress
Read more about JDCC
After months of preparation, hundreds of hours of research, practices, volunteering, fundraising, coaching, team building and more, the DeGroote School of Business JDCC 2024 delegation of over 40 undergraduate students brought home 17 trophies from this year’s competition, including School of the Year.
Jeux du Commerce Central (JDCC) is the largest undergraduate business school competition in Central Canada, held annually in the winter term. This year’s competition took place January 19 to 21 at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ontario.
Over the course of three days, student teams from universities across Ontario, Québec and the Maritimes take part in academic case competitions, parliamentary-style debates, sports tournaments and social competitions. Teams also volunteer and fundraise for community organizations and charities before the big weekend.
This year was an exceptional one for the DeGroote School of Business team. Students took home a record number of 17 trophies, including top prize “School of the Year” for the second year in a row. DeGroote placed first in the Entrepreneurship, Social and Participation categories with runner-up placements in Finance, Digital Strategy, Marketing, Debate and Human Resources. Raising the most charity dollars (over $14,000 total for 6 organizations), winning the volleyball tournament and placing third in the pickleball tournament were other notable achievements.
Marcus Marchese, fifth-year Honours Bachelor of Commerce student, was named JDCC Captain of the Year for his leadership and strategy-building. Marchese has participated in JDCC for the past four years.
“Within my first year on the team back in 2020 it was DeGroote’s first time ever winning the School of the Year title which at that time was a dream that was being chased for over a decade.
As we fast forward to the current day it’s amazing to see how the dream has now become a standard for DeGroote and being able to ignite this drive within others has been beyond rewarding to say the least.”
Other individual award recipients included:
Aidan Hussey, Volunteer of the Year
Kailer Glanville, Socialite of the Year
Peter Rugosi, Sportsmanship Award
To help them prepare for the competition, delegates received coaching from (student) committee executives and more than 25 faculty members and DeGroote alumni. While the level of their achievements cannot be overlooked, students attribute much of their success to the team’s inclusive and supportive culture. “The thing that continues to make us special year after year is the people within our delegation, and the family atmosphere that every DeGroote delegation has had,” says Marchese.
Jennifer McCleary, Director, Student Experience, DeGroote School of Business and JDCC 2024 Faculty Advisor of the Year, would agree. “Before we left for Kingston, we talked about how we define winning – and it wasn’t only about winning School of the Year, but how you show up. How we show support for each other. How other schools talk about DeGroote.”
Every delegate brought their best self to every experience. Not only did they cheer on their own teammates, they cheered for every school,” recounts McCleary, with great pride. “It was a demonstration of the strong business school student community across Canada.
We have something truly special here at DeGroote.”
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