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canadian university report - the schools

The Arts building at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.Amber Bracken

The Globe and Mail's Canadian University Report's profiles of more than 70 universities across the country give snapshots on many factors, from educational experience to the feel of the campus.

ALBERTA COLLEGE OF ART + DESIGN

Calgary

Tuition: $5,570.98

Students: 1,197

Though called a college, ACAD confers university degrees in fine arts and design through its mandate from the Post-Secondary Learning Act of Alberta. It advertises small class sizes and has programs in many areas, including media arts, jewellery and metals, photography and ceramics.

As part of a growing trend to combine visual arts with medicine.

ACAD professors Heather Huston and Jill Ho-You collaborate with oncologists, reconstructive dentists and cancer patients. They are currently on a team working on the "see me, hear me, heal me" project, which seeks to present illness in a way that provides the public with new insights into what is considered healthy and unhealthy, while also promoting media literacy through visual aids.

ACAD students have a valuable on-campus resource in the Illingworth Kerr Gallery, a worldclass exhibition space and venue for Calgary's longest-running international art program.

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA

Edmonton (main), Calgary, Camrose

Tuition: $8,484.63

Students: 37,830

The main campus of the University of Alberta is located in the centre of Edmonton, right next to the city's river valley and within walking distance from the lively cafés of 109 Street. Although the U of A boasts the highest enrolment in the Prairie provinces, it also charges the most for tuition.

Students entering first year can choose to major in arts, engineering or sciences. To gain admission to the U of A's school of business, students must complete prerequisites and attain a GPA of 2.8 or higher in their first year of study.

Yasmin Rafiei is U of A's most recent recipient of the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, which will send her to the University of Oxford, where she will complete two master's degrees – one in public policy, the other in global health science.

The latest QS World University Rankings rated the U of A the 90th best university in the world, an improvement from the previous year, when it was ranked 94th.

ATHABASCA UNIVERSITY

Online (main), Athabasca

Tuition: $7,960 (out of province), $6,670 (Alberta residents)

Students: 32,740*

Athabasca University is an open online university that offers more than 850 courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The average age of an undergraduate Athabasca student is 29, with about 70 per cent of graduates identifying as the first in their family to earn a university degree.

Sabine Graf, an associate professor at AU's faculty of science and technology, recently received $50,000 in funding for a new gaming project. Dr. Graf and her co-lead will use the money to develop a community-based educational online game.

UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY

Calgary

Tuition: $6,590

Students: 35,150

The University of Calgary, the second-largest university in the Prairie provinces, offers the added perk of being less than two hours away from the Canadian Rockies.

Students will find applications for undergraduate programs at U of C more competitive than at most schools in Alberta, with the school accepting applicants who have an average of 84.2 per cent in high school.

This research-intensive university boasts a number of important research centres and partnerships that include the Arctic Institute of North America and the Alberta Gambling Research Institute.

It also holds 55 active Canada research chair positions.

Amanda Black graduated in spring 2017 with a PhD from the University of Calgary's faculty of kinesiology. Her time at U of C was spent researching the prevention and management of sports-related concussions. She travelled to Berlin to share her research findings with the International Olympic Committee at the 5th International Consensus Conference on Concussion in Sport.

UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE

Lethbridge (main), Edmonton,

Calgary

Tuition: $6,137*

Students: 8,468

This year, the University of Lethbridge celebrates its 50th anniversary. Its 500-acre main campus is home to 150 undergraduate and 60 graduate programs in the faculties of arts and science, education, fine arts, health sciences, management and graduate studies.

The U of L emphasizes a transdisciplinary approach to learning and research. In 2015 it launched the AGILITY program, which fosters innovation and entrepreneurship by encouraging students to start their own businesses even before they enter the work force.

Meanwhile, on track for completion in 2019 is the Destination Project, the university's new science and academic facility geared to a transdisciplinary approach to fostering the next generation of leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs.

Compared to students attending other universities across the Prairie provinces, those at the U of L express above-average satisfaction with their overall postsecondary experience.

MACEWAN UNIVERSITY

Edmonton

Tuition: $6,106

Students: 17,824

MacEwan University is situated in Edmonton's downtown core, mere blocks from the city's new hockey arena. The institution offers many baccalaureate degrees along with diploma and certification courses.

Students can take advantage of a variety of course formats – fulltime and part-time classes, as well as online and distance learning.

The university's Centre for Arts and Culture, which is expected to open in September 2017, will house the more than 1,000 students, staff and faculty relocating from the west-end campus. MacEwan has big plans for the building and will present it as a venue committed to nurturing the next generation of writers, communicators, designers, musicians, visual artists, arts educators and actors.

Students at MacEwan tend to graduate with less debt than those attending other postsecondary institutions in Alberta.

MOUNT ROYAL UNIVERSITY

Calgary

Tuition: $6,469.86

Students: 12,045

Known for its small class sizes and liberal education program, this mid-sized university focuses mostly on bachelor's degrees. Mount Royal University now offers 12 bachelor's degrees and 32 majors, as well as certificate and diploma programs.

By 2025 it plans to offer 15 degrees and 60 majors, with the ultimate goal of attracting more students.

Recognizing it is situated on the hereditary lands of the Niitsitapi, Iyarhe Nakoda, Tsuut'ina and Métis nations, Mount Royal University is making a concerted effort to Indigenize its campus. In pursuit of inclusive curricula, it created the position of Aboriginal Recruitment Officer to facilitate engagement with urban and rural communities.

The institution hopes to recruit more Indigenous students.

* Most recent available figure

** From website and not verified by university

*** Trimester system


Interested in profiles of other Canadian universities? View the rest of the profiles here.

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